Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

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."
In January 2012, it was announced that Scaptia beyonceae, a species of horse fly found in northern Queensland, Australia, was named after Knowles. Bryan Lessard, the research scientist who named the species, did so due to the fly's unique golden hairs on its abdomen, calling it the "all-time diva of flies". On January 27, 2012, Knowles and Jay-Z were ranked at number 13 on Billboard magazine's 2012 Power 100 list, a ranking of the most powerful people in the music business. On January 28, 2012, it was announced that the My Fox Houston company are planning to build a monument for Knowles in her hometown Houston, Texas. The monument will include a "massive hall" and "mini museum" devoted to Knowles and Destiny's Child. It was also made known that Rutgers University in New Jersey, have a course named after Knowles called "Politicizing Beyoncé". The course allows students to explore the "social and cultural significance" of Knowles' music and image, including her alter ego Sasha Fierce and whether Knowles "racy performances" are of female sexual empowerment or "merely complying with western gender stereotypes".