Destiny's Child was an American
R&B girl group comprising lead singer
Beyoncé Knowles alongside
Kelly Rowland and
Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in
Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name
Girls' Tyme, comprising Knowles, Rowland,
LaTavia Roberson and
LeToya Luckett. After years of performing underground, they signed to
Columbia Records and changed their name. Destiny's Child was launched into mainstream recognition following the release of their best-selling second album,
The Writing's on the Wall, which contained the number-one singles "
Bills, Bills, Bills" and "
Say My Name".
Despite critical and commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict and legal turmoil, as Roberson and Luckett attempted to split off the group's manager
Mathew Knowles. They were soon replaced with Williams and
Farrah Franklin; however, in 2000, Franklin also parted with the group, leaving them as a
trio. Their third album,
Survivor, which contains themes the public interpreted as a channel to the group's experience, contains the worldwide hits "
Independent Women", "
Survivor" and "
Bootylicious". In 2002, Destiny's Child announced a hiatus, allowing its members to attain individual success. They re-united with 2004's
Destiny Fulfilled, and a year later during their world tour, announced that the group would disband and its members would pursue solo careers.
Throughout their career, the group released four
studio albums and achieved four US number-one singles. They had sold over 50 million records worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling recording artists in the U.S.
Billboard magazine ranks the group as one of the greatest musical trios of all time,
and inducted the group in 2008 into the All time Hot 100 Artist.
In 2005, the
World Music Awards recognized them as the World's Best-selling female group of all time.