Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born September 4, 1981), known mononymously as Beyoncé (pron.: /biËjÉnseɪ/ bee-YON-say), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time. Knowles’ work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including 16 Grammy Awards, 12 MTV Video Music Awards, a Billboard Millennium Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (with Destiny’s Child). As a solo artist, Knowles has sold over 13 million albums in the United States and over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the 2000s decade, and ranked her as the fourth Artist of the Decade. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also recognized Knowles as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s. In 2010, she appeared on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”, and was ranked third on their “100 Greatest Women in Music” list in 2012. In 2010, Knowles was ranked first on Forbes list of the “100 Most Powerful and Influential Musicians in the World”.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (pronounced [ÊaËkiɾa isaËβel moËbÉËɾˤÉk riËpoÊ]; born February 2, 1977), known mononymously as Shakira (English /ÊÉËkɪÉrÉ/, Spanish: [ÊaËkiɾa]), is a Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer and model who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Shakira began performing in school, demonstrating her vocal ability with rock and roll, Latin and Arabic influences with her own original twist on belly dancing. Shakira is a native Spanish speaker who speaks fluent English and Portuguese, as well as some Italian, French, and Catalan.
