Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland (born Kelendria "Kizzy" Knowles) is an R&B performer, backup singer, and founder of the girl group Destiny's Child.
In mid-2008, Rowland was listed as one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People," mostly for her philanthropic work (performing for free at high schools for the Ultimate Miss Kelly Tour) and balancing a career as B-List celebrity and medical biller and coder.
In 2011, Knowles accepted a salaried position as a judge on the reality competition X-Factor.
Life and Career
Rowland was originally born in Atlanta, Georgia, and for a short time, she raised by her adopted mother Dorris Rowland and boyfriend, Linnethia Leakes. At the tender age of eight, Rowland was shipped to Houston, Texas to live with her biological father, Matthew Knowles, and was encouraged to build a relationship with her half-sister Beyoncé Knowles. Eventually, Kelly would form a girl group with Beyonce, Letoya Luckett, and LaTavia Luckett known as Destiny's Child, allowing Kelly to establish herself as household name to anti-Beyonce stans.
Simply Deep and Ms. Kelly Era
Simply Deep: Kelly decided it was time for her to break away from Destiny's Child. One rainy morning, Nelly called Kelly during her lunch break, and they both recorded a duet titled "Dilemma" in Kelly's studio apartment. The song rose to number one, was nominated for a Grammy, and helped Kelly's debut album reach gold status, albeit selling 100-200K copies less than Khia's Thug Misses album.
Ms. Kelly: In the year 2003, Kelly began work on her second album; in the summer of 2007, the album hit shelves, and the shelves hit back. The album sold slightly more (~40-50K) than The Cheetah Girls' "TCG" album, released a couple months after Ms. Kelly.
Here I Am
Rowland dropped Matthew Knowles as her manager, left Columbia Records, and signed to Universal Music. Rowland had experimented with many different sounds, going from dance to Europop to electro pop to country to gothic rock. Eventually, Rowland struck gold when she released the sexually infused track, Motivation, with rapper Lil' Wayne. The slinky track shot up the charts, earning Kelly her first Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 since working with Trina in 2005.
The album, unfortunately, debuted at number 3 (her highest album charting position ever) and sold 79,000 copies its first week. Keri Hilson's No Boys Allowed album sold over 100,00 its first week. I'm just saying...
Motivation received a Grammy nomination, and the album has garnered critical acclaim for being a sturdy coaster for card tables.
Analysis
I don't see it for Kelly.
Achievements
1 #1 single on Billboard Hot 100 and 2 #1 singles on U.S. R&B charts
Won her chain from Matthew Knowle's during every Destiny's Child Elimination Round
Unlockable character on Street Fighter IV
Opening act for Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. tour
Has sold more albums than Michelle Williams but less than Letoya Luckett