Kelly Rowland

Biography by MacKenzie Wilson
Kelly Rowland rose to fame with the success of Destiny's Child during the late '90s. During that time, Destiny's Child catapulted into the new millennium as one of the best-selling female musical groups in history. Rowland, who was barely in her twenties, had been imagining such stardom for a long time. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Rowland began singing as soon as she heard the vocal beauty of Whitney Houston. She was only four at the time, but Houston's 1985 self-titled debut was enough to motivate the little girl. Performances with the church choir followed, but Rowland's developing interest in music blossomed when she and her family moved to Houston, TX. She befriended another inspiring singer, Beyoncé Knowles, and the two became fast friends. In the mid-'90s, the two girls formed Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child made an impressive debut in 1997 with first single "No No No"; their self-titled full-length followed the next winter and went platinum before the year's end. Two more albums followed -- The Writing's on the Wall (1999) and Survivor (2001) -- earning Destiny's Child countless fans across the globe as well as millions of records sold. Upon the success of Survivor, Rowland followed her bandmates in taking some time off. During that time, Rowland began writing material for her first solo album. In 2002, Rowland's stylish R&B solo debut, Simply Deep, was released on Columbia. "Dilemma," the album's first single, featured a duet with Southern rapper Nelly. It had a two-month stay at number one during fall 2002. Her second solo album, the oft-delayed and more R&B-oriented Ms. Kelly, didn't materialize until July 2007.