Beyoncé's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Beyoncé.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is a highly influential American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. Renowned for her powerful vocals, musical versatility, and captivating live performances, she has significantly impacted the music industry and popular culture. Her work often explores themes of feminism, black identity, and female empowerment, contributing to important cultural conversations. As a successful entrepreneur, she has also established herself as a force in business, further solidifying her position as a multifaceted icon.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Legacy & Impact

1992: Nielsen Top 40 airplay chart launch

In 2010, Beyoncé tied with Lady Gaga and Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.

1999: Release of 'The Writing's on the Wall'

In 1999, Destiny's Child released their second album, The Writing's on the Wall, which featured successful songs like "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and "Say My Name".

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2001: ASCAP Pop Music Award

In 2001, Beyoncé became the first Black woman and second female lyricist to win the Pop Songwriter of the Year award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.

2002: Songwriter of the Year Award

In 2002, Beyoncé received Songwriter of the Year from American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers becoming the First African American woman to win the award.

2004: NAACP Image Award

In 2004, Beyoncé received the NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year.

2005: APEX Award

In 2005, Beyoncé received the APEX Award at the Trumpet Award honoring the achievements of Black African Americans.

March 2006: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In March 2006, Destiny's Child accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2006: Fashion Rocks concert performance

In 2006, Beyoncé paid homage to Josephine Baker by performing "Déjà Vu" at the Fashion Rocks concert. She wore Baker's trademark mini-hula skirt embellished with fake bananas.

2006: Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture Nomination

In 2006, Beyoncé received a nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Pictures, Television or Other Visual Media for her appearance on Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture.

2006: Awards for Dreamgirls

In 2006, Following her role in Dreamgirls, Beyoncé won two awards at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards; Best Song for "Listen" and Best Original Soundtrack for Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture.

June 2007: Beyoncé's Earnings

In June 2007 to June 2008, Beyoncé earned $80 million from her music, tour, films, and clothing line, making her the world's best-paid music personality at the time.

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2007: Grammy Awards for B'Day

At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007, B'Day was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album, which it won.

2007: Awards and Recognition

In 2007, Beyoncé received the International Artist of Excellence award by the American Music Awards and the Honorary Otto at the Bravo Otto.

2007: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover

In 2007, Beyoncé was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, becoming the second African American woman after Tyra Banks, and People magazine recognized Beyoncé as the best-dressed celebrity.

June 2008: Beyoncé's Earnings

From June 2007 to June 2008, Beyoncé earned $80 million, which included income from her music, tours, films, and clothing line. This made her the world's highest-paid music personality at the time.

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March 2009: I Am... Tour

In March 2009, Beyoncé embarked on the 'I Am... Tour', her second headlining worldwide concert tour. The tour consisted of 108 shows and grossed $119.5 million.

2009: Video of the Year Win

In 2009, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards.

2009: Highest-Earning Power Couple

In 2009, Beyoncé and Jay-Z made it into the Guinness World Records as the "highest-earning power couple" for collectively earning $122 million.

2009: Celebrity 100 List Ranking

In 2009, Beyoncé was placed fourth on Forbes' Celebrity 100 list.

2009: Billboard's Top Artist of the Decade

In 2009, Billboard named Beyoncé the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade.

2010: Guest vocals on Telephone

In 2010, Beyoncé provided guest vocals on Lady Gaga's single "Telephone." The song topped the U.S. Pop Songs chart, becoming the sixth number-one for both Beyoncé and Gaga, tying them with Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.

2010: Award of Honor

In 2010, Beyoncé received the Award of Honor for Artist of the Decade at the NRJ Music Award.

2010: Grammy Award Wins

In 2010, Beyoncé set the record for the most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night when she won six awards, and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" won Song of the Year.

2010: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists Ranking

In 2010, Billboard named Beyoncé in their Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years list at number 15.

2010: "Most Powerful Women in the World" List Ranking

In 2010, Forbes placed Beyoncé ninth on the "Most Powerful Women in the World" list.

2010: Lady Gaga Sets VMA Record

In 2010, Lady Gaga set the record for the most VMAs won in one night for a female artist, which was later tied by Beyoncé in 2016.

