DANCE KELLY ROWLAND DANCE

Interview with Papermag


The former Destiny’s Child member on her upcoming album, nude beaches and being a nerd.


By Alex Catarinella


If anyone is allowed to be a diva it’s Kelly Rowland, one third of what many consider the most successful all-female groups of all time, Destiny’s Child. But Rowland, now a solo artist with an eponymous, dance-heavy forthcoming album boasting production by David Guetta and Dr. Luke, is an unassuming, poised woman who isn’t fazed by the “bullshit that comes with the territory.” The video for first single “Commander,” which features Rowland rocking superhero-esque looks as she belts out soaring vocals, is further proof that she’s no longer the cute teenage girl sharing a chorus. But this isn’t the new-and-improved Kelly Rowland. Over the phone in Paris, the 29-year-old told PAPERMAG that this is simply Kelly Rowland being Kelly Rowland — a self-professed Intervention-watching nerd with dreams of frolicking on the beach naked, and who considers moments on the tour bus with “the girls” to be more special than winning a Grammy.

Now that’s our kind of superstar.



A lot of artists are moving toward a futuristic, dance-heavy sound. Why were you influenced to go this direction?


I spent about a year of my life in Europe really listening to a whole bunch of Europeans DJs and hearing dance music a lot on the radio and really loving it. But I didn’t really think that I would do a dance record until l went out in the South of France and David Guetta was spinning at a club. Listening to him was just crazy. I heard the track “When Love Takes Over” and I asked if I could take it to London to write lyrics to it. And so we wrote “When Love Takes Over” and it was my first introduction to dance music. Then I went to Europe to promote the record with David and it was a whole other monster. It’s really a culture and I love it….