Beyoncé has left a legendary mark on the worlds of music, entertainment, and pop culture. And through her journey to pop icon greatness, the superstar has had some standout history-making moments.
From setting Billboard chart records to her seemingly endless award nominations and wins, Beyoncé continues to influence the culture in a major way. And in celebration of her 42nd birthday on September 4, we’ve rounded up some of the most pivotal times Beyoncé has made history over her illustrious career.
42 Times Beyoncé Has Made History
1. In 2013, Beyoncé became the first female artist to sell over 1 million digital copies of an album in one week with her self-titled album “Beyoncé.”
2. In 2022, Beyoncé extended her record as the first female artist to have all seven of her studio albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. She extended that record with her 2022 album “Renaissance.”
3. In 2003, Beyoncé became the first female artist to have an album and single simultaneously top the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts with her album “Dangerously in Love” and its lead single “Crazy in Love.”
4. In 2002, Beyoncé became the first female artist to have her first seven studio albums certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
5. In 2016, Beyoncé became the first female artist to have 12 or more songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time, when every track off her sixth album, “Lemonade,” hit the charts.
6. In 2018, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
7. In 2010, Beyoncé became the first female artist to win six Grammys in one night.
8. In 2023, Beyoncé set the all-time record for the most Grammy Awards won by an artist, with her now having won 32 Grammys.
9. In 2022, Beyoncé set the all-time record for the most Grammy Award nominations for a female artist, with her now having a total of 88 nominations.
10. In 2011, Beyoncé became the first female artist to headline the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
11. In 2022, Beyoncé became the first female artist with at least 20 top 10 singles as a solo artist and at least 10 top 10 singles as a member of a group.
12. In 2018, Beyoncé became the first woman to have three albums surpass a billion streams on Spotify.
13. In 2022, Beyoncé extended her record as the most-awarded artist in MTV Video Music Awards history, with her having now won 29 awards.
14. In 2017, Beyoncé became most-nominated artist in BET Award’s Video of the Year category, with her now having 14 nominations.
15. In 2023, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” became the highest-grossing tour by any Black artist ever.
16. In 2016, Beyonce’s “Formation World Tour” became the No. 1 tour of that year, grossing over $256 million across 49 shows.
17. In 2013, Beyoncé’s “The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” became the highest-grossing tour of that year, grossing over $229 million.
18. In 2017, Beyoncé’s pregnancy announcement was the most-liked photo of that year.
19. In 2013, Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance and the blackout at the New Orleans Superdome that happened after the show became the first and second most tweeted-about moments in Twitter history at the time.
20. In 2017, Beyoncé was recognized as the highest paid woman in music for that year, earning a total of $105 million pretax.
21. In 2016, Beyoncé became the first artist ever to win the American Music Award for Tour of the Year.
22. In 2022, Beyoncé set the record for the most nominations for the Favorite Soul/R&B Album category at the American Music Awards, with her now having received 7 nominations.
23. In 2023, Beyoncé set the record for the most wins in NAACP Image Awards history, with her now having 21 wins as a solo artist.
24. In 2011, Beyoncé became the first artist to win the Billboard Millennium Award.
25. In 2023, Beyoncé became the first female act to headline a concert at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her “Renaissance World Tour.”
26. In 2023, Beyoncé became the first Black act to headline a concert at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her “Renaissance World Tour.”
27. In 2023, Beyoncé set the record for the most shows by a solo act performed at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, with the “Renaissance World Tour.”
28. In 2023, Beyoncé set a record for the biggest attendance for a female solo act in the history of BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her “Renaissance World Tour.”
29. In 2023, Beyoncé set the record for the biggest attendance for a female solo act in the history of King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, with her “Renaissance World Tour.”
30. In 2023, Beyoncé became the first female act to sell out two shows on a single tour at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, with her “Renaissance World Tour.”
31. In 2023, Beyoncé broke the Amazon Music record for first-day merch sales from an artist collaboration.
32. In 2023, Beyoncé set the record for the highest grossing tour from a Black artist in Boxscore history for the “Renaissance World Tour.”
33. In 2013, Beyoncé broke the record for the fastest-selling iTunes album of all time when she sold 828,773 copies of her self-titled “Beyoncé” album in three days.
34. In 2011, Beyoncé set a world record at the time with her pregnancy announcement at the VMAS, with it garnering 8,868 Tweets per second.
35. In 2020, Beyoncé became just the second solo artist to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in four different decades.
36. In 2016, Beyoncé set the record for the most wins at the MTV Video Music Awards, with her now holding 26 solo wins.
37. In 2010, Beyoncé tied with Lauryn Hill for the most Grammy nominations in a single year for a female artist.
38. In 2023, Beyoncé became the most awarded artist in BET Awards history, with her now having 36 awards in total.
39. In 2021, Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé became the first female artists to win the Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance with their song “Savage (Remix).”
40. In 2013, Beyoncé became the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with a surprise album.
41. In 2006, Beyoncé became the first singer and first non-model or non-athlete to cover the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
42. In 2017, Beyonce became the most-awarded artist in the BET Awards’ Video of the Year category, with her now having six wins.
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Which is why you cannot argue. Beyonce is the queen! Happy Bey Day!
Much love beautiful black queen keep the soul coming