Destiny's Child

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DESTINY'S CHILD

Formed: 1990, Houston, Texas

Members: Beyoncé Knowles (born Houston, Texas, 4 September 1981); Kelly Rowland (born Atlanta, Georgia, 11 February 1981); Michelle Williams (born Rockford, Illinois, 23 July 1980). Former members: Farrah Franklin (born Los Angeles, California, 3 May 1981); LeToya Luckett (born Houston, Texas, 11 March 1981); LaTavia Roberson (born Houston, Texas, 1 November 1981).

Genre: R&B, Pop

Best-selling album since 1990: Survivor (2001)

Hit songs since 1990: "Say My Name," "Independent Women, Pt. 1," "Emotion"

The hip, flashy vocal ensemble Destiny's Child became one of the most successful groups of the late 1990s and beyond, maintaining fame despite frequent turnover and internal strife. Building on pop and R&B's long tradition of "girl groups"—from the Supremes in the 1960s to En Vogue in the early 1990s—Destiny's Child performs sweet harmony vocals and a kinetic, well-oiled stage act, adding a contemporary sheen with hits proclaiming female independence and assertiveness. With revealing costumes and

songs of romantic one-upmanship Destiny's Child emphasizes sex to an extent unheard of by their genteel girl group predecessors in the 1960s. At the same time the group has preserved its image of wholesomeness and Christianity, never crossing the line into explicitness.

Beginnings and Stardom

Formed in 1990 by two Texas girls after meeting at an audition for a children's singing group, Destiny's Child initially consisted of LaTavia Roberson and Beyoncé Knowles. By 1993 the group had added LeToya Luckett and Knowles's cousin Kelly Rowland, forming a quartet. Managed under the watchful eye of Beyoncé's father, Matthew Knowles, the group of preteens spent hours practicing and studying performance style through videotapes of famed vocal groups the Supremes and the Jackson 5. Named after a passage from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible, Destiny's Child gradually developed a tight act combining singing and rapping. After an appearance on the television program Star Search, the group worked in local Texas clubs and signed a contract with Columbia Records in 1997. Destiny's Child's self-titled debut album, released in 1998, featured the driving hit, "No, No, No, Pt. 2" and a handful of sweet-sounding ballads, although it was otherwise unexceptional.

The next year the group released The Writing's on the Wall, a much stronger album in which songs emphasizing female respect and pride were linked through a biblically inspired "thou shalt not" passage spoken before each track. "Say My Name," featuring an off-kilter, jumpy groove supplied by hot producer Rodney Jerkins, was the album's biggest hit, reaching the number one position on the pop and R&B charts. Sporting a catchy melody and insistent, throbbing beat, the song was memorable for eighteen-year-old Knowles's rapid-fire vocals, in which she impressively squeezes a large number of words into a dense, tight rhythm. On other hits, such as the sassy "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Bug a Boo," Knowles emerges as the star of the group, punctuating her singing with long vocal runs and flamboyant gospel-styled melisma, the bending of multiple notes within a syllable. The latter song is notable for its sassy sense of humor, with the young women brushing off an annoying suitor: "You make me wanna throw my pager out the window / Tell MCI to cut the phone poles." If girl groups of the past were somewhat faceless, interchangeably pronouncing the virtues of love, Destiny's Child took a firm stance in life, finding success through a self-determinism that never crossed the line into aggression.

Trouble and Survival

A peak year for the group, 1999 ended on a sour note: Roberson and Luckett tried to break away from manager Knowles, claiming he retained an unfair share of profits and favored daughter Beyoncé and niece Rowland. Matthew Knowles retaliated by replacing the intransigent members with Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. Roberson and Luckett, who had never wanted to actually leave the group, in turn sued Knowles. Then, in 2000, new member Franklin was jettisoned from the group, allegedly for missing appearances and concerts. By the end of the year Roberson and Luckett had settled with former manager Knowles but remained ousted from the group. Now reduced to a trio—Knowles, Rowland, and Williams—Destiny's Child struggled to overcome the months of bad press by entering the studio and recording Survivor (2001), an allusion to the group's recent history as well as the hit television "reality" program of the same name. The tabloid frenzy proved beneficial for the group, as Survivor debuted at number one on the pop and R&B charts and sold 6 million copies worldwide.

Despite solid sales, the album's artistic success is mixed. Critics faulted the album, observing that the female pride and respect of The Writing's on the Wall had given way to a cold self-righteousness. In a hypocritical contradiction of their sexy image, the group castigates the protagonist of "Nasty Girl," telling her to "put some clothes on" before asserting that, "everyone knows she's easy." Even the subtly grooving "Fancy" seems designed to leave a bad taste in the mouth, its lyrics marked by pettiness: "You're always trying to steal my shine." Fortunately, the album has its share of peak moments, including "Independent Women, Pt. 1," a hit from the soundtrack to the film Charlie's Angels (2000). Here, the group winningly recaptures its former self-sufficiency: "The shoes on my feet—I bought them . . . I depend on me." On its hit version of the 1970s pop ballad, "Emotion," the group blends voices angelically, spicing its performance with rococo vocal lines. From an artistic standpoint, "Emotion" surges with a distinct emotional current, achieving a depth of feeling absent from the group's earlier work. In 2002 Knowles's profile within the group increased even more dramatically after she starred in the hit comedy film Austin Powers in Gold-member. The same year Williams and Rowland released their first solo albums, Heart to Yours and Simply Deep respectively, under an agreement that allows the members to record individually while remaining part of the group.

Destiny's Child's hits rank among the most enjoyable of the era, combining smooth vocalizing with bold lyrics emphasizing female strength. While adulthood and internal squabbling seemed to thrust a new cynicism upon the group, they retained their hit-making power and gentle harmonic sound.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Destiny's Child (Columbia, 1998); The Writing's on the Wall (Columbia, 1999); Survivor (Columbia, 2001); 8 Days of Christmas (Columbia, 2001). Soundtrack: Charlie's Angels (Sony, 2000).