(ThyBlackMan.com) e 2005, the breakup of Destiny’s Child has offered varied careers for the three group members. Michelle Williams released a couple albums (in 2004, and 2008 respectively) and recently starred in Chicago at the Cambridge Theater. Beyonce has become arguably the biggest pop star globally, released number one albums, songs, and appeared in movies. For Kelly Rowland, it’s been mild success. Her 2007 album Ms. Kelly was a commercial and critical failure from that standpoint, and for those who begged and cosigned that she was more talented than Beyonce, at the time, they were losing.
Fortunately for Kelly Rowland, she stuck to her craft. For two years she 
worked on her latest album Here I Am which had favorable reviews from music critics. Originally intended for a summer 2010 release, Kelly Rowland fused pop and R&B together to create a different sound from her previous works. Her first single “Commander” featured DJ David Guetta. Despite the strong release, it didn’t promote the album heavily enough and for the moment had the “TBA” tag on it. But that all changed in 2011 when her second single (and new lead single) “Motivation” featuring Lil’ Wayne impacted digital download and radio waves this past spring. The song peaked at number 17 on the pop charts and number one on the R&B/Hip Hop Charts.
She proved with that single that she isn’t the little sister of the poor when it comes to dealing with her and Beyonce. That single had plenty of sex appeal, strong vocal performances, and former guest spot king Lil’Wayne for the crossover effect. Her album debuted at number three on the billboard 200, and although it fails in comparison sales wise with Beyonces’ 4 album, Kelly Rowland still proved she could make hits,. In fact, “Motivation” charted higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than every Beyonce single released from 4 besides “Best Thing I Never Had” (charted number 16.)
Kelly Rowland may never reach Beyonces’ fame and fortune, but she has a career of her own that she can be proud of. She’s a star in her own right, and hopefully much more success can come in her future.
Staff Writer; Brad Washington
