Kelly Rowland was born Kelendria Trene Rowland on February 11, 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia. When she was only eight years old, her mother was forced to relocate to Houston, Texas, to escape an abusive marriage. She later met Beyonce while in private school and soon they started hip-hop group with their other friend Latavia Roberson.

Kelly Rowland

“People ask why do I like being in the U.K., I say because they love me here and they love my music, so why not.” Known as a member of the most successful female group of all time, Kelly Rowland has established herself as an accomplished solo artist.

Before Destiny’s Child

Kelly Rowland was born Kelendria Trene Rowland on February 11, 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia. When she was only eight years old, her mother was forced to relocate to Houston, Texas, to escape an abusive marriage. She later met Beyonce while in private school and soon they started hip-hop group with their other friend Latavia Roberson. The name of all girl group was called, Girl’s Tyme. Soon they were in The Plant Recording Studio recording their first demo. In an attempt to promote their new act, their producer, Arne Frager, decided to have them compete on Star Search.

In 1995, after Kelly moved in with the Knowles family and began training to create the super group, Destiny’s Child. In 1997, the group got their first big break and recorded, “Killing Time,” from the Men in Black soundtrack. In 1998, the group released their debut album, Destiny’s Child and released the smash hit, “No, No, No.” The group later released The Writing’s on the Wall (1999), which went triple platinum, and Survivor (2001) which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Shortly after the release of the album, the group announced their break-up. With Destiny’s Child, Kelly is credited to have sold 50 million records and countless awards.  

Solo Career

There were rumors of a break up long before the group made a public announcement. In 2002, Kelly was making a name for herself as a solo artist, and decided to sing the hook for, Dilemma, the number one hit off of the Nellyville album. That same year, she won the award a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Following the success of her Grammy Award, Kelly released her debut solo album, Simply Deep, in October of 2002. This album was totally different than her previous Destiny’s Child hits, it more a mixture of punk rock and R&B. The album went gold and reached the #12 spot on the Billboard 200.

She had even more success in the U.K., Hong Kong, New Zealand and Canada. The album is reported to have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. The first single from the album, “Stole,” reached number two in the U.K., and became an international hit. But the album was not received as well in the States. Kelly released her sophomore album, Ms. Kelly in 2007. Just as her first album, she received more success overseas with the songs, “Work” and “Like This,” but neither made the top charts in the U.S. or abroad.  

After trying her hand as a solo artist, Destiny’s Child reunited to release their fourth album, Destiny Fulfilled, which was released in the fall of 2004. The album was an instant success and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. After touring for a year, Kelly along with Destiny’s Child, got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was the best selling female group in the history of R&B music.

Acting Career

Kelly has had minor acting roles and guest appearances on sitcoms since 2002. She has been on shows such as Girlfriends, and The Hughleys. She has also done some major films, such as The Seat Filler, released in 2004, and the horror film, Freddy vs. Jason. She also had a role in the musical film, American Dream, as Martha of the The Vandellas.

Did You Know…

…In 2007, Kelly Rowland filed a lawsuit against Matthew Knowles, because she felt that he was putting her career on the back burner to better promote his daughter, Beyonce.

… In an interview, Kelly said that she had a complex about being the dark skinned girl in the group.

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