Yet after turning up just about everywhere "I'm sick of us, and I'm in Destiny's Child," admitted Beyonce Knowles the girls announced it was time to take a break to work on solo projects. Band mate Kelly Rowland explains: "You know how The Beatles broke off, they all did their solo projects, and then they came back together, and they were even stronger?" Well, something like that…The legend of Destiny's Child named for a passage in the Book of Isaiah begins in the late Eighties with a seven-year-old Beyonce, a Texas native with stars in her eyes. "I knew from the age of four that I wanted to be a singer," she says. "I could have done it on my own, but I always felt more comfortable on stage with other people." Enter Kelly.Before her tenth birthday Kelly ended up moving into the Knowles home to devote every spare moment to the girls' goal: to become the next Supremes. LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett rounded out the quartet, and Destiny's Child was born. Beyonce's mum became their stylist and vocal coach, while her dad Matthew quit his job with a medical supplies firm to manage the girls full time. It proved to be a smart move. In 1997 the youngsters scored with Killing Time off the Men In Black soundtrack, and the always-hip Wyclef Jean re-mixed the single No, No, No, boosting sales of their self-titled debut. Destiny's Child joined the likes of Blaque, 702 and countless other look-alike girl groups on the MTV radar.And then… a slight bump in the road. In late 1999, while their follow-up The Writing's On The Wall spawned a series of hit singles which finally set them apart from their peers, LaTavia and LeToya fired off a lawsuit against manager Matthew Knowles. The girls claimed he favoured daughter Beyonce and distributed the groups earnings somewhat creatively.In seeking new management, the two found themselves out of a job. (They settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.) And before you could say Bug A Boo, they had been replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. Blink again? Farrah was gone and the girls were a threesome - Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle. "The good thing about us being a trio is all of us can really sing," says Beyonce. "All of us are potential lead singers, which has never been the case. So we can do things vocally that we could never do before."Grammy glory, worldwide acclaim and upwards of ten million albums sold led to a rather "bootylicious" 2001 for the Survivor beauties. Within two years, they'd each released solo albums, with Beyonce, who began stepping out with rapper Jay-Z, seeing the most success with her disc, Dangerously In Love. All three singers are also enjoying budding acting careers. In 2003, Beyonce released her third film, The Fighting Temptations, while Kelly scored roles in horror flick Freddy Vs Jason as well as 2004's The Seat Filler. Meanwhile Michelle got her big break on Broadway, cast as Toni Braxton's replacement in Aida.While focused on their individual careers, the ladies never forgot they were a threesome. In 2004, they reunited with Destiny Fulfilled, which headed to the top of the charts.For Destinys Child fans, however, the thrill was short-lived. In June, 2005, in the midst of their Destiny Fullfilled... And Lovin' It tour, the threesome announced that they were splitting for good."After a lot of discussion and some deep soul searching, we realized that our current tour has given us the opportunity to leave Destiny's Child on a high note, united in our friendship and filled with an overwhelming gratitude for our music, our fans and each other," read a statement from the girl band. "No matter what happens, we will always love each other as friends and sisters and will always support each other as artists. We want to thank all of our fans for their incredible love and support and hope to see you all again as we continue fulfilling our destinies."
