Beyonce Knowles

Photographs by Antoine Verglas

Where you’ve seen her:
Sizzling siren of superstar girl group Destiny’s Child and about to make her big-screen debut as a bootylicious sidekick in Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Name dropping:
“Yeah, I hated my name. I just wanted to blend in. I kept asking, ‘Mama, why is my name Beyoncé?’ I used to think it was made up, but it was actually her maiden name.”

Fear factor:
“It’s hard for me to meet someone, because guys are intimidated. They see the glamour and the security guys and don’t know how to deal. Honestly, even if I give a guy my number, they don’t call.”

Crazy chemistry:
“When we meet guys, the other girls can always tell the ones that I’ll like because they’re the weirdest ones. I don’t know why I’m attracted to them—maybe I’m like that too.”

August 2002 (#56)