Destiny's Child

Destiny's Child was an American girl group starring Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams and formerly LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson and Farrah Franklin. The group was formed in 1990 as Girl's Tyme, but was renamed Destiny's Child after lineup changes.

Luckett and Roberson left the group soon after and were replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. Franklin left the group after a few months and in 2000, the group became a trio. They later disbanded in 2006.

Since the group's official disbandment in 2006, Knowles, Rowland, and Williams have reunited several times, including at the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show and 2018 Coachella festival.

Background[]

Beginnings as Girl's Tyme[]

Girl's Tyme was created in Houston, Texas in 1990, after Beyoncé Knowles met LaTavia Roberson at an audition for a girl group. Kelly Rowland soon joined the group as she also had moved in with the Knowles family. They went through several name and lineup changes, including "Somethin' Fresh", "Cliché", "The Dolls", and "Destiny".

With Knowles and Rowland, Girl's Tyme attracted nationwide attention: west-coast R&B producer Arne Frager flew to Houston to see them. He brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studios in Northern California, with focus on Knowles' vocals because Frager thought she had personality and the ability to sing. With efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a major record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut the group in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at the time. However, they lost the competition because, according to Beyoncé, their choice of song was wrong; they were actually rapping instead of singing.

Because of the group's defeat, Knowles' father, Mathew, voluntarily dedicated his time to manage them. He decided to cut the original lineup to four, with the removal of Támar Davis and the sisters Nikki and Nina Taylor, and the inclusion of LeToya Luckett in 1993. Aside from spending time at their church in Houston, Girl's Tyme practiced in their backyards and at the Headliners Salon, owned by Beyoncé's mother, Tina. The group would test routines in the salon and would sometimes collect tips from the customers. Their try-out would be critiqued by the people inside. During their school days, Girl's Tyme performed at local gigs. When summer came, Mathew Knowles established a "boot camp" to train them in dance and vocal lessons. After rigorous training, they began performing as opening acts for established R&B groups of that time such as SWV, Dru Hill and Immature. Tina Knowles designed the group's stage attire.

The group signed with Elektra Records with the name Destiny, but were dropped several months later before they could release an album. The pursuit of a record deal affected the Knowles family: in 1995, Mathew Knowles resigned from his job as a medical-equipment salesman, a move that reduced Knowles' family's income by half, and her parents briefly separated due to the pressure. In 1996, they changed their name to Destiny's Child. Group members have claimed that the name was taken from a passage in the Bible: "We got the word destiny out of the Bible, but we couldn't trademark the name, so we added child, which is like a rebirth of destiny," said Beyoncé.