Musician, Grammy Award-Winner, Songwriter, Actress, TV Host, Author, Mother, Wife
It was 1999, the year the classic album ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ made its debut to the world. I was a young girl, on the verge of entering high school — just starting to dabble into boys and relationships, but it was through this album that I, along with millions of other Millennial girls who were coming of age, connected with a body of work that represented the pages contained in our diaries, and ultimately the soundtracks of our lives (with Rowland as a writer on almost all of the songs on the album).
Much has changed since the release of that album, along with the lives of the child superstars destiny so beautifully wrote onto its walls of greatness. Fame, success, failure, love, heartbreak, doubt, being broke … you name it, Rowland in particular has experienced it all. While the faith of one of the group’s brightest stars had been tested during life’s ups and down, through it all, it’s been the one thing that’s kept her anchored along the way.
Growing up with deep roots in the southern Baptist church, Kelly Rowland recalls the first time she fell in love with music in a recent interview: “My first solo was in church. I sang, I Want to Walk and Talk with Jesus. I’ll never forget how it felt to stand on this chair … My gaze at the crowd was from right to left, and from left to right again, and there were church hats and people like, singing and dancing – like, I felt the essence of it. And I was like, “Oh yeah, I love this. I love singing.”
From singing solos at church in Atlanta, to exploding to superstardom via the singing group Destiny’s Child, faith remained at the core: “We were just on fire for God, period. And I truly believe that that’s why He just started opening up doors. We just trusted, in a way. We were just, like, unstoppable. And I felt this protection, I felt prepared. I felt ready.”
“We felt such a great responsibility. I felt like this is really what we are here for. You give people purpose through song, but then when you’re able to see them in a show and you see their lives are touched by things that you say, or something you’re singing, and it’s your personal faith and you’re able to share that with fans, that’s kind of remarkable.” The personal impact of that is, “when you feel like you’re at the right place at the right time, you know that His plan is bigger than the records, awards and everything else.”
But with peaks and valleys of life, concurrent with the star’s pressures from the industry and the reoccurring comparison of mega superstar Beyonce, she explained, “I was constantly wondering why am I here. I would always ask God, ‘Why do I have to go through this part? Why is it so painful? Why is it so stressful? Why can’t I sleep at night? Why is there a lack of peace, and why is there one thing coming after another?’ I was in a really dark spot. I didn’t like the place where I was … It just felt like for a second I was going to drown.” Once my best friend asked me “Has ever left you?” I said, “No”. She said, “Have you ever suffered?” I said, “No”. She said, “You’re fine. I promise you, you’re going to get through this. You will have another hurdle and you will ask God where He is – and he’ll be right there. So it’s okay.”
As part of her faith journey, the “Coffee” singer, actress, and reality TV show coach also learned to put her faith in God when it came to her finances. In an interview with Mosaic Church lead pastor, Erwin McManus, she tells a story of faith, planting seeds and experiencing the favor of God: “And, I will never forget having this moment where I called my best friend, and I said, “I just don’t know what to do.” And I told her all these different things that I was going through… and she has the gift of discernment, she was like, “When was the last time you gave, Kelly?” I said, “I don’t know, but I can’t afford to give right now.” And she said, “You have to.” She said “The very next check that you get, I need you to give.”
“Literally, the following week , things just started to happen. Just good things … and it wasn’t even necessarily financial. It was like, “Oh, that’s already been taken care of, you’re okay”. Or, “A check just came in from something that you did 10 years ago”. It was just certain small things, or just grace. I was like, “there’s something to this”. So I kept going.
The beauty also opened up on how she trusted God when it came to finding love. “It was nice to have conversations about God and faith and Scripture with Tim … His grandfather was a pastor, his father was a pastor, so I was just like, “This is perfect!” I was so excited… Tim just had this very solid, honest and pure place where he talked about God. It was incredible to be able to have this really great bond with him.”
When asked about the legacy she intends to leave behind, I imagine the life of the Proverbs 31 woman seemed to have served as a deep sense of inspiration. Rowland said she hopes to be “known as a woman with a good heart, to make her children proud and to be remembered as a a virtuous woman.”
If you’re new to watching Kelly, and hearing her speak in interviews, you’ll soon see that that there is something special and genuine about her. She truly is proof that you glow different when God is at the helm of who you are. Keep smiling, being a light and inspiring us all to keep the faith, Kelly #GTIAMuse
A RECAP OF HER STYLE: I’d like to describe her style as ‘Kelly Kool’ offering a blend of 90s style, yet feminine fused with casual chic. A physically active mom, she shows off her tone physique in a range of bold style choices #GTIAWoman
Click through, and take a look at some of her best style moments:
p.s. Watch Kelly’s full interview on Hillsong Channel’s Now With Natalie where she talks about finding her purpose, along with the personal costs she’s had to endure for fame.
IG: @kellyrowland
Talk to you soon,
Alana
founder, God Thinks I Am