2001: Destiny’s Child, Suvivor
By Chris Shields
“I always say this is the birth of Beyoncé. She didn’t need [the writers] there to hold her hand.”
Cory Rooney, American record producer & co-writer/producer of “Independent Women, Pt. 1”
I have a confession to make: I haven’t always been a card-carrying member of the Beyhive. I know. I’m ashamed. Ultimately, this admission highlights my own flaws and shortcomings rather than any of Beyoncé’s.
Of course, I recognized Beyoncé’s talent. How could I not? For the entirety of my (almost) three decades on this earth, Beyoncé has been a major figure in pop culture and THE premier musical act of her generation, regardless of genre. No one even comes close. If I’m not convincing enough, my family owned a barbershop copy or two of Carmen: A Hip Hopera – you can’t say that I’m your average hater! The talent and star quality was apparent from the very beginning, dating back to when Girls Tyme, the first iteration of what would become Destiny’s Child, performed for the first time on a national stage. Later on, Beyoncé seamlessly transitioned from chart-topping group leader to solo superstar with her first album, Dangerously in Love. But even with the critical success, accolades and generational talent, I wasn’t fully bought in.
For one, Beyoncé stans are a difficult bunch to wrap one’s arms around. The lack of critical analysis and the bullying of “rival” artists or naysayers (hello, Keri Hilson!) rubbed me the wrong way. Beyoncé could do no wrong in their eyes. Instead of directing my blame at the fans and the larger toxicity of stan culture that we’ve seen grow exponentially with social media, I took it out on Bey, which manifested in other, unfair critiques. Sure, I would play the hell out of “Me, Myself, and I” and “Flaws and All,” but her image was too manufactured and she’d reached a level of pop stardom that made her inaccessible. Even Lemonade and Jay-Z’s companion 4:44, albums meant to pull back the curtain on the marriage between our couple goal faves, felt like a perfectly-executed rollout. I enjoyed the music without always loving the artist. That all changed in 2019.
Beyoncé’s Netflix documentary Homecoming represents the zenith of her career, a culmination of all the experience she accumulated over her 24 years in the music business. Homecoming documents her 2018 Coachella festival performance, weaving the masterfully produced show with behind-the-scenes footage and the words of Toni Morrison, Nina Simone, W.E.B. DuBois, Audre Lorde and many more. Not only was the actual performance impressive – the choreography, the unbelievable singing performance, the ode to and celebration of HBCUs, *chef’s kiss* – Beyoncé takes it further by writing, directing, and executive producing the documentary. She expertly crafted EVERY. SINGLE. DECISION. made in both the performance and doc. Early during the audition scenes, Beyoncé expresses the desire to have an all-black orchestra on stage with her. Halfway through the film I said aloud, “I get it now.” By the time the credits rolled, I buzzed in complete satisfaction.
Homecoming encapsulated the level of control Beyoncé has over every aspect of her career, a skill she began cultivating with Destiny’s Child. Survivor, the group’s third studio album, marked a pivotal crossroads in their history. Their future was in a bit of flux after the departures of LaTavia Roberson, an original member of Girls Tyme/Destiny’s Child, and LeToya Luckett. With Matthew Knowles at the group’s managerial helm and Tina Knowles right beside him, there was no doubt that Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland would continue to be mainstays. But how they would survive the exodus of Luckett and Roberson, and the brief stint of Farrah Franklin, remained to be seen.
The newest addition to Destiny’s Child, Michelle Williams, stepped into the hot seat created by the group drama and immediately made an impact, answering all doubters with “Independent Women, Pt. 1” for the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack. Williams and her signature raspy voice, alongside Beyoncé, delivered the song’s chorus. “Independent Women, Pt. 1,” the lead single for the film’s soundtrack, held the top spot on Billboard’s US Top 100 list for eleven consecutive weeks, and shortly after its release, transitioned from “rhythmic” and “urban” radio to “contemporary pop” stations. The success of the soundtrack single catapulted the new-and-improved Destiny’s Child back into the studio to make their third (and simultaneously, first) album.
In Destiny's Child’s two previous studio albums, the eponymous Destiny’s Child and The Writing's on the Wall, Beyoncé showed a steady progression in her ability to write and produce for the group. She is credited with writing two songs in the first album and writing all but four in the second. Bey also either produced or co-produced eight other songs on Writing’s. With Survivor, she set out to take full control of the creative process, producing every song and writing all but one. To me, the standouts of the album aren’t the strong first three radio-friendly hits, “Independent Women Pt. 1,” “Survivor,” and “Bootylicious.” I prefer the upbeat and melodic “Happy Face,” and the one-two punch of love songs in “Brown Eyes” and “Dangerously in Love” towards the latter half of the album. “Dangerously in Love,” in particular, showcases Beyoncé’s raw singing ability over a simple guitar melody and percussion. Many of the records feel like Destiny’s Child songs in name only, with Kelly and Michelle taking a back seat to Bey as largely background vocalists. She had long ago stood out as Destiny’s Child‘s main attraction, but through songs like these, Beyoncé set a clear blueprint for future success as a solo artist.
Survivor went on to reach 4x platinum status with four top-10 hits – “Independent Pt. 1,” “Survivor,” “Bootylicious,” and “Emotion.” The album’s titular track quickly turned from a song airing out grievances against the former group members into a rallying cry in the post-September 11th environment. They overcame any fallout from the LaTavia, LeToya, and Farrah drama to become household names around the world.
Destiny’s Child followed the album with their promised break and foray into each member’s solo careers. Michelle was first up, releasing a gospel album that received critical acclaim. Kelly struck gold with her hit single duet with Nelly, “Dilemma,” that preceded her album release. But once again, Beyoncé stole the show: She remixed “Dangerously in Love” for her debut solo album with the same name and gave us a long list of timeless classics (the aforementioned “Me, Myself, and I,” “Crazy in Love,” “Baby Boy,” “Naughty Girl,” “Yes,” “Speechless,” and I could keep going). Again putting her singing, writing, and producing chops on display, she all but guaranteed DC-3 would not last too much longer.
20 some years later, Beyoncé is still finding new ways to impress me. Less than a month after the release of her seventh solo studio album, Renaissance, several songs play on a loop in my head. This go round Beyoncé took heavy inspiration from ballroom culture, creating music so good that it literally made a man take his gun out of his waistband so he could vogue and death drop to one of the album’s standout tracks, “Alien Superstar.” Even when Diane Warren questioned how Renaissance can possibly have 24 songwriters, real ones knew that no matter how many people are listed in the liner notes, Beyoncé has her fingerprints on every aspect of her music. This Beyoncé that we know and love today, a legend with a career rivaling only someone like Michael Jackson, exists because she took the first step of a long, creative journey with Survivor. I recognize this now; I just hope the Hive can forgive me for the error of my ways.
Chris Shields is a lover of music, film, food, and basketball. He lives in Washington, D.C. Earlier this year he produced a podcast on DC’s role in the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement protests. You can find him on Twitter @atribeclldchris.