The group made their recording debut with "Killing Time," which appeared on the soundtrack for the 1997 blockbuster, Men In Black. Destiny's Child released their self-titled debut album to mixed reviews on February 17, 1998. The album's first single, "No, No, No" featured two completely different versions of the same song. "No, No, No Pt. 1" and "No, No, No Pt. 2" were both released simultaneously, however, Part 2 was considered a "remix" version of Part 1. "No, No, No, Pt. 2", featuring The Fugees member Wyclef Jean, quickly climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 3 on the Pop chart. The single sold over 1 million copies. However, follow-up singles "With Me Pt.1" and "Get On The Bus" failed to reproduce the success of "No, No, No". Destiny's Child eventually went Platinum after later success. Expectations were not high for the group's second album, as most industry critics considered them to be another disposable R&B girl-group with one-hit wonder status. The LP Destiny's Child eventually sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.

 

Destiny's Child re-entered the studio quickly, bringing in a new lineup of producers, including Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Rodney Jerkins, Dwayne Wiggins, Chad Elliot, Daryl Simmons, and Missy Elliott. Critics were generally positive about the album; Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "The Writing's on the Wall…an assured step forward for the girl group. Not only are they maturing as vocalists, they are fortunate to work with such skilled, talented producers…who all give the quartet rich, varied music upon which to work their charm." Lead single "Bills, Bills, Bills" became the group's first No. 1 Hot 100 hit (and second R&B No. 1) in the summer of 1999, and paced by its success, the accompanying album, The Writing's on the Wall, entered the Billboard 200 at No.6 upon its release on July 27, 1999. The second single, "Bug-a-Boo" hit the Top 40 pop charts, while its music video received heavy rotation on MTV and BET. During international promotions for the album they made the tour diary ‘ASAP’ with Burning Vision Entertainment.

 

Buoyed by the group's breakout success, two of its original members, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, attempted to split with manager Matthew Knowles, charging that he kept a disproportionate share of the band's profits, attempted to exert too much control, and unfairly favored his daughter. While they never intended to leave the group, relations naturally grew strained, and when the video for "Say My Name" premiered in February 2000, many fans (not to mention Roberson and Luckett) were surprised to find two new members — Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin — joining Knowles and Rowland. Infuriated, Roberson and Luckett took legal action in March, suing both Knowles and their former bandmates for breach of partnership and fiduciary duties. A war of words followed in the press; meanwhile, Destiny's Child became a pop-cultural phenomenon. "Say My Name" became the group's biggest single to date and third No. 1 single. The abrupt membership changes within the group seemed to only heighten the group's visibility, finally separating them from the endless pack of teen pop starlets.

 

 

In June 2000, the album's fourth single, "Jumpin' Jumpin'" became a Top 5 hit, however, another departure came from the ever-evolving girl-group. Farrah Franklin, who had replaced an original member just five months prior, left the group for various personal reasons. This split was less controversial, while The Writing's on the Wall would eventually be certified 8x platinum domestically and sell over 10 million copies worldwide. In the meantime, toward the end of 2000, Roberson and Luckett dropped the portion of their lawsuit aimed at Rowland and Knowles in exchange for a settlement, though they continued to pursue action against Knowles' father; as part of the agreement, both sides were prohibited from attacking each other publicly. The Writings on the Wall propelled the girls careers as it was one of the top 10 selling albums of 2000 and was the biggest selling album of the year by a female and African-American group.

 

Now a trio of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, Destiny's Child were tapped to record the theme song for the film version of Charlie's Angels; released as a single in October 2000, "Independent Women, Pt. 1" raced up the charts and spent an astounding 11 consecutive weeks at No.1 (the longest running of 2000 and by a female group). They quickly began work on a new album to capitalize on their success. In the meantime, Destiny's Child won 2 Grammy awards for "Say My Name", including Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song. While speaking with MTV.com, Rowland had this to say about the upcoming album: "I know everybody can relate to this album it's very diverse and inspiring. The year 2000 was very challenging, and I know that gave Beyoncé a lot of inspiration to write songs for the album. We cannot wait for everybody to hear it. It's so empowering for a lot of people who have already heard a little bit of it."

