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| Kelly Rowland biography:  ?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. During the hiatus of the group, Rowland collaborated with rapper Nelly on the single "Dilemma," a worldwide number-one hit, and released her rock pop-influenced debut solo album Simply Deep in 2002. It became a commercial success, selling more than two million copies worldwide, and garnered three more or less successful singles, among "Stole" and "Can't Nobody." Following the formal disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, Rowland's often-delayed second album, Ms. Kelly, was released in 2007. Moderately successful on the charts, it spawned the hit singles "Like This" and "Work." In 2009, she scored another number-one hit with her contribution on French DJ David Guetta's single "When Love Takes Over." In 2002, Rowland branched into acting, which led to guest stints on sitcom series such as The Hughleys and Girlfriends, and leading roles in big-screen movies like Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2004). In 2009, she became the host of the Bravo competition series The Fashion Show alongside Isaac Mizrahi. Early life Rowland was born Kelendria Trene Rowland in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett, who were married after Kelly was born. When she was seven, her mother took her and left her father, who was an abusive alcoholic. At the age of eight, she relocated to Houston, Texas. There she met the Knowles family and became friends with Beyonce. Rowland was placed into a rapping and dancing group, along with her friends Beyoncé Knowles and LaTavia Roberson. Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members. West coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio—The Plant Recording Studios—in Northern California, with Knowles' vocals being featured because Frager thought she had the best personality and the ability to sing. As part of efforts to sign Gyrl's Time to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at that time. They participated, but lost the competition because the song they performed was not good, as the group later admitted. To manage the group, Beyoncé's father Mathew Knowles resigned in 1995 from his job as a medical-equipment salesman. He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. At this time Rowland moved in with the Knowles. The resignation reduced Knowles family's income by half and her parents separated because of the pressure. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Rehearsing in Tina Knowles' hair styling salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time; Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout Destiny's Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later before they could release an album. ________________________________________ Recording career Breakthrough with Destiny's Child 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. Solo career establishment (2002—2003) Still with Destiny's Child, Rowland teamed up with rapper Nelly in 2002 to record the chorus vocals on the track "Dilemma" for his album Nellyville. Released as the album's second single, the song rose to one of the most successful singles of the year, topping many charts worldwide, and saw Rowland establishing herself as a solo artist, winning her a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and a Billboard Award the following year. Originally expected in early 2003, the success of the collaboration caused the label to advance the release date of her debut solo album, Simply Deep, which Rowland rushed within three weeks to get done. Featuring production by Mark J. Feist, Robert "Big Bert" Smith, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which Rowland described as a "weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock." Released stateside in October 2002 and internationally in 2003, Simply Deep peaked at number twelve on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., where it was eventually certified gold by the RIAA for more than 600,000 copies sold. Released to even bigger success in international territories, the album topped the UK Albums Chart and became a gold-seller in Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and other countries, resulting into a worldwide sales total of 2.5 million copies. The album yielded three singles. "Stole," a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single and became an international top ten, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date. In the U.S., the song failed to capitalize of the success of "Dilemma," reaching the top thirty only. The album's second single, an up-tempo track entitled "Can't Nobody," charted significantly lower in the U.S., but enjoyed top twenty success throughout Australia and parts of Europe, where it became another top five hit on the UK Singles Chart. Final single "Train on a Track" was featured on the soundtrack of the romantic comedy film Maid in Manhattan (2003) but failed to chart or sell noticeably, except for the UK again, where it became her fourth consecutive top twenty entry. Destiny Fulfilled and hiatus (2004—2006) After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Rowland rejoined Knowles and Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth studio album Destiny Fulfilled, released in November 2004. The album hit number two on the Billboard 200, and spawned "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U" as notable mainstream records. In support of the album, Destiny's Child embarked on the 2005 Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It world tour, which started in April and ran through September. On the Barcelona, Spain visit, the group announced their disbandment after the end of their final North American leg. In October 2005, the group released a compilation album, entitled #1's, including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including their final single "Stand Up for Love." Destiny's Child was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006. They were also recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time. That same year, Rowland was featured on rapper Trina's hit single "Here We Go," the lead single of the Glamorest Life album (2005). The song became another success for the artist, who scored another top twenty entry in Finland, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom with the collaboration. Ms. Kelly (2007—2008) Rowland's second solo album, Ms. Kelly, was released in June 2007. Originally entitled My Story, the album's first version was actually scheduled for a June 2006 release, but the singer, her management and Columbia Records decided to shelve the album last minute to re-work a version with a different vibe as the singer considered the final tracklisting "too full of midtempos and ballads." Rowland eventually consulted additional producers to collaborate on the album, renamed Ms. Kelly, including Billy Mann, Scott Storch, and Atlanta-based Polow da Don, who contributed the single "Like This," a collaboration with rapper Eve, to the album. A moderate success around the globe, the song reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. Upon its release, Ms. Kelly debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 86,000 copies. Outside the United States, the album widely failed to reprise the success of Simply Deep, barely reaching the top forty on the majority of all charts it appeared on, except for the United Kingdom where it opened at number thirty-seven. In continued support of the album, Rowland released the album cuts "Ghetto" and "Work" as singles, respectively. While the Snoop Dogg-featured "Ghetto" underperformed stateside, the latter became a top ten hit in most European markets including France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2008, a reissued version of the album, branded Ms. Kelly Deluxe, received a release, its lead single being the previously unreleased Bobby Womack cover "Daylight," a collaboration with Gym Class Heroes that reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart. By April 2008, Ms. Kelly had managed to sell just over 1.2 million copies worldwide. Also in 2008, Rowland recorded a single with French singer Nâdiya, an uptempo urban pop track entitled "No Future in the Past", for which a video was shot in Miami, Florida during July 2008. Label change and new management (2009—present) In February 2009, a duet with Italian singer Tiziano Ferro, entitled "Breathe Gentle," was released as a single and reached the top ten of the Dutch Singles Chart. Also in early 2009, Rowland ended her professional relationship with both manager Mathew Knowles and former label Columbia Records in order to explore other ventures. Her first step was the house collaboration "When Love Takes Over," the Grammy-nominated lead single of French DJ David Guetta's 2009 studio album One Love, for which Rowland contributed vocals on three tracks. The song was released in April 2009 and saw major international success, peaking at number-one in several countries around the globe. In June of the same year, Rowland announced that she had drafted Jeff Rabham as her new manager. The pair along with A&R Executive Omar Grant are currently working on Rowland's third solo album which is expected to be finalized in January 2010 and will include production by Guetta, Rico Love, Jim Jonsin, Cutfather, Syience, Bangladesh, Lyndrea Price, Andre Merrit,Eric Hudson, Warren "Oak" Felder, Damon Sharpe, Rob Allen, Jonas Joberg, Claude Kelly and Brian Kennedy among others. Rowland also continued touring Europe, Asia and Australia as a solo artist throughout late 2009 and early 2010, including a co-headlining arena tour of Australia in March 2010 with Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Akon, titled Ladies and Gentlemen Tour. ______________________________________________ Kelly Rowland quote: | ||||||||||
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