Photos of Beyoncé Knowles' Incredible Life and Career

We all know that Beyoncé is the Queen of...well, everything. But how much about the famous singer's life do you really know? She's the mother of Blue Ivy, Sir, and Rumi Carter; former Destiny's Child member; and causally the most-nominated female artist in Grammy history. After more than 20 years in the entertainment industry, we're taking a look back at the singer's remarkable evolution in photos.

The Houston-native was just 16 years old when she and her all-female singing group landed their first record deal in 1997.

Destiny's Child was signed by Columbia Records and managed by her father, Mathew Knowles. The original foursome featured Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson.

In 1998, Destiny's Child released its debut self-titled album and quickly became one of the biggest new R&B groups. Their second album, The Writings on the Wall, was released in 1999 and included hits like "Bills Bills Bills" and "Say My Name."

After a reported dispute between Luckett, Roberson, and Mathew Knowles, the singers were replaced with Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. The latter was only in the group for a few months.

The group wore custom leather and rhinestone ensembles for their MTV Video Music Awards debut in 2000—and took home their first Moon Man for Best R&B Video for "Say My Name."

Before Kris Jenner coined the term "momager," there was Mathew Knowles. Beyoncé's father managed the group and her solo career until 2011.

By 2001, the group was firmly a trio and one of the biggest names in R&B. Later that year, Destiny's Child released its third studio album, Survivor.

Beyoncé met Jay-Z when she was 18 (so sometime between 1999 and 2000), but they didn't start dating for over a year. Soon after, they began making music together. Jay-Z released "'03 Bonnie & Clyde," featuring Beyoncé, in 2002.

The group was previously nominated for a Grammy for "Bills Bills Bills," but it was their iconic track, "Say My Name," that resulted in Bey's first Grammy wins. They took home the awards for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Beyoncé helped coin the word "Bootylicious" in a song on Destiny's Child's third studio album. In 2004, the word was even added to the dictionary.

After making her on-screen debut in Carmen: A Hip Hopera, Beyoncé starred alongside Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember, as Foxxy Cleopatra.

By 2003, Destiny's Child decided to take a hiatus and Beyoncé pursued individual projects. Most notably, she released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love.

There was no doubt of Beyoncé's star power after the Grammys following her solo debut. The singer took home a total of five awards for her album Dangerously in Love.

After Beyoncé's solo success, the band reunited for one last studio album. They released Destiny Fulfilled in 2004 and disbanded in 2006 after their Destiny Fulfilled...And Lovin' It Tour.

In 2006, the group was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The women reunited and showed the world that, despite their split, there were no hard feelings.

Decked out in a pink satin dress, Beyoncé stunned at the premiere for her feature film, The Pink Panther. The singer starred alongside Steve Martin and Kevin Kline.

Following the success of her first solo album, Beyoncé released B'Day in 2006. It featured iconic tracks, like "Irreplaceable"and "Deja Vu," and was another huge success.

Beyoncé starred in the Broadway-adapted film, Dreamgirls, in 2006, alongside Jennifer Hudson and Jaime Foxx. The film won an impressive five Oscars.

The singer performed alongside icon Tina Turner at the Grammy Awards in 2008. The duo sang "Proud Mary" together in an unforgettable performance.

On April 4, 2008, Jay-Z and Beyoncé held an intimate wedding ceremony at their New York City apartment. The couple got matching roman numeral "IV" tattoos to commemorate the date on their left ring fingers.

Ironically, the same year Beyoncé said "I do," she released her hit song, "Single Ladies." It became a pop culture anthem and her album, I Am...Sasha Fierce, earned the singer six Grammy awards.

To mark the historic inauguration of the first Black President of the United States, Beyoncé sang Etta James' "At Last" for Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's first dance.

After more than three decades of marriage, Tina and Mathew Knowles finalized their divorce in 2011. Beyoncé's father remarried in 2013 and her mother remarried in 2015.

With all of her commercial success, Beyoncé was named by Forbes magazine as one of the world's highest-paid musicians in 2011. She was only one of five women who made the list.

During her MTV Video Music Awards performance in 2011, Beyoncé delivered the good news: She and Jay-Z were expecting their first child. The singer gave birth to their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, on January 7, 2012.

Beyoncé and her mother shut down their clothing label, House of Deréon, in 2012. The mother-daughter duo launched the brand in 2006 as an upscale ready-to-wear line, which garnered interest thanks to Tina Knowles' work as the costume designer for Destiny's Child.

Beyoncé was asked to sing the national anthem at President Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013. Afterwards, viewers suggested the singer used a backtrack. Shortly after, Beyoncé admitted to lip syncing and defended her decision by saying she was not able to rehearse properly beforehand.

Beyoncé decided to pull off a true miracle during her Super Bowl halftime show in 2013—she invited Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland to join her on stage for a mini Destiny's Child reunion.

For her fifth album, Beyoncé dropped a surprise, self-titled, visual album. The release gave us songs like "Drunk in Love" and "Pretty Hurts," and proved that Queen Bey could top the charts with zero promotion at all.

Rumors swirled about problems in Beyonce's marriage in 2014–which were highlighted when footage leaked of the singer's sister, Solange Knowles, fighting with Jay-Z on the night of the Met Gala in 2014. The couple remained tight-lipped about the incident, releasing a joint statement together.

With streetwear and athleisure on the rise, Beyoncé got back into the clothing industry. She launched Ivy Park in 2016, and items almost immediately sold out during its launch. Most recently, Bey's company signed a lucrative collaboration deal with Adidas.

It wasn't enough that Beyoncé joined Coldplay and Bruno Mars at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2016. The singer decided to release her new single ahead of the performance, too. She surprised us all with "Formation" and kickstarted her 2016 world tour.

Beyoncé had her daughter, Blue Ivy, escort her to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2016. Later that evening, the singer won a VMA for Video of the Year for her song "Formation," and passed Madonna for the most VMAs ever won by one artist.

No one was prepared for Beyoncé's second visual and sixth studio album, Lemonade. The album was released on her and Jay-Z's music sharing platform, Tidal, and confirmed the long-standing rumors of Jay-Z's extramarital affair.

Shortly before performing at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé revealed on social media that she was pregnant with twins. The singer showed off her bump while accepting two Grammys for Lemonade. The couple welcomed Rumi and Sir Carter on June 13, 2017.

Beyoncé had to postpone headlining Coachella in 2017, due to her pregnancy, but the following year she made history as the first Black woman to headline the event.

In the wake of Lemonade's cheating revelations and the birth of their twins, Beyoncé and Jay-Z proved they were stronger than ever with a joint world tour. The couple released a joint album together, Everything Is Love, that same year.

Beyoncé's Coachella performance was met with critical acclaim and was followed up with a documentary of the singer preparing for the event. The movie, Homecoming, was released in 2019 alongside a surprise album of 40 new Beyoncé songs.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z greeted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at The Lion King premiere in London. The singer starred as the voice of Nala in the Disney re-adaptation and later released the album The Lion King: The Gift.

In honor of Juneteenth, Beyoncé released the song "Black Parade" in 2020. The singer was met with widespread acclaim and was nominated for four Grammys for the single. Her win for Best R&B Performance marked her 28th Grammy Award—the most of any female artist in history.