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During the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were few groups that were having the type of success that Destiny’s Child was having. Though most people think about Beyonce Knowles when talking about Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland was also very popular, and embarked on a solo career of her own. These days, Rowland has had a lot of work as a television personality to go along with her several hit songs on her resume that has been well established before her 40th birthday.

Rowland was born in Atlanta, Georgia on February 11, 1981, but early on would move with her mother to Houston, Texas. It was there that Rowland took an interest in singing, and at just 11 years old became part of an ensemble called Girl’s Tyme that started recording their own music. The group wouldn’t find mainstream popularity due to their young age, but a bit of a shakeup would do just the trick.

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Girl’s Tyme would change the lineup, keeping Rowland with her new friend Beyonce Knowles, while also changing the group’s name to Destiny’s Child. “Ever since we were little, we were so on fire for our dreams,” Rowland said. “We never let anyone blow our flames out.” The group performed various shows in cities throughout the United States, waiting for their big break. That would finally come when they signed with Columbia Records, and the now-trio would take off quickly.

Destiny’s Child released their self-titled debut album in 1998, and scored a top five hit with “No, No, No”. It was their next album, “The Writing’s on the Wall”, that really put them on the map, though. The album was a top five performer, and had number one hits with “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name”, while “Jumpin’, Jumpin” reached number three.

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The group scored their first (and only) number one album with “Survivor” thanks to a hit of the same name, as well as “Bootylicious”, “Emotion” and “Independent Women Part I”. Shortly thereafter, Destiny’s Child took a break and Rowland released a successful solo album called “Simply Deep” in 2002, which contained the international smash hit “Dilemma”, a collaboration with Nelly. “I’m just steadily building myself up as Kelly Rowland, not just Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child, which is a blessing to be able to do that,” she said at the time.

“For a long time, I wasn’t happy, but that had nothing to do with Beyonce,” Rowland added. “That had to do with me trying to get my life in order and make better decisions for myself...I want a path. I want things to pop off for me, too.”

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In 2004, Destiny’s Child reunited for one more album called “Destiny Fulfilled”, with their final hit songs being “Cater 2 U”, “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier”. It would be a few years before Rowland went solo once again, releasing “Ms. Kelly” in 2007 and “Here I Am” in 2011. There have been some modest successes for Rowland since then, including “Motivation” and “Like This”.

Throughout the years, Rowland has remained close with her former bandmate Beyonce. When it was announced that Beyonce was pregnant with her first child, a daughter named Blue Ivy, “Auntie Kelly” decided that she was going to go all out on a gift for the family. Rowland reportedly spent more than $5,000 on a bathtub for Blue Ivy, and it wasn’t just any bathtub.

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The one that Rowland purchased was bejeweled with Swarovski crystals, with nearly 45,000 in total. Perhaps she felt compelled to spend a bit more than most people after she accidentally revealed the baby’s gender to the public for the first time. “I have no idea what I’m going to buy Beyonce at the baby shower because Jay is going to buy that little girl every single thing possible,” Rowland said. 

Rowland has released one album since “Here I Am”; a 2013 album called “Talk a Good Game”. On top of her musical work, Rowland has also had her hand in acting. She starred in movies such as “Freddy vs. Jason”, “The Seat Filler” and “Think Like a Man”, and most recently in 2020 with “Bad Hair”. Television has been a very active platform for Rowland, who has appeared in reality competition shows like “The X Factor” in multiple countries and “The Voice” in Australia.

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People always seem to bring up Destiny’s Child when talking about Rowland’s career, and wonder if there’s anything that’s holding them back from a full blown reunion. Rowland, however, says that even though they went their separate ways, the love is definitely still there. “I think the most beautiful thing is that we’re not parting because there were problems,” she said of the split. “We parting because we’re celebrating each others’ growth.”