Destiny's Child (album)

Destiny's Child is the debut studio album by American R&B group of the same name, released by Ruffhouse, Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on February 17, 1998. It features the singles "No, No, No" and "With Me", both of which preceded the album. "Killing Time" was also featured in "Men in Black: The Album" and released as a promotional single in 1997. Prior to release, the album was set to be called "Bridges".^[5] The album spent twenty six weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart and peaked at number sixty-seven. To date the album has sold a total of 831,000 copies in America. In the United Kingdom, it reached the top fifty, peaking at number forty-five. It was re-packaged and re-released in several countries after the success of the follow-up album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999). The album was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, including AllMusic and Rolling Stone, and won a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year.

Destiny's Child
Studio album by Destiny's Child
Released	February 17, 1998 (1998-02-17)
Recorded	1996–1997[1]
Studio	House Of Music (Oakland, California) Pajama Recording Studios (Oakland, California) Digital Services (Houston, Texas) Krosswire (Atlanta, Georgia) LaCoCo (Atlanta, Georgia) Live Oak Studios (Berkeley, California) Chung King Studios (New York City) Patchwerk (Atlanta, Georgia) The Hit Factory (New York City) Castle Oaks Studio (Calabasas, California) Manhattan Ave Studio (Topanga, California)
Genre	Neo soul[2][3] R&B[3]
Length	56:09
Label	Columbia Ruffhouse Music World
Producer	Mathew Knowles (exec.) Tim & Bob Sylvia Bennett-Smith Jerry Duplessis Jermaine Dupri Rob Fusari Che Greene Vincent Herbert Wyclef Jean KLC Jay Lincoln Mark Morales O'Dell Cory Rooney Terry T Craig B Carl Washington D'Wayne Wiggins
Destiny's Child chronology
Destiny's Child (1998) The Writing's on the Wall (1999)
Singles from Destiny's Child
"No, No, No" Released: October 27, 1997[4] "With Me" Released: January 20, 1998

Singles

"Killing Time" was the first release of the album, it was featured on the Men In Black film and its accompanying soundtrack, from which it was released as a promotional single for, in 1997.

The first official single of the album was "No, No, No" in October 1997, where both Part 1 and Part 2 were released on the radio. It hit the top ten in 5 countries, and it hit #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Music videos were made for both versions of the song, both directed by Darren Grant.

"With Me" followed as the second single in 1998 as a moderate success, hitting the top 20 in Netherlands and the United Kingdom. A radio-only single in the US, it was not eligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but it hit the top 40 in some component charts. A music video for Part I was created, also directed by Darren Grant.

As the last release of the album, "Illusion" was released as a promotional single. Remixes by Maurice Joshua were commissioned for this release, where the group re-recorded their vocals exclusively for these remixes.

Commercial performance

Destiny's Child was a moderate chart success. It debuted at number sixty-nine on the US Billboard 200 during the week of March 7, 1998.^[6] The album reached it peak at number sixty-seven in its fifth week and spent a total of 26 weeks on the chart.^[7] On the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart the album peaked at number fourteen.^[8] In July 1998, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) , and later earned a platinum certification on July 11, 2000, for 1 million shipped units.^[9] Internationally the album album achieved greater success; it reached number twenty-nine on the Canadian Albums Chart, number thirty on the Dutch MegaCharts albums chart and number forty-five on the UK Albums Chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[11]
Music Week	[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[13]

John Bush of the website AllMusic felt that "Destiny's Child isn't quite just another debut album from an R&B girl group [...] Their voices sound beautiful together. Still, much of the album sounds indistinguishable from all the other female groups out there."^[10] The Rolling Stone Album Guide gave the album a mixed review.^[13]

Legacy

While not a massive commercial success, the album has been retrospectively regarded as "a solid introduction to their twin strengths of sweeping ballads and tight harmonies."^[14][15] Jon O'Brien of Billboard recognized "No, No, No" as "one of the top-tier uptempos in Destiny’s Child’s catalog", further remarking that "[h]ad the rest of their debut album reached the same heights, their world domination would no doubt have come a little sooner."^[16]

