Destined to be great

VINOD ADVANI

Just a year ago, they were virtual nobodies. Singing their special brand of rhythm and blues in a country, brimming with fierce competition. Singing their hearts out. Hoping one day their place in the sun will be found. Well, they've found it. And how!

Today, Destiny's Child - DC to their fans - is the biggest teen girl-group in the U. S. A combination of naivete and southern sass has seen the Texan girls clock up six million sales of their second album. Is it coincidence or prophecy that the album's called The Writing's On The Wall? The album has given birth to four huge hit singles including 'Say My Name' and ,at one point ,was selling over 70,000 copies every week. With Grammy nominations and all kinds of music awards decorating their shelves, DC - is in the Prada and Gucci league.

These children's destiny started in a Houston suburb. By an ambitious man called Mathew Knowles. Who just knew his darling daughter Beyonce (pronounced Bay-onsay) would be a mega star, like Whitney Houston. In came schoolmate Kelly Rowland. And later La Toya Luckett and Le Tavia Robertson.

The group jetted round the country playing talent showcases in an effort to get a record deal. They would dedicate every summer vacation to the group, rehearsing five hours a day. They would watch archive tapes of The Supremes, analysing the Motown stars' every move. A vocal coach moved into their back apartment and, instead of paying rent, gave the group voice lessons.

Dad left his job selling medical equipment and dedicated himself to Destiny's Child. Mom took time away from her Houston hair salon to become the girls' stylist and personal assistant. In 1995, now aged 13, they were signed to Elektra by Sylvia Rhone, the woman behind En Vogue. They had a short-lived production deal and then they got dropped, "We thought the world was at an end," sighs Beyonce. But it wasn't and Columbia signed them within the month. DC spent the next two years recording their self-titled debut. The stand-out track No, No, No, was cut with Fugees impressario Wyclef Jean. Through him, DC arrived at their trademark staccato, rhythmic style almost by accident.

"We were in the studio one night with Wyclef, all really tired. I sang a melody to the fast music track, for a joke and Wyclef said, That's hot! Do it like that," recalls Beyonce. At first she refused, saying she sounded like a chipmunk. Eventually she agreed to try. The girls recorded the song in 57 minutes, and came up with a Number 1 R&B hit. "That's how the whole fast- singing, rhythmic thing started," says Knowles. "Then we went right into recording the next album." The follow-up, The Writing's On The Wall, was banged out in two months.

They were about to shoot the video for Say My Name, which was to be their biggest hit so far, when LeToya and Le Tavia sent a letter to the DC office firing Matthew Knowles as manager. This came after months of internal tension within the group. Beyonce chooses her words carefully.

"We tried everything. Counselling with our church, our youth pastor. Rotating rooms. But it was two and two. Our vision of the group was different from theirs." The other two, it seems, wanted DC to be more "street" and less Christian. They complained about money, but Knowles insists that everything was split 25 per cent. After protracted negotiation, the two girls left the group.

"It was a stressful time for Kelly and me," says Knowles. "We were very depressed and hurt." The remaining two soldiered on, prayed hard, and found a new member - Michelle Williams, a former backing singer.

Since then Le Toya and Le Tavia have apparently been "dissin"' the band in the press. The remaining two have kept quiet. But now Kelly, tall with cropped hair and a feisty attitude, lets rip.

"They were very negative and jealous. Am I right? I don't sound mean, do I? I'm just tellin' the truth," she says, while Bayonce's mother Tina, a friendly, mumsy woman with a smart blouse and a pierced eyebrow adds: "They didn't have the ability."

And since then, they've carried on with just the three of them. Reviews have been good, sales are still high, and the only thing they have to worry about now is their image. Girl groups are routinely required to "up" the foxy factor, and the devout DC found itself treading a line between the sensual and sexually explicit. When they squeeze into today's costumes (racy rock'n'roll motorcycle chic), there is consternation over Williams's cleavage. The ever-inventive Tina Knowles has customised three black leather corsets, covering them with rhinestones to give them a bit of dazzle.

Michelle doesn't mind because it's all part of God's plan. "He's here with us now. It's weird how he shows up," she says softly. "He's a friend. Sometimes you gotta sit and listen. That guy can respond to you." Faith or destiny?

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