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Destiny's Child

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Destiny's Child
File:Destinyschild.jpg
Background information
OriginHouston, USA
Years active1997 – 2006
MembersBeyoncé Knowles (lead singer; background vocals)
Kelly Rowland (background vocals; occasional lead vocals)
Michelle Williams (background vocals; occasional lead vocals)
Past membersLeToya Luckett
LaTavia Roberson
Farrah Franklin

Destiny's Child was an American R&B group. Originally a duo and later a quartet, the group eventually became a trio, whose most enduring and famous members were Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. The group had accumulated record sales of 47 million albums and singles (62 million records sold when combining the solo sales of Knowles, Rowland and Williams alongside the group's success). On June 12, 2005 they announced on tour in Barcelona that they would no longer perform together, instead pursuing individual careers in music, theater, television and film. [1]

Early Career

Destiny's Child was formed in Houston, Texas, in 1990, when original members Beyoncé Knowles and LaTavia Roberson were just nine years old; Knowles' father, Matthew, set about developing an act based on their singing and rapping, under the name GirlTyme. Knowles's met Kelly Rowland after she moved to Texas with her mother and brother. Kelly later moved in with the Knowles' after her mother decided to move again. Later Tina Knowles, Beyoncé's mother, took their name from a passage in the Book of Isaiah. They landed an appearance on Star Search (as a trio), where they performed a rap song. In 1993, LeToya Luckett joined the act. The quartet's lineup was finalized (for the time being), and they spent the next few years working their way up from the Houston club scene, eventually opening for popular R&B artists like SWV, Dru Hill, and Immature. In 1997, Destiny's Child was offered a recording contract by Columbia Records.

Destiny's Child

File:Destiny's child (album).jpg
Destiny's Child's first album, Destiny's Child

The group made their recording debut with "Killing Time," which appeared on the soundtrack for the 1997 blockbuster, Men In Black. Destiny's Child released their self-titled debut album to mixed reviews on February 17, 1998. The album's first single, "No, No, No" featured two completely different versions of the same song. "No, No, No Pt. 1" and "No, No, No Pt. 2" were both released simultaneously, however, Part 2 was considered a "remix" version of Part 1. "No, No, No Pt. 2", featuring The Fugees member Wyclef Jean, quickly climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 3 on the Pop chart. The single sold over 1 million copies. However, follow-up singles "With Me Pt.1" and "Get On The Bus" failed to reproduce the success of "No, No, No". Destiny's Child eventually went Platinum after later success. Expectations were not high for the group's second album, as most industry critics considered them to be another disposable R&B girl-group with one-hit wonder status.

The Writing's on the Wall

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Destiny's Child's second album, The Writing's on the Wall

Destiny's Child re-entered the studio quickly, bringing in a new lineup of producers, including Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Rodney Jerkins, Dwayne Wiggins, Chad Elliot, Daryl Simmons, and Missy Elliott. Critics were generally positive about the album; Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "The Writing's on the Wall... an assured step forward for the girl group. Not only are they maturing as vocalists, they are fortunate to work with such skilled, talented producers... who all give the quartet rich, varied music upon which to work their charm." Lead single "Bills, Bills, Bills" became the group's first No. 1 Hot 100 hit (and second R&B No. 1) in the summer of 1999, and paced by its success, the accompanying album, The Writing's on the Wall, entered the Billboard 200 at No.6 upon its release on July 27, 1999. The second single, "Bug-a-Boo" hit the Top 40 pop charts, while its music video received heavy rotation on MTV and BET.

Buoyed by the group's breakout success, two of its original members, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, attempted to split with manager Matthew Knowles, charging that he kept a disproportionate share of the band's profits, attempted to exert too much control, and unfairly favored his daughter. While they never intended to leave the group, relations naturally grew strained, and when the video for "Say My Name" premiered in February 2000, many fans (not to mention Roberson and Luckett) were surprised to find two new members -- Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin -- joining Knowles and Rowland. Infuriated, Roberson and Luckett took legal action in March, suing both Knowles and their former bandmates for breach of partnership and fiduciary duties. A war of words followed in the press; meanwhile, Destiny's Child became a pop-cultural phenomenon. "Say My Name" became the group's biggest single to date and third No. 1 single. The abrupt membership changes within the group seemed to only heighten the group's visibility, finally separating them from the endless pack of teen R&B starlets.

