Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (/biːˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say;[3] born September 4, 1981)[4][5][6] is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child, and rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of R&B girl-group Destiny's Child.