Kelly Rowland opens up about living in Beyoncé’s shadow

Comparison is truly the thief of joy and it can keep you from fulfilling your life’s dreams. Kelly Rowland has borne witness to this and has managed to overcome these limiting thoughts and become a powerhouse.

While giving tips to a contestant on The Voice Australia, Rowland, a coach on the show, addressed an issue that has been with her since she left Destiny’s Child and sought to make a name for herself separate from the popular group.

“Can you imagine what it's like being in a group with Beyoncé?” she said. Adding that she would often feel like she couldn’t get creative with her craft because people would say it was like Beyoncé.

“I would just torture myself in my head,” the Coffee crooner confessed. “I can't wear this dress because they're going to say it's like Bey. Or, I can't have a song like that because it sounds too much like Bey.

“There was a whole decade, if I am being completely honest, a decade where it was like the elephant in the room. It was the thing that would constantly be on my shoulder."

Since Destiny’s Child officially called it quits in 2006, Kelly has taken on a number of ventures that have made her a powerhouse in her own right. The platinum-selling #girlboss has released four albums  "Simply Deep" (2002), "Ms. Kelly" (2007), "Here I Am" (2011), and "Talk a Good Game" (2013). 

The mother of one is also an author and entrepreneur.

You’d think that the pressure to live up to Beyonce would have made Rowland bitter but, the singer, who grew up with Queen Bey, has nothing but love and admiration for her cousin. 

In a 2019 interview with Marie Claire Australia, Rowland said, “I'm extremely proud of Bey and how real she is. I admire her passion and hard work. I'd be lying if I said I didn't look up to her as an artist; she has ignited fire inside so many women.”

(Photos: Instagram @kellyrowland)