DO YOU KNOW: Today's Feature is BEYONCE

1. Beyonce’s middle name is Giselle, in German, it means ‘Pledge’. The name Beyonce is Tina’s (B’s mother) maiden name

2. When Beyoncé was a child, her father/manager made her run a mile while singing, so she would be able to perform on stage without becoming exhausted.

3. Beyoncé’s mom says her daughter was a lonely kid who played with imaginary friends. “At lunchtime, I’d go to her school and she’d be pushing an empty swing, acting like there was somebody on it,” Tina Knowles told Elle Magazine.

4. Her first group, Destiny’s Child, was put together by her parents in 1990, when Beyonce was just nine.  With all four girls growing up in deeply religious Christian households, the group’s name was taken from the Book of Isaiah – in which destiny and God’s promise to the faithful are a central theme.  Then, in 2005, Destiny’s Child was paid $2 million to perform at the bar Mitzvah of British retail billionaire Philip Green’s 13-year-old son.

5. As a child, she charged guests visiting her parents $5 each to watch her perform.

6. In June 2005, Beyoncé’s personal trainer banned her from eating various chicken curry dishes when her obsession started to spin out of control. The singer fell in love with the Indian cuisine on her first visit to Britain, and had curry flown from London to New York.  That’s a 3,000 mile plane ride just for curry!  Beyonce explained, “When I first went to Britain, I had a curry and it was unbelievably delicious. It was really, really good and I've been hooked ever since!”

7. Beyoncé was the second African-American woman ever to grace the cover of the ‘Sports Illustrated’ swimsuit issue when she appeared on the cover in 2007. She follows Tyra Banks who was the first African-American cover model in 1997.

8. Beyoncé’s favourite makeup product is mascara, but she is allergic to perfume, even though she has her own perfume line!

9. In 2010, Beyonce and her mother Tina opened the Beyonce Cosmetology Centre at the Brooklyn Phoenix House

10. Finally, Beyonce’s favourite number is 4.  Her mother was born on January 4th.  She was married on April 4th.  Her birthday is September 4th and her husband’s is December 4th.