May 2011: Beyoncé listed among top songwriters by Billboard

In May 2011, Billboard magazine listed Beyoncé at number 17 on their list of the Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters for having co-written eight singles that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

June 26, 2011: Headlining Glastonbury Festival

On June 26, 2011, Beyoncé became the first solo female artist in over twenty years to headline the main Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival.

August 1, 2011: Album 4 Certified Platinum

On August 1, 2011, Beyoncé's album 4 was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having shipped 1 million copies to retail stores.

2011: Billboard Millennium Award

At the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Beyoncé received the inaugural Billboard Millennium Award.

2012: Adele Equalized Grammy Record

In 2012, Adele equaled the record previously set by Beyoncé in 2010 for the most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night.

2012: Highest-Paid Celebrity Couple

In 2012, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were ranked as the number one "World's Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples", with collective earnings of $78 million.

2012: Hottest Female Singer of All Time

In 2012, Beyoncé was named the "Hottest Female Singer of All Time" by Complex.

2012: Celebrity 100 List Ranking

In 2012, Forbes placed Beyoncé at number 16 on the Celebrity 100 list, earning $40 million for her album 4, clothing line, and endorsement deals.

2012: Greatest Women in Music Ranking

In 2012, VH1 ranked Beyoncé third on their list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music", behind Mariah Carey and Madonna.

January 2013: "100 Sexiest Women of the 21st Century"

In January 2013, GQ placed Beyoncé on its cover, featuring her atop its "100 Sexiest Women of the 21st Century" list.

April 2013: Beyoncé's Pepsi campaign is the most talked about endorsement

In April 2013, NetBase found that Beyoncé's Pepsi campaign was the most talked about endorsement, with a 70 percent positive audience response to the commercial and print ads.

December 13, 2013: Release of self-titled album Beyoncé

On December 13, 2013, Beyoncé unexpectedly released her eponymous fifth studio album on the iTunes Store without any prior announcement or promotion. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Beyoncé her fifth consecutive number-one album in the U.S.

2013: Top-selling album of the year

According to the IFPI, Beyoncé's self-titled album sold 2.3 million units worldwide, becoming the tenth best-selling album of 2013.

2013: H&M Natural Pictures Campaign

In 2013, Beyoncé reportedly pressured H&M to use "only natural pictures" instead of retouching images in a campaign.

2013: First Billion-Dollar Couple

In 2013, Beyoncé's endorsements of Pepsi and H&M made her and Jay-Z the world's first billion-dollar couple in the music industry. She was also listed as the fourth-most-powerful celebrity in the Forbes rankings.

March 2014: End of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour

The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, which began in April 2013, concluded in March 2014 after 132 dates. It was Beyoncé's most successful tour and one of the most successful tours of all time.

June 2014: Number One on Forbes Celebrity 100

In June 2014, Beyoncé ranked at number one on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, earning an estimated $115 million from June 2013 to June 2014. This was the first time she topped the list and her highest yearly earnings to date.

August 24, 2014: Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

On August 24, 2014, Beyoncé received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. She also won three competitive awards: Best Video with a Social Message and Best Cinematography for "Pretty Hurts", as well as best collaboration for "Drunk in Love".

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2014: Second-Most Award-Winning Artist

According to Fuse in 2014, Beyoncé is the second-most award-winning artist of all time, after Michael Jackson.

2014: Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

In 2014, Beyoncé received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards and was honored as Honorary Mother of the Year at the Australian Mother of the Year Award in Barnardo's Australia for her Humanitarian Effort in the region.

February 2015: Grammy Awards

At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015, Beyoncé won three awards: Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for "Drunk in Love", and Best Surround Sound Album for Beyoncé.

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April 2016: Release of Lemonade

In April 2016, Beyoncé released a teaser clip for a project called Lemonade. A one-hour film which aired on HBO on April 23, a corresponding album with the same title was released on the same day exclusively on Tidal. Lemonade debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Beyoncé the first act in Billboard history to have their first six studio albums debut atop the chart

2016: Video of the Year Win and Most VMAs Won in One Night

In 2016, "Formation" won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé also tied the record set by Lady Gaga in 2010 for the most VMAs won in one night for a female artist with eight.

