Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

In 2006, Knowles introduced her all-female tour band Suga Mama, which includes bassists, drummers, guitarists, horn players, keyboardists and percussionists. They made their début appearance at the 2006 BET Awards and re-appeared in the music videos for "Irreplaceable" and "Green Light". The band has also supported Knowles in live performances, including her 2007 concert tour The Beyoncé Experience and her 2009 I Am... Tour.
Knowles often receives praise for her stage presence and live performances. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post placed Knowles at number one on her list of The Five Best Singer/Dancers, writing, "the megastar consistently devotes every ounce of her to the routine." In reviewing her I Am... Tour, Renee Michelle Harris of South Florida Times wrote, Knowles "owns the stage with her trademark swagger and intensity ... showcasing her powerful vocals without missing a note, often while engaged in vigorous, perfectly executed dance moves ... no one, not Britney, not Ciara and not Rihanna can offer what she does—a complete package of voice, moves and presence." Barbara Ellen of The Guardian wrote, "whether charismatic and soulful, or teasing and flirty, Beyoncé is, above all, in charge. Probably the most in charge of any female artist I've seen onstage". Alice Jones of The Independent wrote, "Watching Beyoncé sing and strut her stuff can feel at best overawing, at worst, alienating. She takes her role as entertainer so seriously she's almost too good." Tamara Hardingham-Gill of the Daily Mail wrote, "many industry experts have been tipping Beyoncé as the next Michael Jackson. While it's far too early for such comparisons, she certainly proved that she is one of the most exciting and talented performers around and may well go down in history as such".
Reviewers have praised Knowles live vocal performances. In reviewing one of her performances, Jim Farber of the Daily News wrote "Beyoncé showed off pipes of steely power. As the song's signature horn riff pumped away, she soared over the melody with athletic ease. The way Beyoncé used her body intensified the sense of triumph. With her hair teased into Medusa-like tresses, a pelvis in perpetual churn and legs long enough to make Tina Turner proud, Beyoncé's presence punctuated her singing like an exclamation point." Stephanie Classen of Star Phoenix declares "Beyoncé is no ordinary performer ... from note one, the 27-year-old powerhouse rose above all the gimmicks, mastering the show like a sexy alien overlord princess. Nothing but extraterrestrial origins could explain that voice ... Beyoncé could perform circles around any other pop star today." Editors of Newsday wrote, "she proves that hot choreography and strong vocals don't have to be mutually exclusive ... No worries of lip-synching here."
Known for being "sexy, seductive and provocative" when performing on stage, Knowles has stated that's her alter ego Sasha Fierce. She described Sasha as being "too aggressive, too strong, too sassy and too sexy", stating: "I'm not like her in real life at all ... I'm not flirtatious and super-confident and fearless like her. What I feel onstage I don't feel anywhere else. It's an out-of-body experience. I created my stage persona to protect myself so that when I go home I don't have to think about what it is I do. Sasha isn't me. The people around me know who I really am." Although Sasha was born during the making of "Crazy in Love", Knowles introduced her alter ego with the release of her third album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). In February 2010, Knowles announced in an interview with Allure magazine that "Sasha Fierce is done. I killed her". She then went on saying that she is comfortable enough with herself to be all of those things without an alias, stating: "I don't need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I've grown and now I'm able to merge the two."