Reggae Music News

Kelly Rowland goes on quest to discover superstar girl group in upcoming BET series

By Jonathan Landrum Jr.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

ATLANTA _ If fans are anticipating a Destiny’s Child reunion album, Kelly Rowland says don’t expect one anytime soon.

These days, Rowland is focused on recording solo music and filming a documentary series called “Chasing Destiny,” which premieres on BET in April. She completed a three-city quest in New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles with veteran choreographer Frank Gatson _ who serves as Beyonce and Rowland’s creative director _ auditioning talent in hopes of finding the next superstar girl group.

“I don’t care where they are, where they live, where they’re from, their background _ I just want to make sure that I have girls in the group who are not afraid to work, who are excited about a great opportunity, who have goals and think, and breathe, and sleep music,” Rowland said in an interview last week.

The Grammy winner said she wants to create a girl group for this generation of music fans. The pop charts currently include Fifth Harmony, who had a major hit this year with “Worth It,” and British group Little Mix, who won “The X Factor” in 2011 and released their third album last month.

But Rowland believes there’s room for more.

“When Destiny’s Child was around I remember there was Xscape, there was SWV, there was En Vogue, there was the Cheetah Girls,” she said. “There were all these different types of groups, and these different types of girls groups, and there’s just one (now) _ you’re kidding me? Like, get out of here. It should definitely be more.”

Rowland said she and Gatson aren’t sure how many girls will be selected for the group. Gatson said he already held two secret audition sessions in New Orleans and New York without Rowland, in hopes of finding more candidates. More than 70 prospects auditioned for them in each city.

“We have to search under every rock,” said Gaston, who groomed Destiny’s Child and also choreographed routines for Michael Jackson and Jennifer Lopez. “There has to be another Michael Jackson out there. There has to be another Supremes.”

Until they find their group, Rowland said she’s enjoying the process as she reminisces about her time with Destiny’s Child. The group was one of the bestselling female groups of all-time, releasing platinum-plus albums and multiple hits, from “Say My Name” to “Bootylicious” to “Survivor.”

Rowland said her “heart beats so fast” thinking about those times with Beyonce and Michelle Williams.

“It takes me back to those days when we were grinding and being moulded,” said Rowland, who will release a solo album next year. “I think this is the most beautiful moments. The fun part is getting to know these girls (and) being able to share my stories.”

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Online:

http://www.bet.com

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Follow Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31. His work can be found at
http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jonathan-landrum-jr

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