Destiny's Child

Destiny's Child is an American pop group. Originally a duo and later a quartet, the group eventually became a trio, whose members are Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. According to the World Music Awards, they are the Best-Selling Female Group of All Time http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090100233.html. On June 12, 2005 the group announced on tour in Barcelona that they would no longer perform together, instead pursuing individual careers in music, theater, television and film.

Records and Facts

• According to the World Music Awards, Destiny's Child is the Best-Selling Female Group of All Time http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090100233.html
• The Writing's on the Wall debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Nine months after its release, the album was #5 on the chart, having just experienced its best sales week ever. More than a year after the album's release, The Writing's on the Wall was still in the Top 20 (#11), selling upwards of 70,000 units per week. In the first year of its release, The Writing's on the Wall spent 47 out of 52 weeks in the Top 40 or better of the Billboard 200 Album chart.
• The week of October 24, 2000, Destiny's Child had two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart: "Independent Women Part I" at #9, reaching 65 million listeners & "Jumpin Jumpin" at #5, reaching 75 million listeners.
• In 2000, Destiny's Child had three #1 records on the Billboard Hot 100: "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Independent Women Part I."
• At the end of November 2000, during its fourth straight week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Part I" reached the largest audience (140.4 million listeners over a week) in the history of monitored airplay, breaking the record set in May 1999 by TLC's "No Scrubs." The record has since been broken most recently by Mariah Carey with her hit "We Belong Together" which reached 223 million impressions.
• When "Independent Women Part I" hit #1 on the UK charts, Destiny's Child became the first American all-female group to hold that position since 1989, when the Bangles hit it with "Eternal Flame."
• With "Independent Women Part I," Destiny's Child became the first American all-female group ever to debut at #1 on the U.K. charts.
• The song appearing on the Survivor album titled "Independent Women Part 2" was actually written first by Beyoncé Knowles. The song was re-written and re-arranged, with the references to Charlies Angels added, and the new version was called "Part 1." Beyoncé's original version then became "Part 2."
• When "Survivor" hit #1 on the UK charts, Destiny's Child became the first American all-female group to score more than one UK #1 single. This was something not even the Supremes managed.
• Former Destiny's Child member Farrah Franklin has vocals on "Independent Women Part I".
• Dangerously In Love went to the top of the album charts in the UK and Canada, as well as on both the American pop (Billboard 200) and R&B charts. When single and album simultaneously topped the pop charts in both the US and the UK, she became the first act to achieve this feat since Men At Work in 1983 - in the '60s and '70s, it was performed by the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart. This makes her the first female artist to achieve this.
• Kelly and Michelle are not the real names of Beyoncé's fellow group members. Kelly's birth name was Kelendria Trene Rowland and Michelle's birth name was Tenitra Michelle Williams. Kelly's name was always abbreviated from a young age, and so it felt natural to use the abbreviation for the group. Michelle was forced to use her middle name as her adopted first name in the group, as the Knowles thought Tenitra to be too "ethnic."