Curvy Beyonce shows off figure at concert

Beyonce Knowles showed off her toned figure in a glimmering silver outfit at her first concert post pregnancy. The multiplatinum singer, who gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy Carter in January this year, said: "Y'all don't know how hard I had to work," she told the crowd. "I had to lose 60 pounds (27 kilograms). They had me on the treadmill, eating lettuce."

Coming Up: Blue Ivy Carter's first pictures.

A little over a month after giving birth to Blue Ivy Carter, R&B star Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z have finally released the picture of their newborn daughter on Jay-Z's official website.

The couple have even filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to protect their daughter's name.

Coming Up: Sneak peek: Room where Beyonce gave birth to Baby Blue

New pics have surfaced online of the luxury hospital suite where pop star Beyonce gave birth to her baby girl, Blue Ivy Carter, on January 7. Grand opulence is on display at the hospital room which boasts of flat-screen TVs, a kitchenette and posh furniture. The VIP suite at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York resembles a penthouse rather than a hospital room and even has a separate room for the father-to-be.

Baby Blue left hospital in a customised Mercedes van. Beyonce has splashed out over $1.5 million on toys and equipment for little Blue Ivy, including a $15,000 high chair and a $30,000 playhouse. "Together they've bought a Swarovski-studded high chair by Carla Monchen for $15,000, and a Fantasy 'posh tots' coach carriage crib for $22,000.

Coming up: Pregnant Beyoncé sets the ramp ablaze

A radiant and pregnant Beyoncé shimmered as she walked the ramp for her clothing line House of Deréon, as part of the London Fashion Week, September 18.

By her side was mom Tina Knowles, who helms the designer label along with her 30 year old daughter.

The mother-to-be also let slip that her new collection will be different - more expecting-mom-friendly.
But that didn't stop the Run the World hitmaker from walking up a storm.

Coming up: Beyoncé's fashionable outing at the NY Fashion Week.

Beyonce was spotted flaunting her tiny baby bump in a belted gold dress at the J.Crew show at New York Fashion Week. She paired the glittering dress with nude pumps.

Seen here with sister Solange Knowles, left, and J.Crew Creative Director and President Jenna Lyons.

Beyonce's mini baby bump was hardly visible in this short nude puffball skirt which she wore with a leather bustier to the Vera Wang show.

The 30-year-old singer graced the front row with sister Solange.

Beyonce holding her baby bump. Seen here with sister Solange.

Prior to this, Beyonce was spotted with husband Jay Z watching the men's final match between number one seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia and number two seed Rafael Nadal of Spain at the US Open tennis tournament on September 12, 2011.

There are reports that her husband Jay-Z has allegedly fathered a son with Trinidadian model Shenelle Scott nine years ago.

Coming Up: More on the new mom.

She may not have been born with a silver spoon but pretty much everything that the just-turned 30-year-old singer Beyonce Knowles has touched, has turned into gold.

There remains little that can be said for someone who has enjoyed a stellar career in music, a successful stint in films, a songwriter, dancer, choreographer, fashion designer and model. And if that was mind numbing, then bear in mind that she is also the winner of 13 Grammys as a solo artist!

A look at the illustrious life and career of this multi-faceted artist, who has become only more Bootylicious with time.

The Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) hitmaker announced at last weekend's MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) that she and husband Jay-Z are expecting their first child together.

When Beyoncé revealed to the world that she was pregnant, a round of posts fluttered into the blogosphere suggesting that the proverbial party might be over for the star couple, both for Beyoncé and for Jay-Z.

The announcement by pop diva Beyoncé also led to Twitter users firing off a record number of tweets per second!

Her big MTV #VMA moment gave Twitter a record bump of 8,868 Tweets per second.

The previous record for tweets per second was 7,196 at the final whistle of Japan's thrilling upset win over the United States in the women's World Cup final in July.

It was also reported that Beyonce' performance of Love on Top and the announcement of her pregnancy at the awards ceremony helped the 2011's MTV Video Music Awards become the most-watched broadcast in MTV history, pulling in a staggering 12.4 million viewers.

Last month, Jay-Z and Beyoncé finished second on Forbes' annual accounting of the top-earning celebrity couples, raking in a whopping $72 million combined!

They were second only to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

The Crazy In Love couple, it could easily be said, have clearly topped the list of musician couples and by some margin.

In June 2010, Beyonce was ranked second on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world, while she stood first on its list of the Most Powerful and Influential musicians in the world.

The singer had said that “she can't wait to be a mom" earlier this year.

"When you're young - 18 or 19 - you have the energy and drive. That's the time to work as hard as you can. Now I'm a woman, and because I gave it my all, I can focus on my marriage. I can decide I want to have kids. I can be the mother I want to be and dedicate myself to my children," the singer said.

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Mathew and Tina Knowles.

She was exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child and enrolled in various performing arts schools.

Beyonce rose to fame as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, which went on to become one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

Destiny's Child's unforeseen hiatus was the beginning of an illustrious solo career for the singer as she released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love in 2003, which spawned the number-one hits Crazy in Love and Baby Boy.

Needless to say that it was one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards.

In 2005, Destiny's Child officially disbanded but there was no stopping Beyonce. She released her second solo album, B'Day in 2006.

It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and included the hits Irreplaceable and Beautiful Liar.

Her third solo album, which released in 2008, continued the successful run for the singer. Titled I Am... Sasha Fierce, the album included the anthemic Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and earned Beyonce as many as six Grammys at the 52nd Grammy Awards. The album broke the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night.

Earlier this year, Beyonce released her fourth studio album 4, which became her fourth consecutive solo number-one album on the Billboard 200. This made Knowles the second female artist and third artist overall, to have her first four studio albums debut atop the chart.

While the sales of her fourth album were low compared to her prior albums, the announcement of her pregnancy spurred an increase in sales of her latest album, which has sold fewer than 700,000 copies since its release.

As of May 2010, Knowles has sold more than 11.2 million albums and 25 million singles in the United States.

She has sold 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. (Figures as of September 2009)

Beyonce has been enjoyed at great run at the Grammys besides winning numerous other accolades. She has a total of 16 Grammy Awards — 13 as a solo artist and three as a member of Destiny's Child.

The Billboard Music Awards, honoured her with the Billboard Millennium Award this year, recognising her career achievements and influence in the music industry. Also, she was ranked the fourth best artist of the 2000s decade by Billboard, and was listed the most successful female artist of the 2000s, as well as the top radio artist.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) too, recognised her as the top certified artist of the 2000s.

Like most of her contemporaries Beyonce has always had a glamorous stage presence.

Her fans world over have seen her compete with the likes of J Lo, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears and other glamorous singers.

"I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady," she has said adding that the way she dresses on stage is "absolutely for the stage".

The media often use the term "Bootylicious" (a combination of the words booty and delicious and a hit song of Destiny's Child), to describe Knowles because of her curves.

The term was made widely known by the Destiny's Child hit song of the same name, and has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Besides being a singing sensation, Beyonce has also enjoyed a career in acting.

She made her debut in the 2001 musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. She went on to star in more prominent films, including Dreamgirls (2006), which earned her two Golden Globe nominations, and Cadillac Records (2008).