In 2022, Destiny's Child member Beyoncé recreated and interpolated their 1998 harmonies from opening track "Second Nature" on a duet version of "Make Me Say It Again, Girl" with original sampled act The Isley Brothers,^{[citation needed]} peaking at number nine on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, twenty on the US Hot R&B Songs chart, and number one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart, remaining on the chart for 37 weeks.^[17]

In a 2023 article celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the album release on the Recording Academy website, writer Sope Soetan remarked that the album "generally [held] up well... despite its middling commercial success."^[18] However, when discussing the overall impact of the album, he lauded the project as "an artifact of the elements central to Destiny's Child's musical persona: The syncopated, rapid vocal style that Beyoncé innovated on "No, No, No Pt 2," and lyrical themes of romantic equity, mutual respect, self-confidence and autonomy, [which] would govern the band's career-defining hits and influence many of their contemporaries."^[18]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes^[19]

Destiny's Child – Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Second Nature"	Marvin Isley Ronald Isley Rudolph Isley Ernie Isley O'Kelly Isley Chris Jasper Terry T Kymberli Armstrong	Dwayne Wiggins Terry T[a] Jay Lincoln[a]	5:09
2.	"No, No, No Part 2" (featuring Wyclef Jean)	Mary Brown Rob Fusari Vincent Herbert Calvin Gaines Barry White	Wyclef Jerry Duplessis[a] Che Greene[a]	3:27
3.	"With Me Part I" (featuring Jermaine Dupri)	Master P Jermaine Dupri Manuel Seal	Dupri Seal[a]	3:26
4.	"Tell Me"	Bob Robinson Tim Kelley	Robinson Kelley	4:48
5.	"Bridges"	Michelle Hailey Wiggins Al Green	Wiggins	4:02
6.	"No, No, No Part 1"	Brown Herbert Fusari Gaines	Herbert Fusari	4:07
7.	"With Me Part II" (featuring Master P)	Beyoncé Knowles Kelly Rowland LaTavia Roberson LeToya Luckett Dupri Master P Seal	Craig Bazile KLC Odell	4:14
8.	"Show Me the Way"	Darcy Aldridge Carl Breeding Jeffrey Bowden	Carl Washington	4:19
9.	"Killing Time"	Wiggins Taura Stinson	Wiggins	5:09
10.	"Illusion" (featuring Wyclef Jean & Pras)	Isaac Hayes Tony Swain Steve Jolley Ashley Ingram Leslie John	Jean Pras[a] Duplessis[a]	3:52
11.	"Birthday"	Knowles Rowland Roberson Wiggins	Wiggins	5:15
12.	"Sail On"	Lionel Richie	Mark Morales Cory Rooney	4:04
13.	"My Time Has Come" (dedicated to Andretta Tillman)	Reed Vertelney Sylvia Bennett-Smith	Bennett-Smith	4:25
Total length:				56:09

Destiny's Child – International edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Know That"	Rachel Oden Andre Robinson	Father Shaheed	4:24
Total length:				60:33

Destiny's Child – Japanese edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Amazing Grace"	John Newton	2:39
Total length:			65:15

Destiny's Child – 2001 European reissue edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"You're the Only One"	Wiggins Stinson	Mark Wilson Herbert Gaines Fusari[a]	3:23
16.	"No, No, No" (Camdino Soul extended remix)	Brown Herbert Fusari Gaines	Wyclef Katt[b] Jazzie[b]	6:34
17.	"DubiLLusions" (dub mix of "Illusions")	Hayes Swain Jolley Ingram John	Maurice Joshua	7:33
Total length:				78:03

Destiny's Child – US enhanced edition (bonus video)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Video Interviews with the Group and Each Member"

Notes

• ^{^a} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^b} signifies an additional producer
• Some copies of the album credit no writers for "Illusion".^[19]
• A pre-release promotional version of the album was issued in 1997, when it was still called "Bridges", with a different tracklist. It included songs "Show Me" and "Never Had A Love" and omitted tracks "No, No, No Part 2", "Illusion" and "Sail On". "You're The Only One", a bonus track in the European 2001 reissue of the album, was also present in this version. Additionally, "No, No, No Part 1" was simply titled "No, No, No".^[20]

Sample Credits

• "Second Nature" contains replayed elements from "Make Me Say It Again, Girl (Part 1 & 2)", performed by the Isley Brothers, written by Marvin Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Ernie Isley and O'Kelly Isley.
• "No, No, No Part 2" contains elements from "Strange Games & Things", performed and written by Barry White.
• "With Me Parts I & II" contain a sample of "Freak Hoes", performed by TRU, written by Master P.
• "Bridges" contains replayed elements from "Simply Beautiful", performed and written by Al Green.

Personnel

Credits are taken from Destiny's Child liner notes.^[21]

• Mark Morales – producer
• Bill Ortiz – trumpet
• Darin Prindle – mixing
• Warren Riker – engineer, mixing
• Bob Robinson – arranger, producer, multi instruments
• Tim Kelley – arranger, producer, multi instruments
• Carl Washington – producer
• Carl Wheeler – keyboards
• D'Wayne Wiggins – bass, producer, guitar, multi instruments
• Benjamin Wright – arranger, conductor
• Eric Fischer – engineer
• Jay Lincoln – drums, producer, mixing, keyboards
• James Hoover – engineer
• Erwin Gorostiza – art direction, design
• Wyclef Jean – producer, performer
• Rawle Gittens – engineer
• Vince Lars – saxophone
• Cory Rooney – programming, producer, mixing
• Craig B – producer, mixing
• KLC – producer
• Sylvia Bennett-Smith – arranger, producer
• Jerry Duplessis – producer
• Joey Swails – engineer, mixing
• Ian Dalsemer – assistant engineer
• Rob Fusari – producer
• Anthony Papa Michael – acoustic guitar
• Beyoncé Knowles – lead vocals, background vocals
• LeToya Luckett – background vocals
• LaTavia Roberson – background vocals, rap vocals on "Illusion"
• Kelly Rowland – lead vocals, background vocals
• Lee Neal – drums
• O'Dell – producer
• Mathew Knowles – executive producer
• Tina Knowles – hair stylist
• Storm Jefferson – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
• Mean Green – production coordination
• Che Greene – producer
• Darcy Aldridge – arranger
• Mike Arnold – engineer
• Charles Brackins – engineer
• Johnny Buick – make-up and hair stylist
• Kenny Demery – guitar
• Paul Empson – photography
• Eric Ferrell – make-up
• Pras – performer
• Debra Ginyard – stylist
• Mike Scott – mixing
• Booker T. Jones III – mixing
• Master P – performer
• Terry T – producer
• Bill McKinley – bass
• Paul Arnold – engineer
• Preston Crump – bass
• Jermaine Dupri – producer, performer
• Dale Everingham
• Steve Foreman – percussion
• David Frank – piano
• John Frye – engineer
• Kevin W. – second engineer
• Brian Gardner – mastering
• Jamie Hawkins – keyboards
• Vincent Herbert – producer
• Jon Jubu Smith – guitar
• Marc M2E Smith – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Destiny's Child Chart (1998) Peak position Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] 29 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 30 UK Albums (OCC)[24] 45 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[25] 6 US Billboard 200[7] 67 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 14

Year-end charts 1998 year-end chart performance for Destiny's Child Chart (1998) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[26] 93 2001 year-end chart performance for Destiny's Child Chart (2001) Position Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[27] 146

Certifications

Certifications for Destiny's Child

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28]	2× Platinum	200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[30]	Platinum	847,000[31]
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Destiny's Child

Region	Date	Edition(s)	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	February 17, 1998	Standard	CD	Columbia Records	[32]
Japan	March 1, 1998			Sony Music Japan	[33]
United Kingdom	March 2, 1998		CD Mini-Cassette vinyl	Columbia Records	[34]

References

1. https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-facts-new-records-history
2. St. Asaph, Katherine (June 18, 2017). "Destiny's Child: The Writing's on the Wall". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023. The result was something of a baby neo-soul album that even Beyoncé admitted was an awkward fit for the then-teens
3. Soetan, Sope (February 16, 2023). "Destiny's Child's Debut Album At 25: How A Neo-Soul Album From Teens Spawned R&B Legends". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023. Yet its "grown and sexy" attitude and neo-soul arrangements weren't an initial hit......The ballad-heavy and traditional R&B style present on Destiny's Child was considered adult-oriented.
4. "ADDvance Notice" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 27, 1997. p. 51. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via World Radio History.
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21. Destiny's Child (CD liner). Destiny's Child. Epic Records. 1998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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