Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. During the group's three-year hiatus, Rowland released her debut solo album, Simply Deep (2002), which appeared at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and sold over five million copies worldwide. It included the Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single "Dilemma" (with Nelly), as well as the UK hits "Stole" and "Can't Nobody". Rowland also ventured into acting with starring roles in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2005).
Following the disbanding of Destiny's Child in 2006, Rowland released her second solo album, Ms. Kelly (2007), which produced the international hits "Like This" (featuring Eve) and "Work". In 2009, she hosted the first season of The Fashion Show, and was featured on David Guetta's "When Love Takes Over", which topped the charts in several countries. Its success influenced Rowland to explore electronic dance music on her third solo album, Here I Am (2011), which spawned the UK hit singles "Commander" (featuring David Guetta), "Down for Whatever" and "What a Feeling", as a well as the electro-R&B single "Motivation" (featuring Lil Wayne).
Her fourth solo album, Talk a Good Game (2013), became her third Top 10 album on the US Billboard 200 chart. Rowland was a television judge on the eighth season of The X Factor UK (2011), as well as the third season of The X Factor USA (2013). She has continued her television career by hosting Chasing Destiny (2016) and starring as a coach on The Voice Australia (2017–2020) and The Voice UK (2026). Rowland is credited with forming the girl groups Little Mix and June's Diary from her stints on The X Factor UK and Chasing Destiny.
Rowland's work has earned her several awards and nominations, including four Grammy Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards. Rowland has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of Destiny's Child, and as a solo artist, she has been honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Essence for her contributions to music. In 2014, Fuse ranked Rowland in their "100 Most Award-Winning Artists" list at number 20.
Early life
Kelendria Trene Rowland was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 11, 1981. She is the daughter of Doris Rowland-Garrison (December 6, 1947 – December 2, 2014) and Christopher Lovett. She has an older brother named Orlando. When Rowland was seven, her mother left her father, who was an abusive alcoholic and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from serving in the Vietnam War, and Rowland went with her. When Rowland was seven or eight, she and her mother relocated to Houston, where at some point she moved in with fellow Destiny's Child member Beyoncé, referring to Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles as "Mama T".
In the early 1990s, Rowland joined Beyoncé, Tamar Davis and LaTavia Roberson in the girl group Girl's Tyme. Girl's Tyme competed on the nationally televised talent show Star Search, but lost the competition to Skeleton Crew. Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, reduced the sextet lineup to a quartet, including new member LeToya Luckett, and began managing the group. In 1995, they signed with Elektra Records, but were released from the label months later. D'wayne Wiggins then began working with the group, and they were briefly signed to his label. The group went through several name changes, including the Dolls, Something Fresh, Cliché, and Destiny before deciding upon a final moniker. Under the name Destiny's Child, the group was picked up by Columbia Records. They continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B groups of the time, such as SWV, Dru Hill, and Immature.
Career
1997–2001: Destiny's Child
Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny's Child, after signing to Columbia Records in 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. Later that year, the group released their debut single, "No, No, No", and the following year, they released their self-titled debut album. The album amassed moderate sales and won the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The group released their multi-platinum second album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999. The album features some of the group's most successful singles such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and "Say My Name". "Say My Name" won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. The Writing's on the Wall sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.
Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by group members Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared in the video of "Say My Name", and Luckett and Roberson were dismissed from the group. Franklin would eventually quit the group after five months. After settling on their final lineup, the trio released "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, Charlie's Angels. It became their best-charting single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks. That same year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former bandmates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.
Later that year, while Destiny's Child was completing their third album Survivor, Rowland appeared on the remix of Avant's single "Separated". Survivor, which channeled the turmoil the band underwent, spawned its lead single of the same name, which was a response to the experience. The song went on to win a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The themes of "Survivor", however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit; the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002. The album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 663,000 copies sold. Survivor has sold over twelve million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone. The album also spawned the number-one hit "Bootylicious" on which Rowland sang lead vocals. Before releasing their remix album This Is the Remix in 2002, the group announced a temporary hiatus to pursue solo projects.
2002–2006: Simply Deep and Destiny Fulfilled
In 2002, Rowland was featured on Nelly's single "Dilemma", which won the pair a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The song became one of the most successful singles of the year, topping many charts worldwide, including the United States, where it became Rowland's first number-one single as a solo artist, selling worldwide over 7.6 million copies. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote that because of the song's success, "Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for Beyoncé.".
Rowland's debut solo album, Simply Deep, was released on October 22, 2002, in the US. Featuring production contributions by Mark J. Feist, Big Bert, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles providing background vocals, 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." Simply Deep debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and at number three on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first-week sales of 77,000 copies sold. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of 2013, Simply Deep remains as Rowland's best-selling album in the US, with 602,000 copies sold. Released to an even bigger success in international territories, Simply…