Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

In November 2009, Knowles was named the Artist of the Decade by The Observer. In December 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Knowles the fourth Artist of the 2000s decade and named her the most successful female artist of the 2000s, as well as the top radio artist. Knowles was also ranked 15th on Billboard magazine's list of The Top 50 R&B/Hip Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years (1985–2010). In February 2010, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), listed Knowles as the top certified artist of the decade, with a total of 64 certifications, including albums, digital songs, master ringtones and music videos. In August 2010, Knowles was ranked 52nd on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2011, The Root magazine ranked Knowles 13th on their list of The 100 Most Influential African Americans. In May 2011, Keith Caulfield and Gary Trust of Billboard magazine listed Knowles 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. She was one of only three women on that list. In September 2011, it was made known that Knowles had set a new Guinness World Records, for most tweets per second about her pregnancy. A year earlier, Knowles and her husband Jay-Z made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, cited as the "Power Couple" for collectively earning $122 million in 2009. On September 29, 2011, "Crazy in Love" was ranked number one on VH1's list of The 100 Greatest Songs of the 2000s. In October 2011, Prefix magazine listed Knowles at number one on their list of the Best Female R&B Singers, writing that "What's almost unbelievably insane is that not only can Beyoncé sing better than anybody else out there, but she can also dance better than anyone else out there, and unlike virtually every single performer, she can do both at the same time."
Throughout her career, Knowles has received numerous awards and achievements. In 2007, she became the first female artist to be awarded the International Artist Award at the American Music Awards. At the 2008 World Music Awards, Knowles was honored the legend award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. At the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, she was honored with a Billboard Millennium Award for recognizing her career achievements and influence in the music industry. Knowles is one of the most honored artists by the Grammys, and third among female artists, with a total of 16 Grammy Awards—13 as a solo artist and 3 as a member of Destiny's Child. Her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, was listed as one of the top 200 definitive albums in music history by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As of September 2009, Knowles has sold 75 million records worldwide as a solo artist, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Knowles' music video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" has achieved fame for its intricate choreography, which has been credited as having started the "first major dance craze of both the new millennium and the Internet". This prompted a legion of imitations and parodies from men and women all around the world posting videos of themselves onto YouTube attempting to perform the choreography. Celebrities have also tried the choreography, including Justin Timberlake, Joe Jonas, Tom Hanks and US President Barack Obama.
Knowles has been cited as a musical inspiration by contemporary artists. Rihanna stated that she was inspired by Knowles because "when she came out with Dangerously in Love ... I was like 'wow, I want to be just like that.' She's huge and just an inspiration and one of the artists that I admire a lot." Alexandra Burke, who has performed with Knowles during The X Factor (UK) 2008 final, stated that she took inspiration from Knowles for her first headlining tour. Leona Lewis commented: "Beyoncé is great, so lovely and down to earth and talented. She's inspiring." Lewis further commented that she would like to become an actress like Knowles. Jessie J stated that she would like to be as successful as Knowles within the next decade. Nicki Minaj commented that she admires Knowles a lot, stating: "Just her name alone defines greatness, right? That push that every woman wants to be ... that driven." JoJo stated that she looks to Knowles for inspiration in her music because "I think she's incredible as an entertainer, a role model, and a writer. I think she can do it all." While speaking of her image, Nicole Scherzinger stated: "I am inspired by women like Beyoncé who wear costumes that aren't much but they are real artists and they put real artistry into what they do and that is how I pride myself." Adele commented: "I don't know her but she's a huge part of my life ... Everything I refer to has always got something to do with Destiny's Child or her. She just knows what she wants. She's in control of it all. She's classy. She's still totally fucking relevant. And just a nice person." Adele also revealed that she was inspired by Knowles' alter ego Sasha Fierce, to create her own named Sasha Carter. The composite of Sasha Fierce and late country icon June Carter, is pulled out whenever she needs to give herself a shot of confidence. Australian recording artist Ricki-Lee Coulter named Knowles as one of her musical influences, stating: "She's so driven, she pushes herself to the limits and she's achieved so much but she's always looking for what that next thing is and how she can improve from what she's done in the past. She's really setting the benchmark for female artists and I think she kind of is the Michael Jackson of this generation." Kelly Rowland cited Knowles as an inspiration while recording her second solo album, Ms. Kelly (2007). American indie rock band White Rabbits have also cited Knowles an inspiration for their third studio album. Gwyneth Paltrow stated that she studied Knowles a lot at her live concerts, while learning to become a musical performer in the film Country Strong (2010).
Katy Perry commented that she looked to Knowles for some "trend-setting inspiration", stating: "I've adopted the Beyoncé leg. ... When I saw her on tour, she had these glowing legs." Trey Songz named Knowles as his favorite female singer and stated: "I followed her since Destiny's Child's first single and I truly think she's deserving of all that she has. She works extremely hard. She's an amazing performer, vocalist, and even outside of that, she's an amazing businesswoman. She's the perfect model for what an artist can be." Miley Cyrus commented that she would like to be like Knowles, stating: "She is the ultimate woman. You look at her and you don't think, I wonder what her personal life is like. You look at her and you go, that girl on the stage is a superstar. You don't care about anything else; you only care about her music. So I would hope that would be me in the future." Lady Gaga recalled: "I've never told Beyoncé this, but I remember laying on my grandmother's couch crying, and a Destiny's Child video came on. I remember watching Beyoncé thinking, 'Oh, she's a star. I want that. I want to be on MTV'. And now I'm in music videos with Beyoncé." Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry revealed that she was disappointed that she never became a "megastar" like Knowles, stating: "the temptation to be such a great entertainer and performer like Beyoncé is so fantastic. I would adore doing some of that stuff. Her track record with songs is phenomenal; I wish we had as many hits." Simon Cowell stated that she is "Ambitious, talented, competitive. She defines this new breed of what I call super popstars, and they are all girls at the moment. It's like a new super species who literally want to rule the world." LA Reid commented that Knowles "may arguably be the most talented performer alive."