One third of Destiny’s Child was pressed about her how her ego felt performing next to “brightest light on planet Earth,” Beyoncé. Rowland went on to admit while there were times she wrestled with it internally when she was younger, she’s now positive about her experience in the band.
On Wednesday, Rowland was appearing on radio show Hot 97, alongside actress Marsai Martin, to discuss their new Paramount+ movie Fantasy Football. During the wide-ranging discussion, Rowland was pressed at length about her colleague Beyoncé. Rowland’s response, and host Peter Rosenberg’s questions, have both been widely discussed online.
Rosenberg asked Rowland about “playing second” to Beyoncé, but Rowland stood her ground and reminded him about her own success in the process.
“Here’s the thing, light attracts light. I am light. So I am a beautiful brown shining light. So I don’t think anybody’s light dims anyone else’s. I think that when other people start to compare you, I think that’s when it shows how dim they are of themselves.”
Rowland continued: “So I don’t take somebody else trying to dim my light anymore for anybody else. I love Be, I know that she’s a light. But I know that I’m a light too.”
Rosenberg extended his line of questioning: “You could have rested on your laurels. Like, ‘hey I’m a part of an iconic group. My best friend’s the biggest star in the world, we’re awesome’.”
Rowland interrupted him: “Yes, and her best friend slash sister is one of the biggest stars in the world too. So it’s like, people only see things one sided. We both shine together.”
She went on to acknowledge that Beyoncé has opened doors for other women like her to shine, just as other women did for her before, and other groups did for Destiny’s Child. Rowland also added that now she herself is opening doors for “other brown girls.”
“Don’t be so limited. I feel like people who compare are limited in their minds. And they limit themselves and so do not do that to other people,” Rowland told Rosenberg.
The interview was 22 minutes long in total, with four of those minutes spent talking about Rowland and Beyoncé. Rosenberg asked one final question about performing next to her in Destiny’s Child. Rowland admitted there were times she struggled with her role, but she grew up and adjusted her mindset.
“It was a time where, you know, one is young, and you listen to the rest of the way the rest of the world thinks, and you might adopt some of that thinking. And I can definitely say yes, I adopted some of that thinking and then it had to take maturity, and being in my own space, loving my own space, and realizing my own power and what I bring to the table and if you don’t know what you bring to the table that you just [gonna flop],” Rowland said.
After the interview aired, #Kelly became a worldwide trending topic as people dissected her words.
“The whole asking Kelly Rowland about Beyoncé is absolutely old and I need journalists and hosts to really get a grip and start asking Kelly about Kelly!” Twitter user @ratedRIAN wrote, getting thousands of likes in the process. @IamKeithan agreed: “There is SO much that can be discussed with Kelly Rowland without mentioning Beyoncé. It’s so tiring at this point.”
Other’s online looked down on Rosenberg’s questioning. “Kelly called [Rosenberg] out to his face & he still didn’t get it,” @MrJeromeTrammel wrote in another tweet that got thousands of views. “Outside of Destiny’s Child, Thee Kelly Rowland is an international superstar, actress, author & businesswoman! She’s been in this industry 25+ years & in 2022 you’re still comparing?”
The questions about being “second fiddle to Beyoncé” were roundly criticized online, with others calling it “redundant” and “disrespectful.”
Rowland stars in the new Paramount+ original movie Fantasy Football. The family film will be available to watch from November 25, 2022.
