Destiny’s Child: Where Are the 6 Members Now?

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Destiny’s Child: Where Are the 6 Members Now?

Independent women! Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LaTavia Roberson, LeToya Luckett and Farrah Franklin ended up on very different paths after their time in Destiny’s Child. The girl group was formed in Houston in 1990 under the name Girl’s Tyme. Their original lineup consisted of Beyoncé, Roberson, Rowland, Támar Davis and sisters Nikki and Nina Taylor. The sextet competed on Star Search but lost the talent competition, leading Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, to take on the role of manager to help push the group toward success. He quickly cut Davis and the Taylor sisters, adding Luckett in their place. Girl’s Tyme eventually changed their name to Destiny. They were signed to Elektra Records but dropped several months later before they even had a chance to release an album. In 1996, Mathew secured the foursome a deal with Columbia Records, and Destiny’s Child was born. Their self-titled debut album was released in February 1998 and included the hit single “No, No, No Part 2.” Destiny’s Child released their sophomore — and breakthrough — album, The Writing’s on the Wall, in July 1999. It spawned four hits, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Bug a Boo,” “Say My Name” and “Jumpin’, Jumpin’.” Beyoncé announced later that year that Luckett and Roberson had left the group. They were replaced by Williams and Franklin. A much-publicized battle with Mathew followed Luckett and Roberson’s exits from the group. They accused him of unfairly favoring Beyoncé and Rowland and keeping more than his fair share of Destiny’s Child’s profits. The group faced another setback when Franklin abruptly left just five months after joining. Now a trio, Destiny’s Child released their third album, Survivor, in May 2001. It became a huge success thanks to the singles “Independent Women Part I,” “Survivor” and “Bootylicious.” Shortly after Survivor’s release, Rowland and Beyoncé started branching out as solo artists. The former collaborated with Nelly on “Dilemma,” while the latter recorded “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” with her future husband, Jay-Z. Destiny’s Child came together again in the studio in 2004 to record their fourth and final album, Destiny Fulfilled, which was released that November and included the singles “Lose My Breath,” “Soldier,” “Girl” and “Cater 2 U.” After embarking on a world tour, the trio announced their split in 2005, saying in a statement that they wanted to leave “on a high note, united in our friendship and filled with an overwhelming gratitude for our music, our fans and each other.” Beyoncé, Rowland and Williams have only reunited on stage a few times since their breakup — most recently during Queen Bey’s 2018 Coachella performance — but they have remained best friends. Scroll down to see where the six members of Destiny’s Child are now.

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Beyoncé

As a soloist, Beyoncé has dropped six albums, including her groundbreaking surprise releases Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016). She also made a joint album with Jay-Z titled Everything Is Love (2018) and executive-produced The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack (2019) as well as its accompanying Disney+ film, Black Is King (2020). She is one of the bestselling musicians of all time and has won 21 Grammys for her solo work. Her greatest hits include “Crazy in Love,” “Irreplaceable,” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “Love on Top,” “Drunk in Love” and “Formation.” As an actress, she starred in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), Cadillac Records (2008), Obsessed (2009) and The Lion King (2019). Beyoncé and Jay-Z share daughter Blue Ivy and twins Rumi and Sir.

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Kelly Rowland

Rowland has released four solo albums, including her 2002 debut, Simply Deep, which came out while Destiny’s Child were still active. Her hits include “Like This,” “Motivation” and the David Guetta collaborations “Commander” and “When Love Takes Over.” In recent years, Rowland has become a popular TV personality, judging The X Factor UK in 2011, The X Factor USA in 2013 and The Voice Australia since 2017. She and her husband, talent manager Tim Weatherspoon, share son Titan and announced in 2020 that they are expecting again.

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Michelle Williams

Williams has also released four albums as a soloist, three of which are in the gospel genre. Her most popular songs include “We Break the Dawn” and “Journey to Freedom.” She ventured into acting in 2003 when she made her Broadway debut as the title character in Aida. She also had leading roles in The Color Purple, Chicago, What My Husband Doesn’t Know, Fela! and A Snow White Christmas. She was engaged to pastor Chad Johnson for nine months, but they split in December 2018.

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LaTavia Roberson

Roberson and Luckett formed a group called Anjel with Naty Quinones and Tiffany Beaudoin after leaving Destiny’s Child, but they split up in 2003 and never released an album. Roberson kept a low profile in the years that followed before being cast in two stage plays in 2013: How to Love and Not My Family. The following year, she starred in the third and final season of R&B Divas: Atlanta. Roberson released her debut solo single, “Best Time of Your Life,” in 2017. She shares daughter Lyric and son Londyn with music producer Don Vito.

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LeToya Luckett

After Destiny’s Child and Anjel, Luckett released her debut album, LeToya, in 2006. It featured the hit single “Torn.” She has since released two more albums, Lady Love in 2009 and Back 2 Life in 2017, in addition to acting in Preacher’s Kid (2010), Lucky Girl (2016) and Unsolved (2018). She shares daughter Gianna and son Tyson with her estranged husband, entrepreneur Tommicus Walker. Luckett and Walker announced in January 2021 that they were ending their marriage after three years together.

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Farrah Franklin

Franklin pursued a solo career after her six-month stint in Destiny’s Child but never found mainstream success. She was dropped by two record labels and went on to make minor appearances in a handful of independent films. She returned to her first love in 2020, releasing a song titled “Push Up on Me” with rapper Maino.