Birth Name : Kelendria Trene Rowland
Height : 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Kelly Rowland rose to fame with the success of Destiny's Child during the late '90s. During that time, Destiny's Child catapulted into the new millennium as one of the best-selling female musical groups in history. Rowland, who was barely in her twenties, had been imagining such stardom for a long time.
Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Rowland began singing as soon as she heard the vocal beauty of Whitney Houston. She was only four at the time, but Houston's 1985 self-titled debut was enough to motivate the little girl.kelly rowland album kelly rowland hair kelly rowland and beyonce kelly rowland dresses destiny's child.
Performances with the church choir followed, but Rowland's developing interest in music blossomed when she and her family moved to Houston, TX. She befriended another inspiring singer, Beyoncé Knowles, and the two became fast friends. In the mid-'90s, the two girls formed Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child made an impressive debut in 1997 with first single "No No No"; their self-titled full-length followed the next winter and went platinum before the year's end. Two more albums followed.
The Writing's on the Wall (1999) and Survivor (2001) -- earning Destiny's Child countless fans across the globe as well as millions of records sold. Upon the success of Survivor, Rowland followed her bandmates in taking some time off. During that time, Rowland began writing material for her first solo album. In 2002, Rowland's stylish R&B solo debut, Simply Deep, was released on Columbia. "Dilemma," the album's first single, featured a duet with Southern rapper Nelly. It had a two-month stay at number one during fall 2002. Her second solo album, the oft-delayed and more R&B-oriented Ms. Kelly, didn't materialize until July 2007.
As one third of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling female musical groups of all time, Kelly Rowland has brought the sound of her voice to millions of fans. She's graced videos, been featured in magazines and performed on television and concert stages worldwide. She's experienced #1 hits, multi-platinum albums, industry accolades, won Grammys and other awards, and felt the love of press and fans. And now, she's ready to show the world another side of Kelly Rowland with the release of Simply Deep, her debut solo album, on Music World Music/Columbia Records.
Featuring songs written by Steve Kipner, Billy Mann, Solange Knowles, and Kelly Rowland and guest appearances from Nelly and Joe Budden; produced by Rich Harrison (Amerie) Robert Smith, Damon Elliott, and Rob Fusari; executive-produced by Matthew Knowles of Music World Music, Simply Deep is an exhilarating glimpse into Kelly's heart and soul. Which was exactly her desire. "I wanted people to be able to see me as me, not just as that girl from Destiny's Child," Kelly says. "I wanted them to see someone who has gone through a lot of real life experiences and is so happy and so blessed. I wanted people to really see a side of me that they may not know." To reach that goal Kelly decided to go for her solo sound in a remarkably fresh and unexpected way. Simply Deep contains stinging electric guitars and gentle acoustic six-strings, atmospheric synths and turntable scratches.
Her thoughtful lyrics tackle everything from God to love towhatever lies in between while her musical joints will make you nod your head to the groove. There's rock 'n' roll, a confessional singer/song writer vibe, sultry R&B and an edgy undercurrent. Simply put, Simply Deep is not what you might expect from a member of Destiny's Child. Which was,according to Kelly, the point: "We wanted our solo albums (each member of DC is working on individual projects) to be different from Destiny's Child so that people wouldn't compare them to the group's work.
The albums are an opportunity for people to get to know our personalities. In my case, I'm sure that most of my fans didn't realize how much I have always loved rock. In fact when I first went into the studio and told the producers I wanted a mixture of Sade with really edgy rock, they looked at me like I was crazy! And honestly, about halfway through the recording process even I was wondering if you could mix off those influences together. But it all worked out wonderfully." Proof of which can be heard on the single "Stole." Written and produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner, "Stole" sets the tone for Simply Deep by being emotional, evocative, soulful and a typical in its subject matter and sound. A cautionary tale about life and its consequences, "Stole" affected Kelly the first time she heard it ."I loved the lyrics and the melody," she says. "It's such a passionate song."
Equally passionate is "Heaven," co-written and produced by Alonzo Jackson, who also plays drums, bass and guitar on the track. The sexy ballad, one of several co-written by Kelly, draws its inspiration from real life. "I'd never been in love and then I met someone and he made me feel like heaven," she confesses. "This song is an expression of those feelings." Love is also in the air on "Dilemma," a duet with superstar rapper Nelly.