Kelly Rowland has always been considered one of the Knowles clan members.
Not only do Beyonce and Solange refer to her as their sister, but Beyonce’s mom, Tina Knowles, has also called Kelly her daughter on a number of different occasions.
But how did she get to be such an inseparable part of their family?
Kelly Rowland’s Childhood
According to Biography, Kelly had a pretty tough childhood.
Her mother, Doris Rowland, reportedly suffered DV at the hands of her father.
So, she eventually took Kelly away to start a new life in Houston, Texas.
It was there that Kelly met someone who would become one of the most important people in her life – Beyonce.
The girls got close super fast and bonded over their love of performing.
Kelly spent a lot of time over at the Knowles house.
According to reports, Kelly’s biological mom thought that the best thing for her daughter would be to live with Beyonce and her family.
So, Tina and her husband Mathew reportedly got legal guardianship of Kelly when she was just a young girl.
Tragic Passing Of Kelly Rowland’s Mother
A report by Essence revealed that Doris sadly passed away after suffering a heart attack in 2020.
She was just 66 years old.
The tragedy happened just a couple weeks after Kelly had given birth to her firstborn, Titan Jewell Weatherspoon.
In a statement she shared with Essence, Kelly wrote this about her mother: “She was an incredible soul who made countless sacrifices so that I could become the woman—and now mother—I am today.”
In 2006, the outlet published a letter she’d written to Doris on Mother’s Day.
In it, Kelly confessed that it was because of her mom’s strength and sacrifice that she was able to dream big.
And some people believe that one of the sacrifices that her mom made for her could’ve been giving her up and asking another family to take care of her.
Solange Speaks Out About Adoption And Kelly Rowland
MTV reported that when Solange was once asked about her thoughts on adoption, she shared that she thought that it was a beautiful thing.
She went on to add that Kelly had grown up with her and Beyonce, and that she moved in when she was just a little girl, so they had a sort of blended family.
Solange said: “I’ve only ever looked at her as a sister. I think adoption is a beautiful thing.”
Tina Knowles Speaks Out About Kelly Rowland
One of Kelly’s biggest cheerleaders is Tina, who has referred to her as her child over and over again when talking to the press.
In a 2024 interview with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on the TODAY show, Tina said that she was proud of her girls, including Kelly, who she revealed came to live with them when she was 11.
She called the Destiny’s Child star her other baby.
A report by Buzzfeed commented on how Tina also referred to Kelly as her daughter back in 2015, in a Mother’s Day letter published by Time magazine.
She began by declaring that she gave birth to two daughters, but that she had 4 incredible daughters – Beyonce, Solange, Kelly, and her niece, Angie.
At one point in the letter, she started writing directly to Kelly.
Tina told her that she knew without a doubt that she was a true gift from God.
Once again, she talked about how she came to live with them when she was only 11 years old.
And she described Kelly as being the sweetest, kindest person she had ever met.
Continuing to praise her third daughter, Tina went on to say that Kelly was also a true survivor who never gave up, adding that her discipline and drive always inspired her.
She wrote: “You make me want to take better care of my body and constantly motivate me to exercise and take time for myself.”
She finished by complementing Kelly’s listening skills and calling her ‘a loyal friend to many.’
Kelly Gets Parenting Advice From Tina Knowles
It’s obvious that Kelly and Tina still have a very close relationship.
The singer reportedly even turns to her 2nd mom for parenting advice.
An article by PEOPLE revealed that when Kelly went on The Jennifer Hudson Show in 2022, she shared a story about how Tina got real with her about her parenting skills.
She said that she’d taken her son to go see The Curse of Bridge Hollow, the comedy horror movie she starred in, when he was just 7 years old.
She claimed that since she was going to be sat next to him in the movie theatre, she didn’t think that there’d be any problems.
But at one point in the movie, her character was ‘about to go to the other side,’ which scared Titan and made him call out- “Mommy!”
He then started to cry because he thought that it could be real.
When Kelly brought up what had happened with Tina, she got a direct opinion on her parenting decision.
Tina asked her why she would even show him the movie.
She said: “It’s Halloween, baby, you don’t do that.”
Kelly admitted that she missed the mark.
How Tina Knowles Helped Kelly Rowland And Beyonce Become Famous
But Beyonce’s mom has always been there for her children, including Kelly.
When her girls showed an interest in becoming performers, she and Mathew encouraged them, and they reportedly made many sacrifices to help them get famous.
Encyclopedia wrote about how Tina and her husband helped them start their first girl group, named Girl’s Tyme.
They became contestants on the reality competition show Star Search, and Tina showed her love and support by being in charge of the girls’ hair and outfits.
The group would even perform for Tina’s clients at her hair salon, according to US Weekly.
When the girl group found more success and eventually turned into Destiny’s Child, a name that Tina herself came up with, the matriarch found a way to always be there for them.
Tina Knowles Serves As Mentor To Kelly And Beyonce
Because her girls’ rise to stardom happened so quickly, Tina claimed that she felt determined to guide them as they navigated the highs and lows of fame.
In an interview with Glamour, she shared that very early on, she started doing the girls’ hair to earn her keep, so that she could travel with them.
This was because she wanted to protect them, not because she wanted to go and be on planes every day, because there was nothing glamorous about it.
Tina explained that the industry could chew an artist up and spit them out.
She said: “I was determined that there were not going to be certain elements around them and that they weren’t going to get eaten up by that.”
At one point, she told the outlet that she counted Kelly as her bonus daughter.
Tina also spoke about the pride she felt that her 3 daughters had remained so disciplined throughout their careers, and that they didn’t let fame go to their heads.
She revealed that there were so many proud moments, but she was the most proud when they did something which was artful that they loved, but that also had a positive impact on the world.
She explained that after a while, she’d gotten kind of used to the big moments, but those kinds of moments were really different.
Later in the interview, Tina added that she was proud to say that she could see the things that she taught them, like to treat people well and not get stuck on themselves.
She made sure to share that she was most proud when they were good people.
Kelly Rowland Grateful For Family And Village
Tina’s message about the importance of taking care of your family clearly rubbed off on Kelly.
While speaking to FORBES, Kelly also talked about how much she valued family.
The outlet referred to her relationship with the other Destiny’s Child members as a sisterhood.
When talking about raising her 2 kids in an interview with PARENTS, Kelly said that she was grateful for her village, and that her sisters from Destiny’s Child were a great part of her village.
She refers to her ex-bandmates as her sisters to this day and publicly supports them and their work.
Recently, the three women reunited when Kelly and Beyonce went to support Michelle Williams on the opening night of her Broadway show.
According to PEOPLE, Tina joined them for the special occasion.
Under a post that Beyonce shared of her and her Destiny’s Child pals backstage, Michelle commented: “My Sisters 4ever!“
