{"id":4133,"date":"2011-11-03T21:54:23","date_gmt":"2011-11-04T04:54:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=4133"},"modified":"2011-11-03T21:54:23","modified_gmt":"2011-11-04T04:54:23","slug":"kelly-rowland-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2011\/11\/kelly-rowland-2\/","title":{"rendered":"KELLY ROWLAND"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>KELLY ROWLAND<\/h2>\n

From Destiny\u2019s Child to full-fledged solo star, here she is<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although She is inevitably\u00a0overshadowed by media darling and former bandmate Beyonc\u00e9 since the breakup of R&B powerhouse Destiny\u2019s Child, Kelly Rowland has been quietly and surely building an estimable career all her own. Worldwide sales of Rowland\u2019s first two solo albums are approaching 4 million total, and her latest, Here I Am<\/em>, looks primed to continue that success. Since 2002, when she memorably sang the hook on rapper Nelly\u2019s chart-topping smash \u201cDilemma,\u201d she has become a staple on R&B radio and racked up a list of awards that includes three Grammys.<\/p>\n

All this on top of her contributions to her former trio, which she helped found alongside Beyonc\u00e9 as teenagers in the 1990s (third member Michelle Williams joined in 2000). Destiny\u2019s Child eventually sold more than\u00a017 million albums in the U.S. alone,\u00a0becoming one of pop music\u2019s biggest acts for almost a decade before amicably splitting in 2006 to pursue their separate paths.<\/p>\n

But now Rowland\u2019s focus is rightfully on Here I Am<\/em>. The new album reflects more than ever her own increasingly eclectic musical tastes, including a taste for techno\u2014in fact, she plans to release a \u201cmore uptempo, dance-y\u201d version of the album for the European market, where she\u2019ll also be acting as a judge this season on the popular TV talent competition The X Factor<\/em>. Recorded over three years with big-name producers and songwriters like Rico Love, Tricky Stewart, Rodney Jerkins and RedOne, Here I Am<\/em> has endured numerous delays to make its way to an eager audience. \u201cI wanted to make sure it was perfect,\u201d the Atlanta-born Rowland explains. \u201cDoing anything less wouldn\u2019t have been fair to myself as an artist, or to my fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did you pick the track listing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I went with my gut. I sat on a plane, during a six- or seven-hour trip, and listened to everything back to back and finalized the thing out of all my favorites. Then I sequenced them. Once the sequencing\u00a0was right I was done with the album and was able to turn it in. I made sure everything told a story from one track to the next, and that it all sounds fun and the songs seem right going into each other.<\/p>\n

Why save the more techno-style tracks for the end of the album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was just telling the story of the record. It made sense to me and to my fans. Everybody is like, \u201cYou take us through so many different emotions, and we get to have a party at the end.\u201d That\u2019s the best part. That\u2019s exactly what I wanted to do. That was the goal. Because I made an album with dance music and urban music, nobody is going to put me in a box. No matter where I am in the world, I\u2019m going to perform every song. It doesn\u2019t matter where I am, because I love them all, and it\u2019s a reflection of me.<\/p>\n

Did any favorites get dropped?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I did a song called \u201cGrown Woman\u201d with [producers] Stargate. I wish that one would have worked, but it didn\u2019t make it. It got leaked, and everyone heard it. [The song was eventually released as a stand-alone single.] A lot of the new songs that I recorded, fans hadn\u2019t heard. I wanted people to still have that element of surprise, because they deserve that.<\/p>\n

How do you pick producers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just about trying them out. Some producers I\u2019ve worked with forever, like Rodney. Some producers I\u2019ve only known in passing but then got a chance to go into the studio with them and organically create something, like I did with Rico. He challenged me the most. He would say, \u201cCome on, Kelly, you\u2019ve got to kill \u2019em this time!\u201d He was a great cheerleader.<\/p>\n

How else do they all differ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

All of the producers I worked with had some sort of atmosphere. I remember going into the studio with RedOne, and his whole crew was in there. They have the best energy. When the music starts playing, everyone is dancing. It\u2019s like a party. Everybody I worked with on this album loves music and is so happy and still has a passion for it. I love putting together the vocals and even playing around with production, which I did on \u201cKeep It Between Us.\u201d I was learning different things, calling up Chris [\u201cC4\u201d Umana], the producer, and saying, \u201cLet\u2019s try this right here.\u201d \u201cThis doesn\u2019t fit, can we try this out?\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s speed up the tempo,\u201d or, \u201cLet\u2019s do this,\u201d or \u201cLet\u2019s do that.\u201d That was really cool to tap into this time around.<\/p>\n

The single \u201cMotivation\u201d features Lil Wayne. How did that come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I collaborated with him with Destiny\u2019s Child [on \u201cSoldier,\u201d 2004]. I saw him at a Miami Heat game right after I recorded \u201cMotivation\u201d and told him about the record. He invited me to the studio to play the record. He heard it, and got on it. It was just that simple.\u00a0I love Wayne.<\/p>\n

Some of the tracks are a bit risqu\u00e9. <\/strong><\/p>\n

There was more of a sensual side that came out. That was about being in the studio and just trying it out, saying, \u201cOh my goodness, I\u2019m really comfortable singing this song. I\u2019m grown. I\u2019m 30. I can definitely sing those songs.\u201d My mom is like, \u201cGirl, you\u2019ve grown.\u201d That\u2019s always the first thing she says. She\u2019s proud of me, and that makes me most happy.<\/p>\n

Any advice for X Factor<\/em> hopefuls?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Definitely have thick skin, but also remain focused and keep your eye on your goal. So many people tend to get off course when the cameras are there. Never lose who you are. Just think, \u201cI\u2019m here to win,\u00a0period.\u201d It\u2019s a competition. It\u2019s just that\u00a0simple. It\u2019s important to remain focused\u00a0and have fun.<\/p>\n

Did you ever try talent shows? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Destiny\u2019s Child did, but we were called Girl\u2019s Tyme then. We tried out for\u00a0Star Search<\/em> and actually made it on the show [in 1992], and we lost against an older rock band. I remember it just completely broke our little hearts. We went back and revamped everything and got better.<\/p>\n

Is it important for you to be known as a solo artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That really is a great feeling. But it\u2019s also not such a bad feeling for people to say \u201cbiggest female group of all time.\u201d That\u2019s an amazing title as well. I\u2019m just so thankful I\u2019ve been here for 15 years and I\u2019m\u00a0still here, able to put out records and\u00a0able to have fans and gain fans as well.\u00a0I\u2019m so blessed. So when people bring up Destiny\u2019s Child, that\u2019s not something I run away from. That\u2019s\u00a0an accomplishment.<\/p>\n

Will you ever reunite? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I know it\u2019s going to happen, and I don\u2019t trip off of it. Me and B have known each other since we were 10. We spent so much of our lives\u00a0together. We\u2019re comfortable in our spaces as women, and we support each other.<\/p>\n

\u2013Kenneth Partridge<\/p>\n

\n

\u2018Destiny\u2019s Child is not something I run away from. We support\u00a0each other.\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KELLY ROWLAND From Destiny\u2019s Child to full-fledged solo star, here she is Although She is inevitably\u00a0overshadowed by media darling and former bandmate Beyonc\u00e9 since the breakup of R&B powerhouse Destiny\u2019s Child, Kelly Rowland has been quietly and surely building an estimable career all her own. Worldwide sales of Rowland\u2019s first two solo albums are approaching […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[2714,2717,2715,2682,2713,2721,2716,970,2720,2719,2718],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4133"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4135,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4133\/revisions\/4135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}