Michelle Williams

Tenitra Michelle Williams was born on July 23rd, 1980 in Rockford, Illinois and raised in a Christian family, Williams first began singing in her church's choir. She later sang in a musical group called United Harmony - first an octet, then a quintet and finally a quartet - with her sister Cameron. After attending Rockford Auburn High School and being a part of the C.A.P.A (Creative And Performing Arts) program there, she pursued a degree in Criminal justice at Illinois State University. After two years of school, she decided she wasn't sure of her career aspirations, and through a joke with a friend who was a musician for the singer Monica, Michelle Williams gained a spot as a Background singer on tour. She met Kelly and Beyoncé in the lobby of an Atlanta hotel. Months later Beyoncé asked an acquaintance if he knew anyone who could sing for a possible spot with the group DC, and the person referred her to Michelle. It was then that she gained the opportunity to become apart of what was soon to become the global phenomenon, Destiny's Child.

After much-publicized turmoil Williams officially joined the group in February 2000, replacing LeToya Luckett. The first video she appeared in alongside co-founding members Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland and fellow new member Farrah Franklin (who replaced LaTavia Roberson) was Say My Name, shot just a few days after she joined the group. Subsequent events saw the new quartet reduced to a trio when Franklin too left the group after just five months. As a part of the trio, Williams tasted her first success with the group when their song Independent Women, from the Charlie’s Angels Soundtrack, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart for eleven weeks. Following the success of Independent Women, Williams and Destiny’s Child released the group’s third studio album Survivor which also went to number one, and three more Top Ten hits - Survivor, Bootylicious and Emotion -, including another Hot 100 number one single -Bootylicious - ensued. Having now become a trans-Atlantic and global phenomenon with Survivor sales of around eight million worldwide and their first World Tour behind them, the group released remix and Christmas-themed albums - This Is The Remix and 8 Days of Christmas - towards the end of 2001. At the end of the year Destiny’s Child announced they would take a temporary break to follow individual solo endeavours.

In 2002 Williams began to pursue her solo career and became the first member of Destiny’s Child to release a solo studio album. Her debut album, the Gospel effort Heart to Yours, was released on April 16th and entered the Billboard Gospel Chart at number one, eventually becoming the biggest-selling Gospel album of 2002. It reached #57 on the Billboard 200 Chart. The album boasted collaborations with several prominent Gospel acts including Mary Mary and Shirley Caesar, and was the first time fans had the opportunity to fully appreciate Williams vocal abilities outside of Destiny’s Child. A video for the album’s first and only single, Heard A Word, was also made. To date the album has sold 480,000 copies in the US.

Following the release and promotion of Heart To Yours, in 2003 Williams made her acting debut after gaining the starring role in the hit Broadway musical, Aida, replacing R&B singer Toni Braxton. She was the first and remains the only Destiny’s Child member to have acted on Broadway.

During the release of her fellow Destiny’s Child members’ debut albums - Kelly Rowland’s Simply Deep (2002/2003) and Beyoncé Knowles’ Dangerously in Love (2003) - Williams spent time in the studio recording the tracks for her sophomore album. Following the success of her debut, Williams released her second album, Do You Know, on January 26th 2004. The album did not perform as well as her debut, reaching only #120 on the Billboard 200 Chart, but did reach number two on the Hot Christian Contemporary Album Chart and number three on the Billboard Gospel Chart. It has sold 78,000 copies in the US to date. The album’s first and only single, also entitled Do You Know, was released and performed by Williams during the promotion campaign of the album. Do You Know explored different sounds from the debut album, with more R&B-tinged beats and a step up in Williams‘ vocal ability. The album was later re-released to find greater success but did not re-chart. Its lesser performance of may have been due to the increasing criticism of Williams by some Christian groups, including Sean Okundaye, who were against the fact that she was both a solo artist partaking in Gospel music, and an R&B artist performing songs such as Bootylicious.

