Beyonce Knowles sacrificed friends for career

Beyonce Knowles didn't have many friends when she was growing up.

The 'Run the World (Girls)' hitmaker has revealed she struggled to make friends when she was a teenager because her burgeoning music career meant she was taken out of high school when she was 14.

The 29-year-old singer - who grew up in Houston, Texas - said: "Socially I did miss out. I left school at 14 and had a tutor. I was never exposed to people long enough to make friends so my family became my friends."

From a young age Beyonce - who first found pop success as a member of girl group Destiny's Child - knew she wanted to be a singer and although she often felt shy around her peers as a child she always "comfortable" on stage.

In an interview with The Sun newspaper, she added: "Very early on, my mom was telling me to be who I wanted to be. So I wanted to be a hair stylist for a while, then a dance teacher. When I was seven, I performed on stage for the first time and fell in love with the feeling. "I was awkward around other kids but felt comfortable on the stage. I said to my mom, 'There is no way this will work but I am going to be a singer.' I was in a group, aged nine, and my dad, Matthew, left his job to manage us."

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