Happy Birthday Queen Bey! Here’s A Reminder Of Why We Love Beyoncé So Much

September 4th is a blessed day, as it marks the day that Beyoncé - goddess of the music industry - entered our world. Happy birthday to Queen Bey! We wish we could say we'd been invited to an all-star party to raise a glass for the greatest living popstar, but, sadly, we haven't. So instead, we've compiled a list of just a few of the countless times she has been completely and totally iconic.

When she reinvented feminism with Destiny's Child

Beyoncé and the other three members of Destiny's Child had been circling success for a little while before the release of their incredible album The Writing's On The Wall say them hit the big time and go through a bit of a line-up change. In 1999, Bills, Bills, Bills called out men who spend their women's hard-earned money - the outfits in that video were iconic - while Say My Name urged a disloyal boyfriend to prove their fidelity over the phone. Both songs have ages beautifully, and back then made it clear that Beyoncé was a real star on the rise.

Reinventing feminism again in Independent Woman

After yet another line-up change brought Destiny's Child down to a trio, the world awaited there next steps. We were not disappointed: Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle returned with the unbeatable Survivor album, kicked off with Independent Woman. The lyrics - The watch I'm wearin', I've bought it / the house I live in, I've bought it / the car I'm driving, I've bought it / I depend on me, I depend on me - were classically empowering, reminding fans that Beyoncé and her bandmates had no interest in being shamed for celebrating their own strength.

The Crazy In Love video

Commonly, mistakenly considered to be Beyoncé's debut solo single (this was actually Work It Out, from the Austin Powers: Goldmember soundtrack) Crazy In Love was nevertheless an incredible statement of intent as Beyoncé launched her solo career in earnest. The vocals, the outfits, the Jay Z cameo, it was a perfect way to show the world that Beyoncé was a force to be reckoned with, with or without Destiny's Child, and she received 3 VMAs in 2003 for her trouble.

The Single Ladies choreography

Honestly who hasn't tried - and failed - to do the single ladies dance after a bottle of wine? The Single Ladies video is a truly astounding blend of so, so simple - a single shot, incredible vocals, one outfit, black and white - and the astounding feat of choreography that only Beyoncé is capable of.

No one else in the music industry could pull something like that off.

The Dreamgirls film performance

OK, we know that Jennifer Hudson basically stole every scene she was in in the Oscar-winning film musical, but Beyoncé really did impress too. The singer had entered the world of acting before - in films like Fighting Temptations and even a cameo as herself in Smart Guy (lol) - but her performance in Dreamgirls really showed that she had real dramatic flair. Honestly, there's nothing this woman can't do.

Her performance with Alexandra Burke during the X Factor final

We still can't believe this happened. Alexandra Burke, finalist in the X factor back when it was still groundbreaking Saturday night television, tearfully introduced her idol to join her on stage to sing Listen from Dreamgirls. The fact that Beyoncé found the time to be there for a young, black woman seeking musical success (yes, we know there would have been a pay check too) was indicative of her support of other women in the industry.

Honestly, this is a spine-tingling moment in reality TV history.

The VMA pregnancy reveal

When Beyoncé arrived at the 2011 VMAs, few people knew what she had in store. When she took to the stage to perform Love On Top in a fab purple blazer, opened at the end to reveal a prominent bump, the world went mad. It showed that Beyoncé lives and breaths entertainment, but also put her own pregnancy narrative into her own hands.

The Lemonade era

The yellow dress. The baseball bat. The hot sauce in your purse. Beyonce has never played it safe, but she really thought outside the box with an album and accompanying visual concept that revolutionised the way people release music. It's honest, it's raw, it's political, it's courageous. Everything she does so well. Also, dealing with your husband's infidelity by releasing one of the albums of the decade? A power move like no other.

That Coachella performance

Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before. Yes, there's the live album and the documentary, but we still wish every day that we were there to witness the brilliance. The fact that James Corden's Carpool Karaoke beat her to the Emmy is one of the greatest injustices in award ceremony history.

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