The only thing for certain is that few people know for certain whether or not Destiny’s Child will reunite during the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday in New Orleans. There have been both hints and denials of a potential performance from different parties involved, but recent interviews suggest the chances are high that the “Bootylicious” trio will take the stage together again during Beyoncé Knowles’ solo show.
“I can’t really give you any details, I’m sorry!” Knowles said when questioned about the reunion at her press conference Thursday, reports Yahoo! News.
She added, “We did a new song, and it was so exciting hearing us together again. I dropped on the floor like a teenager again when I heard us harmonize. It’s always such a pleasure to be around them professionally and personally.”
The rumors began spinning in January when insider sources broke the news to Us Weekly, stating Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams would join Knowles for “a short medley of the group’s hits, culminating in a brand-new song, “Nuclear,” their first original material in more than eight years.” Williams was later questioned on the matter, first shying away from the idea by commenting she’d been too busy rehearsing for her performance in the Broadway play Fela! to do a reunion, then later dismissing reports further.
“I hate to disappoint the people, and tell them that it’s not true,” Williams said.
And yet this week, Fela! posted a note on its website stating that Williams “will not be appearing January 31st – February 3rd” in the production, an absence conveniently coinciding with the NFL Championship.
Either way, fans have been thrilled by the news, and the appearance would offer significant promotional value to their new album Love Songs. It was released January 29th, and is a compilation comprised of mostly older material recorded from 1997-2004. The record provides a reminder of the bold, sensational formula that made Destiny’s Child and other girl groups a hit back in the late 90’s and early 00’s, and something that hasn’t been successfully replicated since.
“Great girl groups exist now, look at King for example; the labels need to go back to hiring record people not lawyers or accountants, and some of the great female talent will get more light,” Paul Stewart, a music executive recently ranked by Complex as one of the 25 best hip hop A&Rs in history, tells theGrio. “I totally blame a lack of talent on the A&R label side as to why no big girl groups are currently happening. [You need] great songs and pretty people – not much has changed. These idiots that run the labels just think girl groups aren’t hot.”
Destiny’s Child formed in 1990, achieving commercial fame years later with the release of their now eight-time platinum-selling second album, The Writing’s on the Wall, in 1999. They followed it with their third album, Survivor, in 2001, which went quadruple platinum and continued their hot streak. Nevertheless, they disbanded in 2002 only to briefly unite again in 2004. To date, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
But of course Destiny’s Child wasn’t the first of its kind. Rather the trio succeeded a long line of talented girl groups that stepped out during that era. The 90’s saw the rise of R&B collectives like SWV, 702, Xscape, TLC, En Vogue, and Jade. They were a crazy, sexy, cool amalgamation of pop, soul, R&B and even gospel-tinged singers, telling the story of female camaraderie, heartbreak and independence. And they were racking up accolades as well. During its run, TLC accumulated 10 top ten singles, four number one singles and four multi-platinum albums, for instance. They won four Grammy Awards and were nominated for 10 others.
Though the momentum behind girl groups stayed high until the early 00’s, it soon took a notable fall. Following the official end of Destiny’s Child in 2004, few groups have come around who can fill their sparkling heels.
“The earlier groups like SWV and En Vogue still had more of a connection to the truly great American soul/R&B movement of the 60’s and 70’s,” Stewart comments. “The late groups like Destiny’s Child and Xscape were more influenced by more current pop sounds. I would say all these groups were successful due to good songwriting and a marketable image – sexy women out front. It will come back; music trends always cycle.”
Stewart adds, however, that the alleged reunion of Destiny’s Child will likely be for but a moment.
“Their time is over,” he says. “We need newer, fresher groups.”
Regardless, the rumored event this weekend has fans, DJs and journalists buzzing with all kinds of speculation, creating top ten lists and throwback photo spreads from the girl group days of yore. Vulture reminisces about “the good ol’ days, when harmonies went from four part to three, outfits matched perfectly without being identical (shout-out to Tina Knowles!), and Kelly Rowland rocked a pixie cut,” in its list of Destiny’s Child’s 25 greatest songs. Meanwhile a reported set list from the girl’s Super Bowl act has also been circulating.
“Beyoncé’s reunion with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child at the Super Bowl is almost — if not more — anticipated than the big game itself,” notes PopCrush writer Jessica Sager.
Will it be “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Survivor,” or straight Beyoncé? The truth will soon be revealed.
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @courtgarcia