Influences on Beyoncé

Influences on Beyoncé

Destiny's Child
Lauryn Hill
Anita Baker
Diana Ross
Rachelle Ferrell
The Jackson 5
Aretha Franklin
Whitney Houston
Janet Jackson
Mariah Carey

Songwriter BC Jean, who is even younger than Beyoncé, came up in the days of Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani and mentions them both as influences in this interview. BC was also influenced musically by Alanis Morissette, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, and Queen.

Toby Gad, who produced the song and co-wrote it with BC Jean, grew up in Germany in a musical family and was initially influenced by everything from classical to funk to German folk music. But by his teenage years, he was writing and producing pop music with his brother, and the pair had their first big hit when they wrote three songs for Milli Vanilli's 1986 debut album. Gad produced albums internationally throughout the 1990s and moved to the U.S. in 2001 to further pursue his career, most famously co-writing Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry."

Influenced by Beyoncé

Rihanna
Jordin Sparks
Katharine McPhee
Miley Cyrus