Since the late ‘90s, fans have watched Beyoncé grow from a small town girl-group singer to musical icon and business mogul. Together, she and her husband Shawn Carter, AKA Jay-Z have morphed into one of the world’s most powerful and influential couples of the past two decades. Though the pair have experienced their fair share of drama and speculation throughout the years, Beyoncé and Jay-Z are still going strong today and now have three children together.

Let's rewind to the time before the couple actually met which according to Beyoncé, they were first introduced when she was 18 and Bey admitted in an interview with Oprah she didn't actually start to date Jay-Z until she turned 19. "We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any dates”. So we'll put the first meeting at some time between 1999-2000. We're gonna be looking back at 20 surprising facts about Beyoncé before she met the true love of her life, Jay-Z.

20 Beyoncé's Name Is A Tribute To Her Mother

Beyoncé's name is actually a tribute to her mother's maiden name, Célestine Ann Beyincé. The matriarch changed it to Tina Knowles after she got married to her first husband businessman Mathew Knowles. He is mostly known for being the manager of both his super talented daughters Beyoncé and Solange Knowles.

19 She Was Very Shy

It may be difficult to imagine, but Beyoncé used to be a shy choir singer from Houston Texas. She had a fear of performing on stage and was known for being timid as a young child.  Her parents signed her up for a dance class when she was just seven years old, "to make friends more than anything else," as Tina Knowles described to Essence.

18 Her Singing Talent Was Discovered By Her Dance Instructor

Little Bey's singing talent was discovered by her childhood dance instructor, Darlette Johnson-Bailey. Darlette is the founder and creative director of the Kids in Dance studio outside Houston, Texas. She told Moneyish “Beyoncé was quiet and reserved and didn’t say much, but on the dance floor she was a force to be reckoned with".

17 Her Biggest Musical Influence Is Michael Jackson

Beyoncé Knowles, known now as Queen Bey named Michael Jackson as her major musical influence at the age of 5 when she attended her first-ever concert where Jackson performed. Her distinctive sound and style have been influenced by numerous artists of various music genres over the years but she claims she realized her life's purpose at that concert.

16 She Won Her First Talent Show At Age 7

At age 7, Beyoncé entered her first talent show, she sang “Imagine” by John Lennon and received a standing ovation for her beautiful performance. The audience was so impressed with her amazing vocals and dancing ability that Bey went on to win the whole competition and beat 15 and 16-year-olds.

15 She Has Won More Than 30 Singing and Dancing Competitions As A Child

Beyoncé had found a way to break out of her shyness, and along the way, she discovered she had real talent. She began singing in local talent contests in her hometown in Houston, and her performance kept her winning those contests. She had won more than 30 singing and dancing competitions as a child alone.

14 Beyoncé’s Childhood Girl-band Was Called Girl’s Tyme

When Beyoncé was only eight years old she started her childhood girl-band called Girl's Tyme. The group was composed of 4 girls, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson. The quartet began their musical career on the talent show circuit in their hometown of good ol' Houston Texas.

After seeing the group perform in Houston, R&B producer Arne Frager placed them in the largest talent show on national TV at the time, Star Search. The girls lost to a rock group called Skeleton Crew. B was only 12 years old at the time and after failing to win the competition, Girls Tyme renamed their group to the band we know and love, Destiny’s Child.

12 The Name Destiny’s Child Comes From A Passage In The Book Of Isaiah

Beyoncé is known for her Christian roots and there derived the band's new revamped name, Destiny's Child. The name came from a passage in the Book of Isaiah, the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. They tried on a few other names, including the Dolls, and Cliché but ultimately settled on Destiny’s Child.

11 She Started Dating Her First Boyfriend When She Was 12

Although her marriage to Jay-Z has made her part of the most influential couples in the world, her first love will always be Lyndall Locke. The couple met at church in 1993 and dated for nearly a decade when Bee was only 12 years old. They dated all through high school and even went to prom together!