In June 2000, the album's fourth single, "Jumpin' Jumpin'" became a Top 5 hit, however, another departure came from the ever-evolving girl-group. Farrah Franklin, who had replaced an original member just five months prior, left the group for various personal reasons. This split was less controversial, while The Writing's on the Wall would eventually be certified 8x platinum domestically and sell over 12 million copies worldwide. In the meantime, toward the end of 2000, Roberson and Luckett dropped the portion of their lawsuit aimed at Rowland and Knowles in exchange for a settlement, though they continued to pursue action against Knowles' father; as part of the agreement, both sides were prohibited from attacking each other publicly.

Rebirth of the Group

File:Michellesurvivor.jpg
'Survivor' video (2001)

Now a trio of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, Destiny's Child were tapped to record the theme song for the film version of Charlie's Angels; released as a single in October 2000, "Independent Women, Pt. 1" raced up the charts and spent an astounding 11 consecutive weeks at No.1 (the longest running of 2000 and by a female group). They quickly began work on a new album to capitalize on their success. In the meantime, Destiny's Child won 2 Grammy awards for "Say My Name", including Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song. While speaking with MTV.com, Rowland had this to say about the upcoming album: "I know everybody can relate to this album it's very diverse and inspiring. The year 2000 was very challenging, and I know that gave Beyoncé a lot of inspiration to write songs for the album. We cannot wait for everybody to hear it. It's so empowering for a lot of people who have already heard a little bit of it."

Survivor

File:Survivor Cd.jpg
Destiny's Child's third album, Survivor

Beyoncé had long since emerged as the group's focal point, and on the third Destiny's Child album, she assumed more control than ever before, taking a greater hand in co-producing and co-writing the entire album. "We're excited about the album," Knowles told MTV News shortly before the album's release. She adds, "...I got a chance to co-write and produce all of the songs." "And she did an incredible job," the group's Kelly Rowland added. "But everybody is a part of the music," Knowles said. "Everybody is singing lead on every song, and it's so great — because now Destiny's Child is at the point vocally and mentally that it should be at. It's just great to be a part of this group." Survivor - whose title was reportedly inspired by a DJ's crack about Destiny's Child members voting one another off the island, much like the popular CBS reality series Survivor - hit stores in the spring of 2001, and entered the Billboard 200 at number one, selling over 663,000 copies in its first week sales (the second highest ever for a girl-group.) The first two singles, "Independent Women Part I" and "Bootylicious", were predictably huge hits, with the latter becoming the group's fourth No.1 Hot 100 single. An über-melismatic cover of the Bee Gees' "Emotion" was also successful, becoming a Top 10 pop hit. Survivor sold well - certified 4x platinum domestically and going on to sell over 10 million worldwide. In the UK, Destiny's Child had two consecutive hit singles at number one which were "Independent Women Part 1" and "Survivor". Toward the end of the year, the group released a holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas, and announced plans for a series of side projects, including solo albums from all three members (to be staggered over the next year and a half, so as to avoid competition). In early 2002, a remix compilation titled This Is the Remix was released to tide fans over.

Solo Projects After Survivor Album

Michelle Williams

Williams became the first member of Destiny's Child to have a solo project released. Heart To Yours, a contemporary gospel collection, reached No. 1 on the Top Gospel Albums chart and sold 200,000 copies in the US. Her second gospel album, Do You Know reached the No. 2 slot on the Top Christian Album chart and No. 3 on the Top Gospel Albums chart shortly after its release in January 2004. Williams also earned rave reviews after replacing Toni Braxton in the lead role of Aida on Broadway in November 2003. To date this album has sold just over 50,000 copies in the US.

Kelly Rowland

In October 2002, Rowland’s solo debut, Simply Deep featured the No.1 Hot 100 smash hit, "Dilemma", a Grammy-winning (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration) duet with hip-hop superstar Nelly, the debut album did achive moderate success. With "Dilemma" Rowland became the first member of Destiny's Child to hit No. 1 outside of the group. Internationally, Kelly was on a roll, hitting the No. 1 slot on the U.K. and several other countries' album charts while peaking in the U.S. at No. 3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart and No. 12 on the Billboard 200. The album has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States and 2 million worldwide. In 2003, Rowland made her feature film debut in the horror flick "Freddy Vs. Jason".

Beyoncé Knowles

In 2001, Knowles co-starred with Mekhi Phifer in MTV's remake of Bizet's Carmen, Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2002, Knowles co-starred with Mike Myers in the box-office blockbuster Austin Powers in Goldmember. She recorded a single for its soundtrack called "Work It Out", it was a different style for Knowles and the song flopped, which lead her to scrap most of the 45 songs recorded for her solo debut.

Her breakout solo success has far eclipsed the other two Destiny's Child members. Her 2003 solo debut, Dangerously In Love, debuted at No. 1 and sold over four million copies in the United States and eight million worldwide source . It yielded the No. 1 hits "Crazy In Love" featuring hip hop superstar Jay-Z (certified gold), and "Baby Boy" featuring Sean Paul. Top 5 songs "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl", the latter also certified gold, followed.

Critically, Knowles has been well-received by many, even netting 5 Grammy awards for Dangerously In Love, a level reached only by a select few others, including Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Santana and Norah Jones.

She's also dating Jay-Z, although their much talked about romance remains a mystery to most. Both Knowles and Jay-Z refuse to comment on the relationship. In September 2003, Knowles co-starred in her second feature film, The Fighting Temptations alongside Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.

Beyoncé sings So Amazing as a duet with soul legend Stevie Wonder on So Amazing: An All Star Tribute to Luther Vandross. She covered Rose Royce's classic "Wishing On A Star" featured on the soundtrack to the film Roll Bounce.

She recently landed a role in a remake of The Pink Panther with Steve Martin.

Reunion with Destiny Fulfilled

File:DestinyFulfilled.jpg
Destiny's Child's fourth and final studio album, Destiny Fulfilled

After three years apart, achieving individual success in movies, on Broadway, endorsements and with solo albums, the three women of Destiny's Child reunited with a new album, Destiny Fulfilled. A world tour, sponsored by McDonald's, "Destiny Fulfilled ...and Lovin' It", hit 16 countries and over 75 cities worldwide, kicking off in Hiroshima, Japan on April 9, 2005, and ending in Vancouver, Canada; stops included Australia, Europe, and the U.S. and Canada. "Lose My Breath" the album's first single, produced by Rodney Jerkins, became the group's ninth Top 10 Hot 100 hit. The album saw the trio shift to a harder, 'urban' sound and was released in November 2004. The second single, "Soldier" featuring rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne quickly entered the Top 10, peaking at No.3 in February 2005 becoming the groups tenth Top 10 hit. "Lose My Breath" was certified 2x platinum and "Soldier" was certified platinum by the RIAA. Despite receiving worldwide mixed reviews, Destiny Fulfilled was certified 3x Platinum in early 2005 and has sold over 6 million copies worldwide. The album's third and fourth singles were "Girl (song)" and "Cater 2 U", respectively.

Since the albums release in November 2004 Destiny's child has earned 4 Grammy nominations including: Best R&B Group Vocal Performance(Cater 2 U), Best R&B Song(Cater 2 U), Best Contemporary R&B album(Destiny Fulfilled), and Best Rap/Sung Cullaboration(Soldier Featuring T.I. and Lil Wayne).

During this time, Destiny's Child was named the "Biggest selling female group of all time" by Billboard magazine.

Final Destiny and The Future

On June 13, 2005, it was announced the group will disband after their world tour ends in the fall of 2005. [2] It was decided that the split would occur after the very last concert in Vancouver, Canada. The group first appeared on MTV's Total Request Live on June 21, 2005 to officially confirm their split. Their management decided to document their final tour for a special farewell DVD to be released January 31, 2006.

