50 facts about Kelly Rowland, singer, songwriter and former member of Destiny's Child

Get to know Kelly Rowland better with these 50 things from her life and career.

1. Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality.

2. Kelly Rowland rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

3. During their hiatus, Rowland released her debut solo album Simply Deep (2002), which sold 2.5 million copies worldwide and produced the number-one single "Dilemma" with Nelly, as well as the international top-ten hit "Stole".

4. Kelly Rowland also transitioned into acting, with guest appearances in television sitcoms, and starring roles in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2004).

5. Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, she released her second album Ms. Kelly (2007), which included international hits "Like This" and "Work".

6. In 2009, Rowland served as a host on the first season of The Fashion Show, and was featured on David Guetta's number-one dance hit "When Love Takes Over".

7. The song's global success influenced Rowland to explore dance music on her third album Here I Am (2011), which spawned the international top-ten hit "Commander" and US R&B/Hip-Hop number-one "Motivation".

8. In 2011, she returned to television as a judge on the eighth season of The X Factor UK, and in 2013, became a judge on the third and final season of The X Factor US.

9. Rowland's fourth album Talk a Good Game (2013), which saw a return to her "R&B roots", was released to positive reviews.

10. Throughout a career spanning 18 years, Rowland has sold over 27 million records as a solo artist and 60 million records with Destiny's Child.

11. Her work has earned her several awards and nominations, including four Grammy Awards, a Billboard Music Award and a Soul Train Music Award.

12. Kelly Rowland has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny's Child, and as a solo artist she has been honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Essence for her contributions to music.

13. In 2014, Fuse ranked Rowland in their "100 Most Award-Winning Artists" list at number 20.

14. Kelendria Trene Rowland was born on February 11, 1981, in Atlanta, Georgia.

15. She is the daughter of Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett.

16. She has an older brother named Orlando.

17. When she was seven, her mother took her and left her father, who was an abusive alcoholic.

18. At the age of eight, she relocated to Houston.

19. Kelly Rowland was placed into a girl group, along with Beyoncé and friend LaTavia Roberson.

20. Originally named Girl's Tyme in 1992, they were eventually cut down to six members.

21. West coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew to Houston to see them and eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studio, in Northern California.

22. As part of efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at that time. They participated, but lost the competition.

23. To manage the group, Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father, resigned in 1995 from his job as a medical-equipment salesman. He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. At this time Rowland moved in with the Knowleses.

24. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.

25. Rehearsing in Tina Knowles' hairstyling salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time.

26. They auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later, before they could release an album.

27. Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1993.

28. In 2002, Rowland was featured on Nelly's single "Dilemma", which won the pair a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The song became one of the most successful singles of the year, topping many charts worldwide including the United States, where it became Rowland's first number-one single as a solo artist, selling worldwide over 7,6 million copies.

29. Rowland's debut solo album, Simply Deep, was released on October 22, 2002 in the US. Featuring production contributions by Mark J. Feist, Big Bert, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles providing background vocals, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which Rowland described as a "weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock."

30. Kelly Rowland transitioned into acting in 2002, playing the recurring role of Carly in the fourth season of UPN sitcom The Hughleys.

31. Kelly Rowland continued her acting career the following year, with guest roles in UPN sitcom Eve as Cleo, and in NBC drama series American Dreams as Martha Reeves.

32. In August 2003, Rowland made her big screen debut playing the supporting role of Kia Waterson alongside Robert Englund and Monica Keena in the slasher film, Freddy vs. Jason, which grossed $114.5 million at the box office worldwide.

33. On March 28, 2006, Destiny's Child accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

34. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Rowland and Beyoncé founded the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up to provide transitional housing for victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area.

35. The Survivor Foundation extended the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.

36. Rowland and Beyoncé lent their voices to a collaboration with Kitten Sera, entitled "All That I'm Lookin for". The song appeared on The Katrina CD album, whose proceeds went to the Recording Artists for Hope organization

37. In 2006, Rowland joined other artists such as Pink and Avril Lavigne in ads for so-called empowerment tags for the ALDO Fights AIDS campaign, which went on sale exclusively at ALDO stores and benefited the YouthAIDS initiative.

38. Kelly Rowland returned to television that same year, playing Tammy Hamilton, in the sixth season of UPN sitcom Girlfriends.

39. In 2007, Rowland, along with stars such as Jessica Simpson and the cast of Grey's Anatomy autographed pink Goody Ouchless brushes that were made available for auction on eBay, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Awareness.

40. In addition, the singer teamed up with Kanye West, Nelly Furtado and Snoop Dogg to design a Nike sneaker for another eBay auction. All proceeds went to AIDS Awareness.

41. Kelly Rowland appeared as a choirmaster in the first season of the NBC talent show Clash of the Choirs among other musicians such as Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, and Blake Shelton. Rowland's choir finished fifth in the competition, and Clash of the Choirs did not return for a second season.

42. In 2008, Rowland officially became ambassador for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation, which aims to reduce stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS.

43. Kelly Rowland visited projects in Tanzania and Kenya to promote the charity, and underwent an HIV test in Africa to raise awareness around the disease.

44. In 2009, Rowland connected with Serve.MTV.com, MTV's platform to connect young people with local volunteerism opportunities, for a series of on-air PSAs.

45. From battling homelessness to beautifying impoverished neighborhoods to saving whales, Rowland was joined by the likes of Cameron Diaz, will.i.am, and Sean Kingston as they discuss causes they volunteer to support, and urge young people to join with their friends in making civic service a part of their lifestyle.

46. Kelly Rowland began dating American football player Roy Williams in 2004 and they became engaged later that year, however, the couple called off their engagement in January 2005, two months prior to the planned wedding ceremony in March.

47. Rowland and her manager Tim Weatherspoon reportedly began dating in 2011. She announced her engagement to Weatherspoon during an appearance on The Queen Latifah Show on December 16, 2013.

48. They were married in Costa Rica on May 9, 2014, with guests including Beyoncé and her sister Solange Knowles.

49. On June 10, 2014, Rowland announced via Instagram that she and Weatherspoon were expecting their first child.

50. On November 4, 2014, Rowland gave birth to a son named Titan Jewell Weatherspoon.

Source: Wikipedia.org