Beyoncé’s Singles and Albums: Her Most Impactful Collaborations

From the lead singer of the all-girl R&B group Destiny's Child to the Queen of Pop, and now, Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé is a powerhouse. She's one of the best-selling artists of all time and the most-awarded (and most-nominated) artist in GRAMMY history, with 35 GRAMMY Awards and 99 GRAMMY nominations over her three-decade career.

But let's not forget the collaborations with other artists and producers that have broken records and elevated her status beyond that of the Queen of Pop. 

After Beyoncé departed from Destiny's Child in 2003, she released her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, to rave reviews. It won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 46th Annual GRAMMY Awards, and from this album came the hit song "Crazy In Love," which she collaborated on with her husband, rapper Jay-Z. This song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it stayed for eight weeks. It also won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best R&B Song at the GRAMMY Awards.

In 2006, Beyoncé released her second studio album, B'Day, featuring several co-producers, including The Neptunes,  with Jay-Z also collaborating on the song "Deja Vu." In 2008, although Jay-Z and Beyoncé married, becoming one of the music industry's most powerful and influential couples, Beyoncé continued to make solo albums. In 2013, her self-titled album produced the hit single "Drunk In Love" in collaboration with Jay-Z. The song won the GRAMMY Award for Best R&B Song.

While Beyoncé has recorded and released many solo songs, she doesn't shy away from performing with other superstars. In 2006, Beyoncé sang a duet called "So Amazing" with none other than R&B legend Stevie Wonder for an all-star tribute to Luther Vandross. This song went on to win Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 48th GRAMMY Awards. 

At the 2008 GRAMMY Awards, Beyoncé was nominated for Record of the Year for the solo song "Irreplaceable" and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Beautiful Liar" with Latin-pop sensation Shakira. To the delight of the audience and viewers of the 50th GRAMMY Awards, the Queen of Pop performed live with the soul/R&B Queen, Tina Turner, for an energetic version of "Proud Mary."

In 2010, Beyoncé had another collaboration that blew people's minds, "Telephone" with Lady Gaga. The official music video for this song is nearly 10 minutes long, and watching it is like watching a movie, with storytelling visuals, exotic costumes, and quirky settings. This video, directed by Jonas Akerlund, received nearly 400 million views on YouTube, and the song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards. 

Beyoncé's 2010 album, I Am... Sasha Fierce, along with its featured hit song "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" knocked it out of the park at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. The album won Best Contemporary R&B Album and was nominated for Album Of The Year, while the song won Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Song Of The Year. 

The official video of the chart-topping song "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, included a dance routine that took nearly three months to create and develop. Beyoncé collaborated with her dance captain, Ashley Everett's boyfriend, John Silver, along with choreographers Frank Gatson Jr. and JaQuel Knight to hone and create one of the most memorable music videos and dance routines in pop music history.

The team wanted to have a dance routine with a similar style to that of famous dancer and choreographer Bob Fosse, with lots of hip twists, hand shaking, and shoulder pumps. Much of the routine was inspired by Fosse's choreography "Mexican Breakfast," which was performed by his wife, Gwen Verdon, and two other dancers. 

Not only is this music video a testament to the genius and artistic mind of Beyoncé, but also to the tremendous amount of work the dancers put into the performance. The choreographers worked tirelessly with the dancers to create one of the most iconic music videos to this day.

Having cemented a solid place in the pop/R&B music genre, Beyoncé surprised the world with the announcement that she was going to make a country-tinged album called Cowboy Carter. Beyoncé's single from this genre-crossing album, "Texas Hold 'Em," went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking a first for a Black female artist to top that chart. 

While the song has a country sound, Beyoncé retained her pop style and fashion for the cross-genre video. But she didn't make this country album alone. An array of musical guests, including Miley Cyrus, Linda Martell, and Rhiannon Giddens, also feature on it. Beyoncé also gave a nod to the Queen of Country, Dolly Parton, with her version of "Jolene," and country singer Tanner Adell joined Beyoncé in a cover of The Beatles' song, "Blackbird."

The album Cowboy Carter had 11 nominations at the 2024 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards, and won Best Contemporary Country Album, which surprised Beyoncé and her fans. It also won Album of the Year, and the duet she performed with country/pop singer Miley Cyrus, "II Most Wanted," won Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

With ground-breaking ingenuity, creative expression, and exploration into different genres and styles of music, Beyoncé is an inspiration to musicians across genres. And it's not only music she's known for, as this statement by the GRAMMY Awards sums up: "Beyond music, Beyoncé is recognized for her achievements in film, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship, and her dedication to empowering women and marginalized communities has solidified her legacy as one of the most influential figures in music history."