Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter;born September 4, 1981)[5] is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, humanitarian, and record producer. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Beyoncé is often cited as an influence by other artists.