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BOOTYLICIOUS IS AS BOOTYLICIOUS DOES. DESTINY'S CHILD PROVE THEMSELVES
SURVIVORS IN THE CUT-THROAT WORLD OF POP.
-By Karen Bliss
Welcome to the world of Destiny’s Child. Twenty-four million albums
sold. There’s pyro, a live band, dancers, and then the three young
beauties emerge on stage at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre and put
on a headlining show that song by song systematically wipes out any
memory of the opening acts — Sugar Jones, 3LW, Dream, even Eve
and Nelly. They are that good, in voice, in charisma, in material.
Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and new DC Michelle
Williams are no mere “girl” band. They are a 21st century
Supremes for an audience barely alive when ‘You Can’t Hurry
Love’ hit in 1964. Knowles will likely emerge as the Diana Ross
of the trio. Her voice is indeed staggering, especially live. Her beauty
and presence go without saying. But as demonstrated increasingly on
each of Destiny’s Child three R&B/pop albums, particularly
the latest, Survivor, she is a producer and songwriter.
“I’m not a good writer at all,” confesses
Rowland. “I definitely know that writing is a gift, especially
from seeing Beyoncé write. Because she doesn’t just write
a song, she makes sure that the song makes sense and that it’s
a song that everyone can relate to, and that it’s catchy.
“Yes, I’ve tried,” she laughs. “I
come out with something like ‘The house is blue and the trains
are green with love falling from the ceiling.’ I mean, it’s
terrible. I cannot write.”
But in concert, Rowland and Williams’ place in
Destiny’s Child becomes clear. Sure, Knowles may have emerged as
the leader of sorts, but solo performances allow each a moment to shine
and demonstrate that they too have strong voices with a range and tone
that blend well together.
This truly is a story of survival. As Knowles tells
the sold-out crowd, “We’ve been in Destiny’s Child since
we were nine or 10.” Williams may be the new gal but she fits as
snuggly as the Bootylicious baby-tees selling at the merch kiosks.
“Do you know how blessed we are to have found
this girl?” says Rowland. “She is such — and I’m
not just saying it either — an angel to us, simply because of the
fact that she is the type of person that is very understanding, same
outlook as me and Beyoncé, and she’s like that perfect fit.
It’s like a glove. I promise you, it’s like a glove.”
The glove has always been tight. Destiny’s Child
was performing long before it signed a deal with Columbia. Knowles’
father started managing the girls, then a four-piece (including La Tavia
and La Toya, who left during the second album) who had met in elementary
school. Knowles had another group at the time called Girl Time (with
La Tavia) and they “discovered” Rowland singing in a closet
while playing with Barbie dolls, or so they once said.
They performed anywhere they could, and spent three
summers developing their presentation, including rehearsals eight hours
a day, voice lessons and interviewing skills. They went on Star Search
in ‘92, but lost to a rock band called Skeleton Crew. Their first
real gig was at a Girls And Boys Club in Houston. The song they performed
was an original called ‘Sunshine’, a kid-style ‘We Are
The World’ type number.
For demoing purposes they laid down over 40 songs
in the same studio in which Mariah Carey was recording in Orlando, and
by the time Columbia was interested in the group, they had opened for
SWV, the O’Jays and Dru Hill. Then came the tour with Wyclef Jean
(who ended up remixing ‘No, No, No’ on their debut album).
When Destiny’s Child released its debut and hit
the road with Boyz II Men and Next, they found the audience singing
along. The success of Destiny’s Child’s sophomore album, The
Writing’s On The Wall, was astounding, over 10 million albums sold
worldwide. The Texas teens had seized upon something on their albums
that appealed to females in particular — the everyday complications
of love relationships but with a fun, strong and spirited take. Who
couldn’t identify with the trifling, good for nothing brother who
borrows his girlfriend’s credit card to buy her a birthday gift,
or at least laugh at the scenario?
On the new Survivor, the album kicks the girl power up a notch. It is
full of anthems, from the self-proclaimed ‘Survivor’ and ‘Independent
Women Part I’ to the fan-inspired tale of sexual abuse ‘The
Story Of Beauty’. Even the seemingly nonsensical ‘Bootylicious’
is an empowering song; the word has already become a catch phrase.
“That’s very cool because it means that we’re
making a difference, creating sayings for people to enjoy and use,”
says Rowland. “That’s why so many people like Destiny’s
Child so much is the fact that we can make songs for everyone to have
fun to. A lot of people think that ‘Bootylicious’ is humorous.
They’re like, ‘Bootylicious’? Where did you get that
word from?’ Like Destiny’s Child,” says Rowland. “‘Bootylicious’
will definitely be a song that people will say, ‘oh, girl, you’re
looking bootylicious tonight!’ (But) bootylicious isn’t just
how you look; it’s how you feel about yourself.”
Survivor truly comes from a place of strength, after
Knowles and Rowland rose victoriously through the pressure of fame —
including the constant touring and prying press, and the very public
departure of two group members.
“We’ve been so blessed to have the success
that we’ve had,” says Rowland. “You think about the fact
that God could have chosen anyone else to do this, but He chose me.
So it’s up to us to use the situation as best as we can and to
appreciate it above anything.
“I’ve been doing this since I was nine years
old so this is all of my dreams right here. Everything that I’m
doing, all of my dreams I’m fulfilling right now.”
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