Kelly Rowland & Beyonce: A Complicated Relationship

On this week’s episode of the ‘The Voice Australia’, Kelly Rowland, the former member of Destiny’s Child, detailed her experience climbing to the top, side by side with Beyonce. 

While mentoring contestant, Chris Sebastian, he opened up about constantly being compared to and feeling overshadowed by his older brother. 

“I know this feeling. Can you imagine what it’s like being in a group with Beyoncé?” she empathized, not bothering to sugarcoat the experience. “I would just torture myself in my head. Like, I can’t wear this dress because they’re going to say it’s like B. Or, I can’t have a song like that because it sounds too much like B. They’re gonna compare anyways.”

Now, just for some context, Kelly Rowland rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny’s Child, which can be credited for paving the way for a number of all-female bands, after. 

During the group’s two-year hiatus, Rowland launched her solo career with the release of ‘Simply Deep’ in 2002. The album received a lot of attention and even managed to sell a whopping  2.5 million copies worldwide. And yet, despite making a name for herself in the industry, Kelly Rowland was still bearing the weight of the constant judgements and comparisons to her counterpart, Beyonce.

“I would be lying if I said ‘No, it’s never bothered me.’ That’s bull,there was a whole decade, if I am being completely honest, a decade where it was like the elephant in the room. It was the thing that would constantly be on my shoulder,” Rowland said. 

Despite the difficulties she faced, Kelly Rowland has shown that she’s grown to be a multifaceted woman. One who’s not only blossomed as a musician but has also taken a successful dip into film, television and finally mentorship.

By: Nina Karun