Destiny’s child was formed in Houston Texas in 1990 comprised of 4 key members, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson. The group was formed by their manager and Beyonce’s father Matthew Knowles. The group originally debuted on live television on a show called “Star Search” where they performed originally under the name “Girls Tyme”. This performance was what led to the start of their fame when a few years later they were signed to Columbia Records under the name Destiny’s Child. Under the new label, they went from more of a hip-hop sound to an R&B sound.
With the new sound and having a smaller group, Destiny’s Child was launched into the mainstream with their song “No, No, No” off of their self-titled album.
Although the group went through a number of lineup changes, their fame was most popular with the 3 members, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. This trio would go on to become one of the best-selling female pop vocal groups worldwide. This was a great opportunity for the group to get involved with large brands which would always try to market along with the group. There are numerous examples of full-page spreads in magazines especially music that are congratulating the group on their awards and success because they want the publicity along with the trio. In a billboard article discussing their work with brands the quote, “When looking at the many brand partners of Destiny’s Child, it becomes very evident that the deals cover a wide demographic, ranging from toddlers to those 45 and up. Knowles (Matthew) wouldn’t have it any other way.” explains their demographic and how it is such a large range.
Destiny’s Child had a lot of Number One hits, so many in fact that they released an album in 2005 titled #1’s which contained their 16 songs that reached #1 on the charts including songs like “Survivor” and “Bootylicious”.
Having such a wide audience and female empowerment Mattel started to create barbie dolls of the three members in 2004. This debut took place after the group decided to break up but there is a quote from Elizabeth Grampp, who is a senior marketing manager for Barbie Collector Dolls “We’re still excited to release the dolls in August as planned. It’s the ultimate way to immortalize the group,” This being towards the end of their group career shows the lasting impact they will still have over the next few years.
The legacy the group left was the influence on a lot of well-known female artists today and is ranked 3rd of the best female groups of all time. Having such a large reputation helped the member’s solo careers as well and today Beyonce is still a household name.
Sources:
Kaufman, Gil. “Destiny’s Child’s Long Road to Fame (the Song Isn’t Called ‘Survivor’ for Nothing).” MTV News, 13 June 2005, http://www.mtv.com/news/1504044/destinys-childs-long-road-to-fame-the-song-isnt-called-survivor-for-nothing/.
Montgomery, James. “Destiny’s Child Can Be Reunited for Only $60 This August.” MTV News, 1 July 2005, https://www.mtv.com/news/1505064/destinys-child-can-be-reunited-for-only-60-this-august/.
Paoletta, Micheal. “Brands Find A Perfect Fit With Destiny’s Child.” Billboard, 14 Jan. 2006, pp. 40–48.
