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Formed by elementary school friends Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland, Destiny's Child were always driven to succeed. They took intense vocal lessons starting at age eight. And despite early struggles, they've achieved the destiny that their name implied. Beyonce's loving and ambitious parents, Mathew and Tina, mentored the whole group in the early days, Mathew managing the girls while Tina designed their matching outfits. All of the band members have always cited the Knowles' influence as a source of faith and stability during the girl's meteoric rise to international fame. The original four-piece Destiny's child consisted of Becyonce, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LaToya Luckett. The R&B girl group scored opening spots for artists like Dru Hill and Immature. They had a modest hit with the Wyclef Jean remix of their debut single, "No, No, No Part 2" but were written off by critics as another generic girl-pop group. Success is the best revenge and the group's second LP, The Writing's On the Wall, went multi-platinum to critical acclaim. The She'kspere production saw the girls weaving their confidant harmonies around sophisticated, skittering beats. The lyrics kept things positive, a refreshing break from the sex-kitten aesthetic too common in female R&B. Internal strife led to LaTavia and LaToya splitting the band and being replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. The disc's parade of dance hits included "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Bugaboo," "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and the smash "Say My Name." Franklin bowed out, leaving Destiny's Child a trio. Their follow-up album, Survivor, was an instant chart-topper, with the singles "Independent Woman Pt. 1," "Bootylicious" and "Survivor." These days, each of the Destiny's Child ladies have gone on to pursue successful solo careers.

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