Kelly Rowland, born February 11, 1981, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Her birthplace is Atlanta, Georgia, but was relocated to Houston, Texas when she was seven. There, she was placed in a rapping and dancing group with her friends Beyonce Knowles and LaTavia Roberson. The group was first called Gyrl’s Time, and was set to be debuted in Star Search, that time’s largest talent show on national TV. In 1995, the lineup was down to four members, originally six. LeToya Tuckett joined the group in 1993. They changed the group’s name to Destiny’s Child that year, and together performed in local events.
In late 1997, the group was signed to Columbia Records, and they recorded their major label debut song “Killing Time.” This was to be part of the soundtrack of the film Men in Black. Destiny’s Child released their first self-titled album in 1998 and rose to stardom the next year, with their second album The Writings on the Wall. The group won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group and the Best R&B Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards. Their third album Survivor was released in 2001. The next year, Kelly Rowland released her first solo album Simply Deep, featuring a range of alternative R&B music. It reached number-one in the UK and was certified as platinum seller.
Kelly Rowland rejoined her Destiny’s Child bandmates for another album, Destiny Fulfilled in 2004. She has worked on and off her solo album that year, which was called Ms. Kelly, where she collaborated with other artists.
She branched into acting with roles in the 2003 blockbuster Freddy Vs. Jason and appeared in sitcoms The Hughleys, Eve, Girlfriends, and the children’s comedy Taina. In 2006, she was in Nick Cannon’s MTV series Wild and became a guest host in the daytime talk show The View. She has also appeared as choirmaster in Clash of the Choirs, a reality show, in December 2007.