Destiny’s Child definitely made waves during their time together. However, with Beyonce being the lead singer of the group, her name would also become synonymous with that position for singing groups or “divas” altogether. “The Beyonce of the group” or “She thinks she Beyonce” can often-times be heard and would be attached with shady undertones. But Xscape member Kandi Burruss is not having that when it pertains to her group.
Xscape was a prevalent R&B group in the 1990s that consisted of members Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle (now Harris), and sisters Tamika Scott and LaTocha Scott. Their career spawned three RIAA-certified Platinum albums and a slew of hit singles, including their debut single “Just Kickin’ It,” which landed at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B charts.
Singer/Songwriter and reality star Kandi Burruss appeared as a guest on Raquel Harper’s podcast It’s Tricky with Raquel Harper. During their conversation, Burruss was asked the question as to who she would consider being the “Beyonce” of Xscape. According to the singer, their group was different than Destiny’s Child because “everybody in our group used to sing lead.”
“On all our hits, you know, it’s different people singing,” she said. “It’s not like it’s one person singing all the hits.” Kandi Burruss states that they chose not to look at the group as just one woman being the lead while everyone else would play background singing roles. “It’s not supposed to be about one person, basically.” And no matter how hard the host pressed for Kandi to respond to the question, she would only laugh it off.
Kandi Burruss would be correct because each group member held the lead singing role. For Destiny’s Child’s case, Beyonce definitely served as the lead, while Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams often did the second verse and bridges. Beyonce would also fill out many of the groups’ background vocals along with their adlibs. Eventually, Beyonce would go on to lead a highly successful solo career.
Destiny’s Child isn’t the only group to follow that mold. In the 60s, The Supremes were all of the rage. But what started as a sisterhood with Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross, each sharing equal lead vocals on songs, would soon turn into the setup of a solo megastar. After signing to Motown Records and becoming the apple of Berry Gordy’s eye, Diana Ross became the groups’ lead singer, and thus, the name changed to “Diana Ross and the Supremes.”
The Pussycat Dolls was another group that consisted of lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. The group was sometimes criticized for Scherzinger being the only one in the spotlight, while group member Melody Thornton swiftly became vocal about not sharing the lead spot. Many fans can recall a moment where the two had a subtle battle for the spotlight at the 2006 American Music Awards.