2016: Celebrity 100 List Ranking and Highest-Paid Celebrity Couple

In 2016, Beyoncé ranked at number 34 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list with earnings of $54 million. She and Jay-Z also topped the highest-paid celebrity couple list, with combined earnings of $107.5 million.

2016: Fashion Icon Award

In 2016, Beyoncé received the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Icon Award.

2016: Woman's Hour Power List

In 2016, Beyoncé was named on the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List as one of seven women judged to have had the biggest impact on women's lives over the past 70 years.

2016: Critical acclaim for Lemonade

In 2016, Lemonade became the most critically acclaimed work of Beyoncé's career and was included among the best albums of the year by several music publications. The album's visuals were nominated in 11 categories at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, winning 8 awards, including Video of the Year for "Formation".

2016: Highest-Paid Musician

In July 2017, Billboard announced that Beyoncé was the highest-paid musician of 2016, with an estimated total of $62.1 million.

February 1, 2017: Pregnancy announcement

On February 1, 2017, Beyoncé revealed on her Instagram account that she was expecting twins. Her announcement gained over 6.3 million likes within eight hours, breaking the world record for the most liked image on the website at the time.

February 2017: Grammy Awards

At the 59th Grammy Awards in February 2017, Lemonade led the nominations with nine, including Album, Record, and Song of the Year for Lemonade and "Formation" respectively, ultimately winning two, Best Urban Contemporary Album for Lemonade and Best Music Video for "Formation".

July 2017: Highest-Paid Musician of 2016

In July 2017, Billboard announced that Beyoncé was the highest-paid musician of 2016, with an estimated total of $62.1 million.

December 1, 2017: Release of Perfect Duet

On December 1, 2017, "Perfect Duet" featuring Beyoncé was released. The song reached number-one in the United States, becoming Beyoncé's sixth song of her solo career to do so.

2017: Peabody Award for Lemonade

In 2017, Lemonade won a Peabody Award.

February 5, 2018: Album Streams on Spotify

On February 5, 2018, the album 4 reached one billion Spotify streams, making Beyoncé the first female artist to have three of their albums surpass one billion streams on the platform.

April 14, 2018: Beyoncé headlines Coachella Music Festival

On April 14, 2018, Beyoncé headlined the first weekend of the Coachella Music Festival. Her performance was widely praised and described as historic, becoming the most-tweeted-about performance of the weekend and the most-watched live Coachella performance and live performance on YouTube of all time.

December 2, 2018: Beyoncé headlines Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100

On December 2, 2018, Beyoncé and Jay-Z headlined the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Beyoncé's performance and outfits, which paid tribute to Africa's diversity, were highly praised.

2018: Net Worth and Earnings

As of 2018, Forbes calculated Beyoncé's net worth to be $355 million, and in June of the same year, ranked her as the 35th-highest-earning celebrity, with annual earnings of $60 million.

2018: Beyoncé's historic Coachella performances

In 2018, Beyoncé delivered her historic performances at Coachella, which became the focus of her later documentary film, Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé.

2019: NAACP Image Award

In 2019, Beyoncé received the Soul Train Music Award for Sammy Davis Jr. – Entertainer of the Year and NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year.

2020: BET Humanitarian Award

In 2020, Beyoncé was awarded the BET Humanitarian Award.

2020: Most Powerful Woman in Music

In 2020, Beyoncé was named the Most Powerful Woman in Music on the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List. In the same year, Billboard named her with Destiny's Child the third Greatest Music Video artists of all time.

June 2021: Awards and Recognition

In June 2021, Beyoncé won the award of "top touring artist" of the decade (2010s) at the Pollstar Awards. In that same month, Beyoncé was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame as a member of the inaugural class.

2021: Beyoncé writes "Be Alive" for King Richard

In 2021, Beyoncé wrote and recorded the song "Be Alive" for the film King Richard, receiving her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

2022: Nominations for "Be Alive"

In 2022, "Be Alive" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

March 2023: Collaboration on Renaissance Couture collection with Balmain

In March 2023, Olivier Rousteing announced his collaboration with Beyoncé on a couture collection with sixteen looks corresponding to the sixteen tracks on her album Renaissance. This "Renaissance Couture" collection marked the first time that a Black woman oversaw the development of a collection from a Parisian couture house.