LaTavia Roberson

In the 1980s, before joining Destiny's Child, Roberson was a child model, appearing in commercials such as Soft and Beautiful's Just for Me Hair Care relaxer for kids.

When LaTavia was eight years old, she auditioned to be a rapper and dancer in a local girl group and was one of many girls selected.

She met Beyoncé Knowles at this audition, and the two became best friends.

Singing and dancing with other young girls, LaTavia and Beyoncé made a video for a song called "One Time" which almost led to them becoming a duo.

LaTavia then met Kelly Rowland in elementary school; she was in the third grade while Rowland was in the fourth grade.

After hearing Rowland sing, LaTavia told her to try out for the group, which she did.

Initially, due to her duties as a rapper and dancer, LaTavia did not sing; subsequently, she had vocal lessons and began singing at local events.

LaTavia got her break when she entered the singing competition TV show Star Search, alongside Beyoncé, Kelly, Tamar Davis and LaTavia's cousins Nikki and Nina Taylor.

The group, then named Girl's Tyme, were heartbroken after losing the competition to Skeleton Crew.

Beyonce's father Mathew Knowles began managing the group and changed the line-up, reducing it to a quartet, consisting of LaTavia, Beyoncé, Kelly, and Beyoncé's elementary school friend LeToya Luckett.

The group also underwent several name changes: The Dolls, Something Fresh, Cliché, and Destiny.

LaTavia Marie Roberson (born November 1, 1981) is an American R&B singer.

Roberson was born on November 1, 1981, in Houston, Texas, to Cheryl Lastrap and Terry Roberson.

She rose to fame in the late 1990s as an original member of the R&B group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

During her time as a member, Roberson recorded two studio albums, sold over 25 million records and won two Grammy Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards.

Following her departure from the group, Roberson briefly formed the girl group Anjel, which also included former Destiny's Child member LeToya Luckett.

Roberson has starred in various stage plays including Those Jeans, How to Love, and Not My Family.

In 1995, they signed to Elektra Records, but were later dropped from the label.

D'wayne Wiggins soon began working on music with the group, briefly signing them to Grass Roots Entertainment.

The Wiggins produced song "Killing Time" was included on the Men in Black soundtrack.

After plenty of training to become prepared and ready for the music industry, they were signed by Columbia Records in 1997 under the name, Destiny's Child with Knowles as lead vocalist, Rowland as second-lead vocalist, and Roberson and Luckett as background vocalists.

Roberson was the alto, adding the low notes, and Luckett was the soprano, adding the high notes to the group's harmony.

Roberson was also designated as the group's spokesperson.

In early 1998, Destiny's Child released their self-titled debut album Destiny's Child.

The singles were "No, No, No" featuring Wyclef Jean and "With Me".

Roberson can be heard rapping in the song "Illusions".

Later in 1998, their song "Get on the Bus" featuring Timbaland (which was released as a single in Europe) was included on the Why Do Fools Fall in Love soundtrack.

In 1999, Destiny's Child released their second album The Writing's on the Wall.

It became one of the biggest selling albums released by a female group and was certified eight-times platinum in the U.S. The album includes four hit singles, "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Bug a Boo", "Say My Name", and "Jumpin', Jumpin'".

LaTavia also gained co-writing contribution more on this album than their first.

Roberson performed lead on two songs: "Sweet Sixteen" and "Where'd You Go".

Additionally, she sang lead on the song "Can't Help Myself" which was only released on the album's Houston Edition.

In late 1999, during the success of The Writing's on the Wall, Roberson and Luckett attempted to bring in a third-party mediator to work with their manager Mathew Knowles; however, they soon found themselves on the outs with Knowles.

When the "Say My Name" video debuted in February 2000, the pair learned they'd been replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin, which led to several lawsuits with the outcome of Roberson and Luckett being entitled to royalty checks from the previous albums they had made with the group.

While in Destiny's Child, LaTavia appeared in music videos for artists such as Jagged Edge.

Roberson performed with the group in live shows, toured as an opening act on TLC's FanMail Tour, and won awards such as Soul Train Music Awards.

She also acted in TV shows such as Smart Guy and the movie Beverly Hood alongside the other members.

Following the break-up, Roberson and Luckett won two Grammys for their contribution to Destiny Child's "Say My Name".

After that, they formed a group called Anjel with two other girls, Naty Quinones and Tiffany Beaudoin.

In 2014, she became a main cast-member for R&B Divas: Atlanta alongside singers such as Angie Stone, Keke Wyatt and long-time friend Meelah of 702.