What did Beyoncé do before she was famous? Destiny's Child's first gigs were at a hair salon

63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards – Telecast
63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards – Telecast (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

32-time Grammy winner Beyoncé is one of the most recognizable icons of the industry. However, very few people are aware of what she used to do before stardom. Before her first album, Beyoncé would help her mom in her job, and that part of her life has greatly shaped who she is today.

Beyoncé worked with her mother, Tina Knowles, in her salon before she became famous. While assisting her mother, Queen B would come across many women with entrepreneurial experience and learn from them. In fact, her band Destiny's Child started their singing journey by performing for her mom's clients while they were getting their hair done.


Beyoncé's first job was 'sweeping hair' in her mother's salon and it was inspirational for her

Tina Knowles and Beyoncé at New York Fashion Week 2024 (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Tina Knowles and Beyoncé at New York Fashion Week 2024 (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

In several interviews in the past, Beyoncé has talked about how her mother's salon job helped her understand women better and how she grew as a person. The 42-year-old also revealed that her mother's salon was where her band Destiny's Child would perform during their early days.

In a May 2023 Instagram post, Beyoncé elaborated on the impact of her mother's salon on her life.

"How many of ya'll knew my first job was sweeping hair in my mama's salon?" asked Beyoncé in the Instagram post.

Thereafter, she explained how her mother would heal women on a regular basis through her salon work. The Lemonade singer seemed to allude to a cathartic connection between the women in her mother's salon who would connect with her through her work.

"I was exposed to so many different kinds of entrepreneurial women in her salon. I saw firsthand how the ways we nurture and celebrate hair can directly impact our souls. I watched her heal and be of service to so many women," explained Beyoncé.

In another interview with Essence magazine, the Grammy winner explained how her mother's client inspired her to become a singer.

"I was extremely introverted and hardly spoke. It was in her salon that I realised my dreams of being a performer -- inspired by one of her clients who happened to be an opera singer. I was captivated by her stories of a recent trip to Germany. In awe, I distinctly remember telling my mom that I wanted to be just like her client." explained the Grammy winner.

The Houston-born singer elaborated further on her salon work and how it was inspirational and helped shape the person she is today. According to Beyoncé, that salon had "something that just connects to all of my senses, and it's a beautiful place to grow up."


Beyoncé's first girl band, Destiny's Child, explored

Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Destiny's Child was first established in 1990 in Houston and included Beyoncé Knowles, Michelle Williams, and Kelly Rowland. Although originally named Girl's Tyme, Columbia Records signed the group in 1997 under their new name, Destiny's Child.

Destiny's Child first came into mainstream media limelight after the release of their single No No No followed by their bestselling album The Writing On The Wall. However, the group was soon plagued with internal strife and legal turmoils, which led to a change in the managers.

In 2001, Destiny's Child announced that the group would go on a hiatus so that the members could pursue their solo careers. They reunited again for their fifth and final studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, before disbanding the group in 2006.

The group holds the Guinness World Record for the most weeks spent at #1 on US single charts by a girl band. Destiny's Child's single Independent Woman made the record by spending a whopping eleven weeks atop the US singles chart.

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Destiny's Child has been hailed by multiple magazines and charts as one of the most popular musical trios in history. The band has sold over 60 million albums and has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, winning three.

The group has also won five American Music Awards, two BET awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, one BRIT Award and has even a Guinness World Record to its name. According to Billboard's ranking, Destiny's Child is the ninth most successful band of the 2000s. In 2008, it ranked 68th on the list of All-Time Hot 100 Artists.

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Edited by Gayatri Chivukula
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