 

Beyoncé had long since emerged as the group's focal point, and on the third Destiny's Child album, she assumed more control than ever before, taking a greater hand in co-producing and co-writing the entire album. "We're excited about the album," Knowles told MTV News shortly before the album's release. She adds, "…I got a chance to co-write and produce all of the songs." "And she did an incredible job," the group's Kelly Rowland added. "But everybody is a part of the music," Knowles said. "Everybody is singing lead on every song, and it's so great — because now Destiny's Child is at the point vocally and mentally that it should be at. It's just great to be a part of this group." Survivor - whose title was reportedly inspired by a DJ's crack about Destiny's Child members voting one another off the island, much like the popular CBS reality series Survivor - hit stores in the spring of 2001, and entered the Billboard 200 at number one, selling over 663,000 copies in its first week sales (the highest ever for a girl-group.) The first three singles, "Independent Women Part I", "Survivor" and "Bootylicious", were predictably huge hits, with the latter becoming the group's fourth No.1 Hot 100 single. An über-melismatic cover of the Bee Gees' "Emotion" was also successful, becoming a Top 10 pop hit. Survivor sold well - certified 4x platinum domestically and going on to sell a total over 11 million worldwide. In the UK, Destiny's Child had two consecutive hit singles at number one which were "Independent Women Part 1" and "Survivor". The LP was the seventh highest selling album of the year and the best by female group selling over 3.8 million copies in the U.S.

 

Toward the end of the year, the group released a holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas, and announced plans for a series of side projects, including solo albums from all three members (to be staggered over the next year and a half, so as to avoid competition). In early 2002, a remix compilation titled This Is the Remix was released to tide fans over.

 

After three years apart, achieving individual success in movies, on Broadway, endorsements and with solo albums, the three women of Destiny's Child reunited with a new album, Destiny Fulfilled. A world tour, sponsored by McDonald's, "Destiny Fulfilled ...and Lovin' It", hit 16 countries and over 75 cities worldwide, kicking off in Hiroshima, Japan on April 9, 2005, and ending in Vancouver, Canada; stops included Australia, Europe, and the U.S. and Canada. "Lose My Breath" the album's first single, produced by Rodney Jerkins, became the group's ninth Top 10 Hot 100 hit. The album saw the trio shift to a harder, 'urban' sound and was released in November 2004. The second single, "Soldier" featuring rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne quickly entered the Top 10, peaking at No.3 in February 2005 becoming the groups tenth Top 10 hit. "Lose My Breath" was certified 2x platinum and "Soldier" was certified platinum by the RIAA. Despite receiving worldwide mixed reviews, Destiny Fulfilled was certified 3x Platinum in early 2005 and has sold over 7 million copies worldwide. The album's third and fourth singles were "Girl" and "Cater 2 U," both of which went Gold by the RIAA respectively. Destiny Fulfilled was one of the best selling albums of 2005 and it pushed the ladies back into the position of the best selling female group and American group of the year.

 

The album did not win any of the Grammy awards for which it was nominated. During this time, Destiny's Child was named the Best Selling Female Group of All Time by the World Music Awards.

 

On June 13, 2005, it was announced the group will disband after their world tour ends in the fall of 2005. It was decided that the split would occur after the very last concert in Vancouver, Canada. The group first appeared on MTV's Total Request Live on June 21, 2005 to officially confirm their split. Their management decided to document their final tour for a special farewell DVD to be released March 28, 2006. It must be noted that Beyoncé herself has been quoted as saying that the breakup of the group is not permanent and she would not rule out any future Destiny's Child projects.

 

The group released their greatest hits album, # 1's on October 25, 2005,  which includes three new songs. One of the new songs is titled Stand Up For Love. Lyrically the song is the anthem for World Children's Day, but relates to troubled times such as third world poverty, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the late 2004 tsunami. "Stand Up For Love" was Destiny's Child's last single. Number 1's charted at #6 on the official UK album top 40 with first week sales over 30,000 and #1 on U.S. Billboard 200 Album chart with sales of 113,000.

 

Mattel released Destiny's Child Barbie Collector Dolls in August 2005. With Destiny’s Child’s recent breakup announcement, this trio of dolls is expected to become a major collector's item. In November 2005, Destiny's Child helped Wal-Mart kick off an intensive holiday campaign with television ads with the group celebrating the holidays with family and friends. Destiny's Child's last televised performance was at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game on February 19 in Houston, Texas. Beyoncé told MTV News, "Every time we go on someone's television show, they want to be the person to say it's the last show. But we've said a million times, 'It's not the last show!' Because we're gonna sing together again, again and again. We love each other and we're friends. It's the last album, but it's not the last show." On March 28th, 2006, Destiny's Child received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

 

 

DESTINY’S CHILD

Survivor

11 - Survivor

DESTINY’S CHILD

The Writing’s On The Wall

12 - Say My Name

DESTINY’S CHILD

Destiny Fulfilled