Destiny Fulfilled (2004)Three years after the success of Survivor, achieving individual success in films, on Broadway, endorsements and with solo albums, the three women of Destiny’s Child reunited with a new album, Destiny Fulfilled. A worldwide concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled… and Lovin' It Tour, went to sixteen countries and over seventy-five cities worldwide, starting in Hiroshima, Japan on April 9, 2005, and ending in Vancouver, Canada; stops included Australia, Europe, and the U.S. and Canada. "Lose My Breath", the album’s first single, produced by Rodney Jerkins, became the group’s ninth Top 10 Hot 100 hit. The album saw the trio shift to a harder, "urban" sound and was released on November 15, 2004. The album also saw greater equality in the trio, with each member contributing to writing on all tracks on the album, as well as becoming executive producers aside Matthew Knowles. This was also evident in the photography, as Beyoncé no longer assumed the central position- this was now occupied by Williams and Rowland, who are the central figure on the cover of Destiny Fulfilled, as well as a lot of the accompanying photography and posters promoting the album. Destiny Fulfilled was one of the best selling albums of 2005, selling over 10 million copies worldwide, and pushed the group back into the position of the best-selling female group and American group of the year.

The album Nominated at five categories at 2005 and 2004 Grammy awards,all single of the album did not only passed the charts because all of the singles from the destiny's fullfilled album get a acchievements and awards.

Former Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland has hinted a reunion may be in the group’s future. Referring to her former band members, Beyonce and Michelle Williams, she says, “We listen to each other’s songs and offer constructive criticism. We went our separate ways because we’re getting older and have different personal goals. But we might get back together one day. For now, we’re giving each other space.” Beyonce also stated "It would be a great thing for us but we are all enjoying great success as solo acts. I think it would be wrong for us to promise a return but also wrong for us to deny there will be one."

In late 2005, Williams signed a deal to endorse and appear in commercials for The Gap’s “What’s Your Favourite?” campaign , where she appeared alongside other musical stars including Joss Stone, John Legend and Alanis Morissette. During the campaign she released a minor video-clip linked with the endorsement - her cover version of Al Green's soul classic Let's Stay Together.

In February 2006, Williams made her on-screen debut on the popular UPN comedy Half & Half, where she played the role of Naomi, a record company executive who is HIV positive. She appeared in three recurring episodes, giving Williams the acting bug – much like her fellow Destiny's Child members – after having such a great experience on set. Her performance was greatly received by fans of Destiny’s Child. Later in the year, in August of 2006, Williams appeared as one of the celebrity singers on the FOX reality television show Celebrity Duets. She sang "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)" with Alfonso Ribeiro and one of her group’s biggest hits, Say My Name, with Jai Rodriguez.

Beginning in April 2007, Williams joined the cast of the hit Broadway musical 'The Color Purple' for its national tour, starting with an extended run at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Williams played the part of Shug Avery, a sexy singer, and appeared alongside La Toya London - an American Idol finalist - and members of the original Broadway cast, Felicia P. Fields and Jeannette Bayardelle. The reviews for Williams were all positive.

In March 2008 Music World Entertainment/Columbia revealed via Billboard.com that Williams will be releasing her 3rd studio album, Unexpected, on August 12, 2008. The album, confirmed to have 10 tracks.

“…pop and dance record…a clear move away from Gospel-leaning direction of 2004’s Do You Know…and will boast productions from Stargate, Rico Love, The Heavyweights, Wayne Wilkins, Andrew Frampton and SoulShock & Karl.”

The album’s first single, We Break the Dawn, will precede the album and received its first airing on People.com on 31st March 2008. It is expected that the album’s second single will be the Stargate-produced Stop This Car. It is also said that the song "Until the End of the World" will appear on the Sex and the City: The Movie soundtrack.

Philanthropy and Trivia

In 2001, Williams gave $100,000 to her church, St. Paul Church of God in Christ in Rockford, Illinois to finish construction of the church's school, St. Paul Academy. The church is pastored by her uncle, Bishop James E. Washington.

Songwriting legend David Foster, Amy Foster-Gillies and Beyoncé Knowles wrote Destiny's Child's last single "Stand Up For Love" for World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Over the past three years, more than $50 million has been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations.

Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 program. In this role, Knowles, Rowland and Williams visited Ronald McDonald Houses around the world during their Destiny Fulfilled...and Lovin' It World Tour and donated a portion of their North American ticket sales to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

On September 19, 2006, Williams jumpstarted the Chicago PepsiCo S.M.A.R.T. program to promote active, healthy lifestyles by building a new Smart Spot playground on Chicago's South Side.

Williams, along with friend Lance Bass, was on hand to sing to and greet kids at the opening of Camp Heartland, a camp dedicated to helping kids suffering from HIV/AIDS enjoy life and take their mind off their illness.

In 2006 the Chicago Sky, a team in the Women's National Basketball Association, announced that Williams is part of a group of minority shareholder owners in the team. Her manager, Mathew Knowles, is also a part-owner of the Sky

Discography
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