The group released their greatest hits album, Number 1's on October 25, 2005, [3][4], which includes three new songs. One of the new songs is titled Stand Up For Love [5]. Lyrically the song is the anthem for World Children's Day, but relates to troubled times such as third world poverty, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the late 2004 tsunami. "Stand up for love" will be Destiny's Child's last single. Number 1's charted at #6 on the official UK album top 40 with first week sales over 30,000 and #1 on US Billboard 200 Album chart with sales of 113,000. Mattel released Destiny's Child Barbie Collector Dolls in August 2005. With Destiny’s Child’s recent breakup announcement, this trio of dolls is expected to become a major collector's item. In November 2005, Destiny's Child helped Wal-Mart kick off an intensive holiday campaign with television ads with the group celebrating the holidays with family and friends. The girls said Stand Up For Love will be the last single from their group but they still released a new Christmas animated music video.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé has several individual projects lined up, including her role in the movie Dreamgirls, as well as music for the soundtrack of that movie. In the meantime she will release a new solo single, "Check On It" as the theme song for the upcoming Pink Panther movie remake. Pink Panther is due to be released February 10, 2006[6], whilst Dreamgirls is due for release late 2006 (filming begins in December 2005). Beyoncé is also launching her own clothing line, House of Dereon with her mother, Tina Knowles, in November 2005. Destiny's Child modelled some of the clothing during their 2005 world tour and during the Fashion Rocks concert, which took place September 9. Beyonce's second solo album is expected to be released in September 2006, before the album's release she will feature on a duet with Pharrell Williams on his debut solo album due for release in February 2006. Beyonce has earned 2 Grammy nominations to be awarded in 2006 for Best R&B Female Performance for Wishing On A Star and Best R&B Group performance with Stevie Wonder for So Amazing.

Kelly

Kelly has some individual TV and music projects lined up. She is to appear in three upcoming episodes of UPN sitcom Girlfriends in February 2006. She is featured on the upcoming new album Illumination by soul greats Earth, Wind & Fire. Kelly's singing can be heard on their song "This Is How I Feel" also featuring singer Sleepy Brown. She is also a featured artist on a song called "Here We Go", which impacted radio in September 2005 eventually peaking at #8 and #17 on Billboard's R&B and Pop charts respectively.This is the second single from rapper Trina's new album Glamorest Life, which released in October 2005. Kelly has already began working on her second album, which is expected to be released in Spring 2006.

Michelle

Michelle is a spokeperson for The Gap, and she sings her cover of soul legend Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" in their new commercial. Her cover version of this song is also featured on the soundtrack to film Roll Bounce. She is to begin recording the album in January 2006 and is expected to release her third solo album in the summer of 2006. Unlike her first two albums, her third may veer away from Gospel to mainstream R&B. She is to appear in three upcoming episodes of UPN sitcom Half and Half in February 2006. In August, band-mate Kelly stated she was aware that Michelle was definitely in talks with Broadway again, so there may be more to come on the big stage from Michelle.


LeToya

LeToya Luckett has decided to pursue a solo career. Her self-titled debut album is due to be released in Spring 2006 on Capitol Records. She already has some tracks playing on the radio, such as the singles "All Eyes on Me" and "You Got What I Need". Songs from her upcoming album and freestyles have been leaked on the internet such "I'm Good", "Hey Fella", "Tear Da Club up", "No More", "Im a Queen", "Play", "Outta Control", and "Gangsta Grillz". Toya also released a song titled "What Love Can Do", which is featured on the original soundtrack of the film Coach Carter. She is featured on Houston's song, "My Promise" and her boyfriend, Slim Thug's "This is My Life".

Discography

For a detailed look at the group's discography (include's group and solo sales/chart positions of albums/singles), see Destiny's Child discography.

Awards

For a detailed look at the group's awards, see Destiny's Child Awards.

Acting

Film

TV

Broadway

  • Aida: 2003 (Michelle)

Endorsements/Enterprising

Products

Fashion

Beyond Productions, LLC was founded in May 2004 by Beyoncé and Tina Knowles, Jason and Arthur Rabin and Cory Silverstein of Wear Me Apparel/Kids Headquarters. The partnership will provide the infrastructure for licensing and brand management to House of Dereon. This collaboration was orchestrated by Tina and Beyoncé Knowles who wanted to bring trend-setting style and a creative take on fashion to stylish women everywhere. The design alliance features three co-creative directors, Beyoncé and Tina Knowles, and Heather Thomson Schindler.

Tommy Hilfiger Fragrances

Philanthropy

World Children's Day

David Foster, his daughter Amy Foster-Gillies and Beyoncé Knowles wrote Destiny's Child's last single Stand Up For Love for World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Over the past three years, more than $50 million has been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations.

