Destiny Fulfilled

Background:

Best selling Grammy winner R&B trio Destiny's Child burst to stardom with their smash hit singles "Say My Name" and "Survivor." Powered by Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, the all-female group has spawned four albums, "Destiny's Child" (1998), "The Writing's On The Wall" (1999), "Survivor" (2001) and "Destiny Fulfilled" (2004).

Despite the massive triumph of the group, Destiny's Child recently shocked their fans by announcing their split on June 13, 2005. They stated, "We have been working together as Destiny's Child since we were nine and touring together since we were 14. After a lot of discussion and some deep soul searching, we realized that our current tour has given us the opportunity to leave Destiny's Child on a high note, united in our friendship and filled with an overwhelming gratitude for our music, our fans, and each other. After all these wonderful years working together, we realized that now is the time to pursue our personal goals and solo efforts in earnest. No matter what happens, we will always love each other as friends and sisters and will always support each other as artists. We want to thank all of our fans for their incredible love and support and hope to see you all again as we continue fulfilling our destinies."


Say My Name

Childhood and Family:

Under the name of GirlTyme, Destiny's Child was formed in Houston, Texas, in 1990. Beyoncé Knowles (born September 4, 1981) and LaTavia Roberson (born November 1, 1981), met while auditioning for a kids' group, became Destiny's Child original members until Knowles's cousin Kelly Rowland (born February 11, 1981) joined in 1992. As a trio, they made their first appearance performing a rap song in a Star Search show. The fourth member, LeToya Lucckett (born March 11, 1981) joined the group in 1993. Managed by Beyonce's father Matthew Knowles, the group appeared in several opening acts for such R&B artists as SWV, Dru Hill and Immature. Destiny's Child eventually landed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1997 and began to climb their way to the stars.


Survivor

Career:

Destiny's Child made their first recording with "Killing Time," the soundtrack for the 1997 box office hit Men In Black (starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith). In the subsequent year, the group launched their self-titled debut album on February 17, 1998, with the song "No, No, No." The single, featuring Wyclef Jean of The Fugees, instantly went to the top of the Billboard R&B chart, sold over 1 million copies and eventually landed platinum. However, the following singles "With Me" and "Get On The Bus" did not fair was well.

"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," said music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

On July 27, 1999, the group's sophomore album "The Writing's On The Wall" was released. Produced by such talented producers as Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Rodney Jerkins, Dwayne Wiggins, Chad Elliot, Daryl Simmons and Missy Elliott, it spawned the No.1 Hot 100 hit and Grammy nominated single "Bills, Bills, Bills." It was followed by the Top 40 pop charts hit single "Bug-a-Boo" and its video gained heavy airplay on MTV and BET.

Next came "Say My Name" (the video premiered in February 2000), which proved to be another No. 1 hit single that garnered two awards at the prestigious Grammy Awards: One for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song. Afterward, in June 2000, the fourth single "Jumpin' Jumpin'" hit the charts at No. 5. "The Writing's On The Wall" reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified seven times platinum by 2001. Destiny's Child also contributed to the film soundtracks for Life (1999) and Romeo Must Die (2000).

When the group was in the spotlight, La Tavia Roberson and Le Toya Luckett left Destiny's Child and were replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. However, months after joining the group, Farrah Franklin also left the group and Destiny's Child became a trio. Despite the hype about the group's split, "The Writing's On The Wall" sold 8 million copies by the end of that summer. Meanwhile, they released the single "Independent Women," which also was the theme song for the movie version of Charlie's Angels. The song climbed the charts and stayed on top for 11 consecutive weeks.

"Survivor" (2001) was Destiny's Child's third album. It hit the music stores in the spring of 2001 and sold over 663,000 copies on its first week on the market. The album spawned the massive hit singles "Survivor" and "Bootylicious" (written by Beyonce, gold certification), which topped the Hot 100 single chart. The album also produced the Top 10 pop hit cover of Samantha Sang's ballad "Emotion," domestically received 4 times platinum and sold over 12 million internationally.

"We're excited about the album. I got a chance to co-write and produce all of the songs. But everybody is a part of the music. 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." Beyonce Knowles

Destiny's Child released a holiday album titled "8 Days of Christmas" in early 2002. They then launched the remix compilation of their biggest hits, "This Is the Remix." Moreover, all of the three members have a successful solo career. Michelle Williams has released two hit gospel albums, "Heart To Yours" and "Do You Know," and received acclaim for replacing Toni Braxton in the leading role of Aida on Broadway in November 2003. As for Kelly Rowland, she took home a Grammy Award for her duet with rap superstar Nelly in "Dilemma," a single from her debut solo album "Simply Deep."

