Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), known mononymously as Beyoncé; legal name, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles–Carter is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various 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 the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.