By the turn of Y2K, Destiny’s Child was on top of the world.
Their 2000 smash “Independent Women Part I” was the longest-running No. 1 of their career, and their 2001 LP, Survivor, was yet another worldwide success for the group.
But by 2003, all eyes were on Beyoncé.
One of the founding members of Destiny’s Child, Beyonce was also the group’s main vocalist and co-writer.
Proving her prowess as a star in her own right — and her debut solo album solidified her, well, destiny.
Released on June 24, 2003, Beyoncé’s Dangerously In Love laid the groundwork for the GRAMMY-winning icon she is today.
Throughout its 15 tracks, Beyoncé displayed a newfound confidence and a hunger for creativity.
She experimented with sounds that steered away from the Pop&B girl power anthems of yore, whether it was on the futuristic “Hip Hop Star” with Big Boi and Sleepy Brown or the use of Arabic strings in “Naughty Girl.”
At the same time, Dangerously In Love expands on her R&B roots with stunning balladry, with Beyoncé musing about the various stages of love. Turning 21 during the recording process — and falling in love with then-rumored beau and now husband, Jay-Z — Beyoncé embraced her womanhood with sultry vocals and adoring odes on tracks like “Be With You” and “Speechless.” (The album’s name and title track also harken back to her Destiny’s Child days, as “Dangerously In Love” was a Beyoncé co-write that was initially featured on Survivor.)
Bey’s solo debut also outlined the fundamentals that would eventually become the foundation of her superstar status. There’s her unshakeable chemistry with Jay-Z (who features on lead single “Crazy in Love” and “That’s How You Like It”), her knack for unexpected samples and interpolations (like the play on Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” in “Naughty Girl”) and intricately layered harmonies (“Yes”), her sensual expression (“Gift From Virgo”) and her hit-making power (“Baby Boy”).
Still, there were many naysayers who didn’t believe in Beyoncé’s solo star power at the time — even Beyoncé herself. “I want my solo record to be successful, but I don’t expect it to do as well as Destiny’s Child,” Beyoncé told Complex in 2003. “I just want people to acknowledge me [as a vocalist] and for the songwriting, and I just want to make some good music.”
While her humility never faltered despite her growing fame, the singer also knew she exceeded many expectations. As she cheekily recalled during her “I Am… Yours” Las Vegas residency in 2009, her record label was also among the doubters. “They told me I didn’t have one hit on my album,” she said. “I guess they were kind of right… I had five.”
And thanks to those five hits — “Crazy in Love,” “Baby Boy,” “Me, Myself and I,” “Naughty Girl,” and “Dangerously in Love 2” — she swiftly proved her critics wrong. From its vibrant horns to a brilliant display of Beyoncé’s growing vocal octaves, it was no surprise that lead single “Crazy In Love” became her first No. 1 hit. The song’s chart success also foreshadowed her remarkable superstardom, as it held the top spot for eight weeks; its follow-up, “Baby Boy” featuring Sean Paul, solidified her prestige, as it reigned the Hot 100 for nine weeks.
Dangerously In Love enjoyed major success as a whole, too. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart and scored Beyoncé a GRAMMY for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2004. In fact, Beyoncé took home not one but five GRAMMYs that night — Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Crazy In Love,” Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Dangerously in Love 2” and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for her Luther Vandross duet “The Closer I Get to You” — further showing that her solo career was just getting started. (She also opened the show with Prince, performing a medley of his hits as well as “Crazy In Love.”)
After all that Dangerously In Love helped Beyoncé achieve — including a national anthem performance at the 2004 Super Bowl — her star only continued to become bigger and brighter as the years went on. She solidified her status as a triple threat with a starring role in 2006’s Dreamgirls (though she first previewed her acting chops in 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember); she performed with her idol, Tina Turner, at the 2008 GRAMMYs; and in 2011, she became the first female artist to headline Glastonbury Festival in two decades.
Bey has also headlined her own Super Bowl halftime show — which included a Destiny’s Child reunion — and took part in another iconic halftime performance alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars in 2016. And in 2018, she delivered a history-making (and GRAMMY-winning) Coachella performance, becoming only the first Black woman to headline Coachella.
If that wasn’t enough to cement her icon status, her commercial and critical accolades speak for themselves. With 32 GRAMMYs and 88 nominations under her belt, she is the most decorated artist in GRAMMY history. What’s more, all seven of her albums went No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and she has eight No. 1 hits and has sold over 200 million records worldwide. And on top of that, she’s continuing to grow a business empire that includes her athleisure line Ivy Park and management/production company Parkwood Entertainment.
Even if she may not have seen it coming herself, Beyoncé has become one of the biggest icons of her generation — and Dangerously In Love set the stage flawlessly.
Follow us to see more useful information, as well as to give us more motivation to update more useful information for you.
Source: New York Post
