Kelly Rowland

Kelly Rowland experienced a meteoric rise to fame in the late 1990s with Destiny's Child, one of the most successful vocal groups of all time. Since the early 2000s, the singer, songwriter, and actor has been a strong force in pop-R&B as a solo artist, remaining either slightly ahead of the curve or naturally adapting to trends with remarkable stylistic flexibility. Rowland began her solo career during a break from Destiny's Child with Simply Deep (2002). The gold-certified album was boosted by "Dilemma," a number one hit in the U.S. and abroad that won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Following the 2006 disbandment of Destiny's Child, Rowland has broadened her work in films and on television while continuing to flourish as a recording artist. Ms. Kelly (2007), Here I Am (2011), and Talk a Good Game (2013), her second through fourth studio albums, all hit the Top Ten. Her studio work has picked up again with an assortment of singles, EPs entitled The Kelly Rowland Edition (2019) and K (2021), and the soundtrack of Bad Hair, in which she co-starred. Originally from Atlanta, Kelendria Trene Rowland began singing as a youngster, after she heard Whitney Houston. Rowland then sang in the church choir, but her interest in performing truly blossomed after she and her family moved to Houston. In Texas, she became fast friends with Beyoncé Knowles and even moved into the Knowles household. She joined Girls Tyme, a group Knowles co-founded, in 1992. Girls Tyme developed into Destiny's Child, who in 1997 debuted with the single "No No No," their first of ten Top Ten pop hits. A self-titled first album followed in early 1998 and went platinum before the end of that year. Second and third albums The Writing's on the Wall and Survivor only increased the group's popularity into the early 2000s. Following Survivor, the members of Destiny's Child took a break to pursue solo projects through Columbia, also home to the group's output. Michelle Williams, who had joined DC in 2000, fired first with Heart to Yours.