life of beyonce | Page 2

eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group.[23] They, along with Knowles' friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing. Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members.[16] West coast R&B producer Arne Frager flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studios, in Northern California, with Knowles' vocals being featured.[16] As part of efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to d�but them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV that time.[16] Girl's Tyme participated in the competition but lost it because the song they performed was not good, Knowles herself admitted.[24][25] Knowles had her first "professional setback" after that defeat but regained confidence after learning that pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also the same experience.[16] To manage the group, Knowles' father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job.[26] He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training.[27] The move reduced Knowles' family's income by half and her parents were forced to move into separated apartments.[15] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four,[16] with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.[23] Rehearsing in Tina's Headliners Salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time;[23] Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout the Destiny's Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records. They moved to Atlanta to work on their first recording, only to be cut by the record company in 1995. They would return home to start over again.[15] This would put a strain on the Knowles, and Beyonc�'s parents separated briefly when she was 14. In 1996, the family reunited, and to coincide with that, the girls got a contract with Columbia Records.[17]

1997 2001: Destiny's Child era and depression

Main article: Destiny's Child





Destiny's Child star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The group changed its name to Destiny's Child in 1993, based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah.[23] Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny's Child recorded their major label d�but song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[23][25] The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album,[24] scoring their first major hit "No, No, No". The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for "Best R&B/Soul Single" for "No, No, No", "Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year" and "Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist".[23] The group released their multi-platinum second album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999. The record features some of the group's most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", the group's first number-one single, "Jumpin' Jumpin'", and "Say My Name", which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 43rd Grammy Awards.[23] The Writing's on the Wall sold more than eight million copies.[24] During this time, Knowles recorded a duet with Marc Nelson on the song "After All Is Said and Done" for the soundtrack to the 1999 film, The Best Man.

Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against the group for breach of contract. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced.[23] Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months,[24] as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.[23] During this time, Knowles had experienced depression from an accumulation of struggles: the publicized split of Luckett and Roberson, being publicly attacked by the media, critics and blogs for causing the split-up,[28] and a longstanding boyfriend (that she had dated from age 12 to 19 years) leaving her.[29][30] The depression was so severe it had lasted for a couple of years, while she had kept herself in her bedroom for days and refused to eat anything. Knowles stated that she struggled to speak about her depression because Destiny's Child had just won their first Grammy Award and she feared no one would take her seriously.[31] All of these