Meanwhile, Beyoncé Knowles branched out to acting. She costarred with Mekhi Phifer in MTV's remake of Bizet's Carmen, Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) and with Mike Myers in the runaway success Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002, Beyonce also contributed the song "Work It Out" to the soundtrack). Other film work included The Fighting Temptations (alongside Cuba Gooding Jr.) and a remake of The Pink Panther (with Steve Martin). She also released the solo album "Dangerously In Love," which handed her 5 Grammy awards.

2004 saw Destiny's Child with their next album "Destiny Fulfilled." Executive produced and co-written by all three members, "Destiny Fulfilled" spawned the Top 10 Hot 100 single "Lose My Breath" (released in November 2004 and produced by Rodney Jerkins) and the No. 3 Top 10 single "Soldier" (featuring rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne). The two songs later scored platinum and the album itself received 3 times platinum in early 2005. "Destiny Fulfilled" also spawned the singles "Girl" and "Cater 2 U."

"When we first heard 'Lose My Breath,' we were very excited because it was just so up-tempo and even the up-tempo songs these days aren't really that energized. The beat reminded me of college football drumlines. It reminded me of childhood rhythms that made you wanna dance really hard which is where we got the title from, 'cause when you move like that you lose your breath." Beyonce Knowles

On top, Destiny's Child announced their split while touring in Barcelona, Spain on June 13, 2005. They plan to part ways after completing their "Destiny Fulfilled... And Lovin' It" tour in fall 2005. The group reportedly confirmed their disband on American T.V. (MTV) on June 21, 2005.


Awards:

• TMF Awards: Best Pop Group International, 2005
• TRL Awards: Walk This Way Award (Best Entrance), 2005
• BET Awards: Best Group, 2005
• NAACP Image: Outstanding Duo or Group, 2005
• Soul Train Music: Best R&B/Soul Album, 2005
• Brit Awards: Best International Group, 2002
• World Music: World's Best-Selling Artist or Group, 2002
• World Music: World's Best-Selling Pop Group, 2002
• World Music: World's Best-Selling R&B Group, 2002
• Nickelodeon Kids' Choice: Favorite Singing Group, 2002
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo, Emotion, 2002
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Survivor, 2002
• American Music: Favorite Pop/Rock Album, 2002
• American Music: Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group, 2002
• BET Awards: Best Group, 2001
• Grammy: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, "Survivor," 2001
• Billboard Music: Top Pop Artist-Duo/Group, 2001
• Billboard Music: Top Hot 100 Artist-Duo/Group, 2001
• Billboard Music: Top Hot Dance Maxi-Single Sales, "Independent Woman Pt.1," 2001
• Billboard Music: Group/Duo of the Year, 2001
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo, "Survivor," 2001
• MTV Video Music: Best R&B Video, "Survivor," 2001
• American Music: Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group, 2001
• Soul Train Music: Sammy Davis Jr. Award for "Entertainer of the Year," 2001
• NAACP Image: Outstanding Duo or Group, 2001
• Radio Music: Artist of the Year/Hip-Hop Rhythmic Radio, 2001
• Radio Music: Artist of the Year-Top 40 Pop Radio, 2001
• BMI Pop: Most Performed Song, "Bills, Bills, Bills," 2001
• BMI Pop: Most Performed Song, "Say my Name," 2001
• Block Buster Entertainment: Favorite Group, 2001
• Block Buster Entertainment: Favorite Group-R&B, 2001
• Kids' Choice: Favorite Singing Group, 2001
• Teen Choice: Choice Pop Group, 2001
• Teen Choice: R&B/Soul Album of the Year-Group, Band, or Duo, 2001
• Grammy: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, "Say My Name," 2000
• Grammy: Best R&B Song, "Say My Name," 2000
• Billboard Music: Top Pop Artist-Duo/Group, 2000
• Billboard Music: Top Hot 100 Artist-Duo/Group, 2000
• Billboard Music: Top Hot Dance Maxi-Single Sales Artist-Duo/Group, 2000
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo, "No, No, No," 1998
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, "No, No, No," 1998
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Destiny's Child, 1998
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo, "Say My Name," 2000
• Soul Train Lady of Soul: Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year, The Writing's On The Wall, 2000
• MTV Video Music: Best R&B Video, "Say My Name," 2000
• Artist Direct (ADOMA): Favorite Group: Urban/Hip-Hop, 2000