Destiny's child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 program. In this role, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams visited Ronald McDonald Houses around the world during their "Destiny Fulfilled...and Lovin' It" global tour and donated a portion of their North American ticket sales to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Survivor Foundation

Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland, along with Mathew Knowles, Tina Knowles and Solange Knowles-Smith recently announced the formation of the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up for the purpose of providing transitional housing for Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extends the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center For Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.

Miscellaneous

Tours

  • "Fanmail Tour" Opening Act: 1999
  • "Christina Aguilera Tour" Opening Act: 2000
  • "TRL Tour": 2001
  • "World Tour" : 2002
  • "Destiny Fulfilled ...and Lovin It" Tour: 2005

Books

  • Soul Survivors: 2002

DVDs

  • The Platinum's on The Wall: 2001
  • Destiny's Child World Tour: 2003
  • Beyoncé Live At Wembley (Beyoncé): 2004
  • Destiny's Child: Destiny Fulfilled CD/DVD 2005 Tour Edition: 2005
  • #1's: 2005

Records and Facts

  • Cater 2 U peaked at #16 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 video's of 2005.
  • #1's debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with over 113,000 units sold in its first week of release. #1's is the group's second #1 album since Survivor in 2001 that sold over 663,000 units in its first week of release.
  • #1's set a record as the lowest-selling #1 debut in Billboard history, selling "only" 113,000 copies, but entering at #1.
  • The Writing's on the Wall debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Nine months after its release, the album was #5 on the chart, having just experienced its best sales week ever. More than a year after the album's release, The Writing's on the Wall was still in the Top 20 (#11), selling upwards of 70,000 units per week. In the first year of its release, The Writing's on the Wall spent 47 out of 52 weeks in the Top 40 or better of the Billboard 200 Album chart.
  • The week of October 24, 2000, Destiny's Child had two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart: "Independent Women Part I" at #9, reaching 65 million listeners & "Jumpin Jumpin" at #5, reaching 75 million listeners.
  • In 2000, Destiny's Child had three #1 records on the Billboard Hot 100: "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Independent Women Part I."
  • At the end of November 2000, during its fourth straight week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Part I" reached the largest audience (140.4 million listeners over a week) in the history of monitored airplay, breaking the record set in May 1999 by TLC's "No Scrubs". The record has since been broken most recently by Mariah Carey, with her hit "We Belong Together" which reached 223 million impressions.
  • When "Independent Women Part I" hit #1 on the UK charts, Destiny's Child became the first American all-female group to hold that position since 1989, when the Bangles hit it with "Eternal Flame".
  • With "Independent Women Part I," Destiny's Child became the first American all-female group ever to debut at #1 on the U.K. charts.
  • The song appearing on the Survivor album titled "Independent Women Part 2" was actually written first by Beyoncé Knowles. The song was re-written and re-arranged, with the references to Charlies Angels added, and the new version was called "Part 1." Beyoncé's original version then became "Part 2."
  • When "Survivor" hit #1 on the UK charts, Destiny's Child became the first American all-female group to score more than one UK #1 single. This was something not even the Supremes managed.
  • Former Destiny's Child member Farrah Franklin has vocals on "Independent Women Part I" and "Dance with me".
  • Dangerously In Love went to the top of the album charts in the UK and Canada, as well as on both the American pop (Billboard 200) and R&B charts. When single and album simultaneously topped the pop charts in both the US and the UK, she became the first act to achieve this feat since Men At Work in 1983 - in the '60s and '70s, it was performed by The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart. This makes her the first female artist to achieve this.
  • Kelly and Michelle are not the real names of Beyoncé's fellow group members. Kelly's birth name was Kelendria Trene Rowland and Michelle's birth name was Tenitra Michelle Williams. Kelly's name was always abbreviated from a young age, and so it felt natural to use the abbreviation for the group. Michelle was forced to use her middle name as her adopted first name in the group, as the Knowles' considered Tenitra to be too "ethnic". However it is interesting to point out that Beyoncè has an arguably "ethnic" tone and connotation.
  • It should also be noted that the song "So Amazing" was also covered by Beyonce's sister Solange, back in 2002, on her duet with Lil Romeo on the song "Tru Love".

See also

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