Destiny's Child

1990–1997: Early beginnings and Girl's Tyme

In 1990, Beyoncé met LaTavia Roberson while auditioning for an all-girl entertainment group. Based in Houston, Texas, they joined a group that performed rap and dance routines on the city's talent show circuit. Kelly Rowland, who lived in Beyoncé's house at the time, joined them in 1992. Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually reduced to six members, including Támar Davis and sisters Nikki and Nina Taylor. R&B producer Arne Frager flew to Houston to see the group and later brought them to the Record Plant in Northern California, focusing particularly on Beyoncé's vocals, because he believed she had strong personality and vocal ability. Hoping to secure the group a major record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them on Star Search, then the biggest talent show on national television. They lost the competition, because, in Beyoncé's opinion, they chose the wrong type of song—they were rapping instead of singing.

After the group's defeat, Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, began voluntarily managing them. He reduced the lineup to four members, removing Davis and the Taylor sisters, and adding LeToya Luckett in 1993. Aside from spending time at their church in Houston, Girl's Tyme practiced in their backyards and at Headliners Salon, owned by Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles. They tested routines in the salon—then located on Montrose Boulevard—sometimes even collecting tips from customers, who would also critique their performances. During the school year, the group performed at local events, and when summer arrived, Mathew set up a "boot camp" to train them in dance and vocal performance. After intensive preparation, they began opening for established R&B acts such as SWV, Dru Hill, and Immature. Tina designed the group's stage outfits. Over the early years of their career, Girl's Tyme went through several name changes, becoming Somethin' Fresh, Cliché, the Dolls, Borderline, and Destiny. Under the name Destiny, the group signed with Elektra Records, but they were dropped several months later before releasing an album.

The pursuit of a record deal placed strain on the Knowles family; in 1995, Mathew resigned from his job as a medical equipment salesman, cutting the family's income in half, and Beyoncé's parents temporarily separated due to the resulting pressure. In 1996, the group adopted the name Destiny's Child, based upon a passage in the Book of Isaiah. Mathew helped negotiate a record deal with Columbia Records at the urging of Columbia scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites, and the group signed with the label that same year. Before signing with Columbia, they had recorded several tracks in Oakland, California, produced by D'wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné!. Their major label debut song, "Killing Time", was selected for the soundtrack of the film Men in Black (1997).

1997–2000: The Writing's on the Wall and lineup changes

On October 27, 1997, Destiny's Child released their debut single, titled "No, No, No". The song became their first major hit, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "No, No, No" preceded their debut studio album, Destiny's Child, which was released on February 17, 1998. The album is an R&B and neo soul set, and its production was handled by a range of producers, including Wiggins, Jermaine Dupri, Wyclef Jean, and Corey Rooney. Destiny's Child peaked at number sixty-seven on the Billboard 200 and number fourteen on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's second single, "With Me", failed to replicate the success of "No, No, No". Beyoncé considered Destiny's Child successful, but not huge, claiming that it was "too mature" for the group at the time.

In 1998, the group's single "Get on the Bus" was included in the soundtrack of the romantic drama Why Do Fools Fall in Love, and they later made a guest appearance in an episode of the sitcom Smart Guy. For their second studio album, Destiny's Child sought to transition from the neo-soul-influenced sound of their debut, enlisting an almost entirely different array of collaborators, including Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Missy Elliott, Rodney Jerkins, and LaShawn Daniels. The lead single, "Bills, Bills, Bills", was released on May 31, 1999, and became Destiny's Child's first song to peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The resulting album, The Writing's on the Wall, was released in the US on July 27, 1999, to critical acclaim.

In December 1999, Luckett and Roberson attempted to split from Mathew, alleging that he kept a disproportionate share of the group's profits and unfairly favored Beyoncé and Rowland. Although they did not intend to leave the group, they discovered that two new members had been added when the video for "Say My Name", the third single from The Writing's on the Wall, premiered in February 2000. Before the video aired, Beyoncé announced on TRL that Luckett and Roberson had left the group. They were replaced by Michelle Williams—formerly a backup singer for Monica—and Farrah Franklin, an aspiring singer and actress. After working with Monica, Williams was introduced to Destiny's Child by a choreographer friend and was flown to Houston, where she stayed with the Knowles family.

On March 21, 2000, Roberson and Luckett filed a lawsuit against Mathew Knowles and their former bandmates, alleging breach of partnership and fiduciary duties. Five months after joining, Franklin left Destiny's Child. The remaining members stated that her departure was due to missed promotional appearances and concerts, and Williams later said that Franklin struggled with the stress. Franklin explained that she left because of the negativity surrounding the group's internal conflict and her lack of influence in decision-making. Toward the end of 2000, Roberson and Luckett dropped the portion of their lawsuit targeting Beyoncé and Rowland in exchange for a settlement, though they continued legal action against Mathew.

As part of the agreement, both parties were prohibited from speaking publicly about one another. Roberson and Luckett went on to form another girl group, but they eventually left that project. The heightened publicity largely fueled Destiny's Child's success, helping them become a major pop-culture phenomenon. In 2000, "Say My Name" spent three consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and the fourth single, "Jumpin', Jumpin'", peaked at number three. The Writing's on the Wall went on to sell over eight million copies in the US, earning an eightfold platinum certification from the RIAA. Worldwide, it has since sold over 13 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling R&B albums of all time. The album spurred their career and introducing them to a wider audience. Around this time, Destiny's Child also joined Britney Spears as a special guest on one date of her (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour and was the opening act for Christina Aguilera in Concert.

2000–2003: Survivor, subsequent releases, hiatus, and solo projects

At the 2001 Billboard Music Awards, Destiny's Child won several accolades, including Artist of the Year and Duo/Group of the Year. At the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, the group won two awards for "Say My Name": Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song. "Independent Women Part I" was released on August 29, 2000, as both the lead single and theme song for the soundtrack to the film Charlie's Angels (2000). It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks—from November 2000 to January 2001—becoming Destiny's Child's longest-running number one. "Independent Women Part I" was included on the group's third studio album, titled Survivor.

Beyoncé took on a larger creative role on Survivor, co-producing and co-writing nearly the entire album. In the US, Survivor was released on May 1, 2001, to generally positive reviews. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 663,000 copies in its first week. The lead single, "Survivor", preceded the album's release by three months and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. "Bootylicious", the second single from the album, spent two weeks atop the chart. "Survivor" was interpreted by some as a commentary on the group's internal turmoil, though Beyoncé denied that it targeted any former members. Roberson and Luckett nevertheless viewed the song as violating the parties' non-disparagement agreement and filed another lawsuit against Destiny's Child and Sony Music shortly after the release of This Is the Remix (2002). All remaining litigation was settled in June 2002. By 2004, Survivor had sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Destiny's Child canceled a planned European tour and performed at the Concert for New York City, a benefit concert for survivors. On October 30, 2001, the group released the holiday album 8 Days of Christmas, featuring both versions of several traditional Christmas songs as well as original songs. In late 2000, Destiny's Child announced a hiatus to allow each member to pursue individual projects, including solo albums. In 2002, Williams released her debut solo album, Heart to Yours, a contemporary gospel set that topped the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. Rowland collaborated with Nelly on "Dilemma", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won the two a Grammy Award. That year, Beyoncé co-starred with Mike Myers in the box-office success Austin Powers in Goldmember and recorded her first solo single, "Work It Out", for the film's soundtrack. Rowland's debut solo album, Simply Deep, was released in September 2002, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart.