Kelly Rowland Biography

Birth name : Kelendria Trene Rowland

Born : February 11, 1981 (age 30) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Origin : Houston, Texas

Genres : R&B, pop, hip hop, dance

Occupations : Singer-songwriter, actress, model, entertainer, dancer, television host, The X Factor (UK)

Kelendria "Kelly" Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, model and television host. Born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Houston, Texas, Rowland rose to fame in the late 1990s as one of the founding members of the girl group Destiny's Child. She has sold more than 50 million records worldwide with the group. and over five million records in her total career.

Kelly Rowland is the daughter Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett and was born and raised in Atlanta until she and her mother moved to Texas when Kelly was 7 due to her parents' break-up. After moving to Houston, Kelly met LaTavia Roberson in elementary school who eventually introduced her to Beyoncé Knowles. The girls met Letoya Luckett and formed a singing group that would perform in their backyards and in Tina Knowles' beauty shop. After performing at local events, they got their break when they entered Star Search. The group, then named Girls Tyme, lost the competition, however.

Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1993. Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny's Child recorded their major label debut song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black. The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album, spawning hits such as "No, No, No". That album made it possible for Destiny?s Child to win three awards from the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The group rose to stardom after releasing their multi-platinum second album, The Writing's on the Wall, in 1999. The record features some of the group?s most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", Jumpin' Jumpin'", and "Say My Name". "Say My Name" was nominated for and won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards. The Writing's on the Wall sold more than eight million copies in the US and a massive 13 million worldwide, essentially becoming their breakthrough album.

Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened after Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced. Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife. After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, Charlie's Angels. It became their best-charting single, topping the official U.S. singles chart for eleven consecutive weeks. The success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame. Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.

Destiny's Child's third album, Survivor, channels the turmoil they underwent, spawning its lead single of the same name, which was a response to the experience. The themes of "Survivor", however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit; the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002. Meanwhile, the album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on U.S. Billboard 200 with 663,000 units sold. To date, Survivor has sold over ten million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the U.S. alone. The album spawned other number-one hits?"Bootylicious" and the title track, "Survivor", the latter of which earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. After releasing their remix album, This Is the Remix, the group announced their temporary break-up to pursue solo projects.

Kelly's second album, which was retitled Ms. Kelly, was released in June 2007, led by the singles "Like This," featuring the rapper Eve and "Ghetto," featuring Snoop Dogg. It debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 6 on the Billboard top 200 albums chart. In March 2008, a remix EP of the album, titled Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe, was released, featuring seven new and remixed songs, led by the new track "Daylight," a collaboration between Kelly and Travis McCoy of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes.