Why is Beyoncé such a big deal?

Why we can’t stop thinking about Beyoncé

By Alex Abad-Santos Updated May 12, 2015, 6:47pm EDT

2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2

Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at the Atlantic.

Part of Beyoncé’s rise to fame, explained

Beyoncé (Bee-Yon-Say) Giselle Knowles-Carter is one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. The singer has a net worth of $460 million and rising, and is responsible for a trove of hits such as “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “Irreplaceable,” “Baby Boy,” “Check on It,” and “Crazy in Love.” She got her start in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child.

In 2013, Beyoncé embarked on her Mrs. Carter tour and raked in $188.6 million in her first 107 shows (roughly $1.7 million per show). That same year, she released a surprise album titled BEYONCÉ. She broke records, selling 617,000 copies in three days, 828,773 copies over the album’s first weekend, and 1.3 million copies in its first 17 days.

Beyoncé is married to Jay Z (born Shawn Carter), one of the most successful hip-hop artists in history. They have a daughter named Blue Ivy — one of the most powerful toddlers in America.

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