Kelly Rowland keeps getting better with time.
The performer has been in the spotlight for the majority of her life, entering the music scene when she was 12 years old as a member of Girls Tyme, which would eventually turn into one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
Now, the 38-year-old is managing a successful solo career while also being a devoted mom and wife.
We caught up with the music star to take a trip down memory lane to discover what lessons she’s learned on the road to fame. From losing “Star Search” to striking down stereotypes, find out what Rowland has to say.
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Believe in the people around you
Rowland got her start in music as a child when she joined a Houston-based girl group, then known as Girls Tyme, at 12 years old.
The six-person singing and rapping group, which was made up of Rowland, Beyoncé Knowles and four other singers, would eventually evolve into the hit trio, Destiny’s Child.
In 1992, Girls Tyme competed for fame on the highly watched “Star Search” to try to seal a record deal.
“This was such a fun time,” Rowland said of her time competing on the show.
Shockingly, the group lost to another band and she remembers crying when host Ed McMahon announced the winner.
“We didn’t give up because we believed in each other, we believed in ourselves. We had a team around us that believed in us,” she said.
As for the group’s neon performance wardrobe, Rowland is still a fan.
“I want that jacket so bad!”
Room for improvement doesn’t equal weakness
Rowland grew up very close to her mother, Doris Garrison, who raised her as a single parent after she became estranged from Rowland’s father.
“We’d gone to church and then we [went] to eat afterwards. We’d have the best time,” Rowland said of this photo of them together.
The singer says that her mother, who died in 2014, was a major source of inspiration for her as a child, and taught her the importance of natural beauty and embracing your weaknesses.
“I think that when you grow up, you start to learn about your strengths and … things you probably need to work on,” she said.
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Listen to your gut
By 2001, Rowland was a bonafide celebrity. Girls Tyme had evolved into Destiny’s Child, now comprised of Rowland, Knowles and Michelle Williams.
The women had just released the band’s third album, “Survivor,” which would go on to become certified platinum four times over. Around this time, they also won their first Grammy awards — for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for their single, “Say My Name.”
The group found out they won their first Grammy while they were in the car on the way to the ceremony, and were “just buzzing in the car from excitement,” Rowland remembers.
“It was just the best night of your life,” she exclaimed.
“I remember being so excited to wear my hair specifically like this,” Rowland said of her look at the time. “I felt really sassy with the red in and really confident.”
The trio was known for their fierce female anthems and their strong sense of style.
“In my days of Destiny’s Child, I had so much hair freedom. Whatever I wanted to do, I was able to do,” she said.
While the group always had coordinating outfits, Rowland always found a way to own her individuality.
“Trust your gut. I’m very smart,” she added.
Be adventurous
Beyond her career with Destiny’s Child, Rowland is also a successful solo artist, selling around 30 million albums and collaborating with major players in the music industry.
“How fun this hair was,” Rowland said about this photo of her performing “When Love Takes Over,” a single she had with David Guetta.
Although she said “Destiny’s Child laid the foundation to just start being free when it came to style,” the further Rowland got in her career, the more she began experimenting with different looks and hairstyles.
“I just continue to be adventurous and not box myself in when it came to style,” she said.
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You don’t have to have it all figured out
She may be a best-selling singer, but at the end of the day, Rowland is just like any other mom and wife trying to raise a family.
She calls 4-year-old Titan her “favorite person in the world” and admits that although she tries to put up a strong front, “I don’t have it all together.”
“The makeup and the hair and the good styling actually makes up for all of that, but I’m still figuring it out,” she said.
Rowland hopes to be a strong role model for her son, just as her mother was for her.
“It’s a parent’s job is to make sure that we instill good values and morals into our kids. Period,” she added.
You don’t have to succumb to stereotypes
Even at 38 years old, Rowland isn’t done growing and embracing her individuality.
Her newest single, “Crown” is a beauty anthem that encourages girls to stand up against stereotypes and embrace hair diversity.
Rowland hopes that she can show people that “they don’t have to succumb to hair beauty stereotypes so that they can allow themselves to shine.”
The singer partnered with Dove for the song, which was produced for the toiletry brand’s Love Your Hair campaign.
“The world would be so boring if we all looked alike,” she said.
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