Nelly Hit Forces Change In Plans For Destiny's Child LPs
Kelly Rowland disc moved up; Beyoncé album pushed back.
A "Dilemma" on the radio charts has forced the Destiny's Child camp to do some rescheduling.
Kelly Rowland's solo album, originally expected in early 2003, has been bumped up to September 24 due to the success of her recent Nelly collaboration, according to Destiny's Child manager Mathew Knowles.
"Dilemma" was not scheduled to be the second single from Nellyville, but radio station programmers fell for the track and began playing it anyway. The song was the greatest gainer on the latest Billboard Hot 100, jumping from #27 to #8.
The dilemma for Knowles was that his daughter Beyoncé's album was planned for an early October release, and he had planned to stagger the girls' solo projects (see "Independent Women Of Destiny's Child Coordinate Solo Projects").
So despite having her own single currently climbing the charts, the Neptunes-produced "Work It Out," Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love has been pushed back to December, her father said.
Beyoncé's single is already available — along with her "Hey Goldmember," an homage to Shirley Bassey's 1965 James Bond song, "Goldfinger" — on the soundtrack to "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (see "Dr. Evil, Dr. Dre Both Lend Remixes To 'Goldmember' Album"). Beyoncé also stars in the movie, which opens Friday.
Mathew described Rowland's as-yet-untitled project as "alternative R&B" and said she is recording with Destiny's Child's stable of producers, including Damon Elliott (Pink), Alonzo Jackson (Eve), Anthony Dent (Jay-Z) and Troy Johnson (Nappy Roots).
"Dilemma" will be Rowland's first single, and Mathew is meeting with Nelly's camp this week to discuss a video.
Solange, Mathew's other daughter, is also producing a track for Rowland's album, though neither she nor Rowland's groupmates will sing on it. Solange's debut album, Solo Star, was pushed back from early summer to early October. Her first single, "Feeling You," will drop in August, Mathew said.
Meanwhile, the third member of Destiny's Child and the first artist on Mathew's Music World Music label, Michelle Williams, just topped the Billboard gospel albums chart with her recently released Heart to Yours (see "Destiny's Child Solo Gospel Album Features 9/11 Tribute").
Beyoncé's "Work It Out" topped the Hot Dance/Club Play chart, and Mathew feels "Dilemma" is headed to #1 on the Hot 100. "We might have to call the next Destiny's Child album #1," he joked.
[This story was updated on 7.23.02 at 12:41 p.m. ET.]