Top 10 Facts about the Destiny’s Child

Destiny’s Child members by Beyonce.jpg – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts about the Destiny’s Child

Comprised of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, Destiny’s Child was a three-time Grammy Award-winning American R&B girl group formed in 1966. Despite several abrupt personnel changes and heated, well-publicized feuds in the media and the courts, Destiny’s Child rose to become one of the most popular female R&B groups of the late 1990s.

However, as the personal and professional issues grew, the popstar trio split in 2006, each pursuing different career paths. Here are ten facts about Destiny’s Child that you probably didn’t know.

1.Destiny’s Child Was Originally a Rap Quartet Called Girl’s Tyme

As Girl’s Tyme, the girls promoted themselves as rappers rather than singers and even landed a spot on ‘Star Search’ talent show. Record executives weren’t buying it, so after failing to land a record deal, Beyonce, Roland, Luckett, and Roberson quit rapping and formed Destiny’s Child, an R&B group.

Beyoncé’s mother suggested the name Destiny, which was derived from a passage in the Book of Isaiah, and because there was already a group by that name, Columbia Records and Matthew Knowles agreed to append the name to Destiny’s Child.

2.Destiny’s Child Had An Ever-Changing Lineup

Destiny’s Child members including previous member LeToya Lucket by JonathanlGardner – Wikimedia Commons

The girls began as a group of four with LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Robertson joining Beyonce and Kelly. After the exit of LeToya and LaTavia, Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin joined the group to make the new foursome. However, Farrah was kicked out six months later, leaving Michelle, Kelly, and Beyoncé, Mathew Knowles, who were considering adding Beyoncé’s younger sister, Solange as the fourth member of Destiny’s Child. They eventually decided to keep the group as a trio.

3.Beyoncé’s Father, Mathew Knowles Quit His Job To Become Destiny’s Child’s Manager

In 1995 Beyoncé’s father resigned from his job selling medical equipment for Xerox to manage the group full-time. The 50% pay cut put financial strain on the Knowles family, but Tina Knowles’ income from her hair salon business helped them get by. After being signed and then dropped by Elektra Records, Mathew was able to land the group a deal with Columbia Records in 1966.

Mathew Knowles recognized the group’s potential early on. He was harsh on the girls, reportedly making them run a mile while singing, a vocal training routine which Beyoncé allegedly still does today. His intense training routines may have been beneficial in shaping the girl group into superstars.

4.Destiny’s Child’s Self-Titled Debut Album Was a Moderate Chart Success

While “No, No, No” featuring Wyclef Jean may have topped the Billboard R&B singles chart while peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and at number fourteen on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, the group’s self-titled debut album only reached No. 67 on the Billboard 200.

The album’s chart numbers were not impressive for a debut, according to some industry insiders, but it did go platinum, putting Destiny’s Child on the map and on the path to superstardom. Their subsequent album, The Writings on the Wall, earned them six Grammy nominations, which catapulted them into the mainstream.

5.Destiny’s Child Recorded a Song For a Disney Channel Animated Series

Solange Knowles by Neon Tommy- Wikimedia Commons

At the start of Destiny’s Child’s stardom rise, the group collaborated with Beyoncé’s younger sister, Solange on a Disney Channel duet. In 2001, the ladies recorded the theme song for The Proud Family, an animated comedy, with Solange on lead vocals.

6.High-end Fashion Designers Refused to Style Destiny’s Child

Big-name fashion labels in New York refused to dress the four black curvy girls, and because they couldn’t afford designer gowns and couture, Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles used her talent and creativity to dress them. It took their single hit “Independent Woman” for the group to be taken seriously by elite fashion houses.

7.They Partnered With McDonald’s In Their 2005 World Tour

While the ladies had previously partnered with a number of brands, both together and individually, McDonald’s was by far the most interesting collaboration. In conjunction with the group’s 2005 world tour for their 2004 second comeback album Destiny Fulfilled, the fast-food chain got the ladies to add the signature “Lovin’ it” tag to the tour name.

The tour labeled ‘Destiny Fulfilled… and Lovin it’ visited Asia, Australia and North America. Destiny’s Child also appeared in a number of TV commercials for the popular fast-food chain to promote its various menu items around the world.

8.Destiny’s Child Was Disbanded In 2006

Destiny Child performing at the 2013 superbowl by Pete Sekesan – Wikimedia Commons

On June 12, 2005, while on tour in Barcelona, the group announced that they would no longer be performing together and would instead pursue individual careers in music, theater, television, and film. The split was allegedly caused by accusations of management favoritism among group members and financial mismanagement. Beyonce, Kelly, and Michelle have reunited several times since the group’s official disbandment in 2006, including at the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show and the 2018 Coachella festival.

9.Destiny’s Child Reigned As The World’s Best-Selling Female Vocal Group Between 1997 and 2005

Destiny’s Child, dubbed “the queens of R&B,” has sold more than 60 million records worldwide. Long after their indefinite hiatus, Destiny’s Child is still one of the biggest girl groups in music history. Billboard ranks the group as one of the greatest musical trios of all time, the ninth most successful band of the 2000s, 68th in its All-Time Hot 100 Artists list in 2008, and 90th in its All-Time Dance Club Artists list in December 2016. The group received 14 Grammy nominations, winning twice for Best R&B Performance by a Group and once for Best R&B Song.

10.Destiny’s Child Have Their Own Star On The Hollywood Walk of Fame

Destiny Child’s Star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame by melika – Wikimedia Commons

Despite the fact that the group had already broken up, Destiny’s Child received the 2,035th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. Hollywood and Vine’s Hollywood Walk Of Fame features some of entertainment’s greatest legends like Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and Destiny’s Child also was also honored with the chance to be forever remembered in Hollywood.