Recording artist and member of the iconic group Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland, is on the hunt for the world’s next big musical act. She is teaming up with choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. for a new show dedicated to creating and developing a dynamic new girl group.
“Frank and I have been on a quest forever to find another group,” Rowland told rolling out during an interview. “There’s been a shortage of them and guy groups too. So we’re crossing our fingers that the audience like the show and they would want us back for another season and another group.”
The duo is combing the nation to find female artists who can work together under the tutelage of Rowland with a little help from her celebrity friends. They’ve traveled to New York, L.A. and Atlanta to find talent. The show, premiering on BET network in 2016, is more a documentary than reality TV. “We have to be very tedious and look up under rocks and our work is cut out for us when it comes to grooming these girls; that’s actually the part that we’re excited about,” Rowland said.
Rowland, who experienced tremendous success with her former group, Destiny’s Child, understands the dedication the girls need to have in order to make it in the industry. “This is about hard work. And I think that those values need to be seen as well for another generation coming up. They’ve seen that happen over and over again with these shows that have great talent. Kelly Clarkson is amazing, Carrie Underwood is amazing. Different artists [have] gone on to do great things since these shows and I think that it’s really important to showcase that it takes some time,” she said.
In recent years, television has been flooded with shows like “The Voice” and “X Factor” promising to make contestants a star, but Rowland believes she has a very different direction. “This is not a talent competition, by no means is this a talent competition. It’s not every week somebody’s being eliminated. This is survival of the fittest to be completely honest. This is a documentary more than it is a reality show. I actually announced to the girls that this is not a reality show; this is a documentary. The cameras just happen to be following us in this journey to find the girl group.
“I think that girl groups really express friendships and communication and camaraderie amongst females and I think that’s one of the reasons why I loved En Vogue and listening to them sing; it just feels good. People see a bit of themselves and it’s the coolest thing.” .
Gatson and Rowland are also letting the girls have more of a voice in the creative process, something that wasn’t very common for past girl groups. “It’s not fair for us to put a look on these girls; it’s not fair for us to put a number on these girls,” Rowland admits. “It’s fair for it to be organic and [for it] to happen naturally and for them to tell us what it is. So I think we’re going to feel that and we’re going to hear that also with the way they sound together. That means a lot to us too. So somebody’s coming into the next phase to help me with that as well.”
With the musical climate forever changing, a lot of artists take on executive roles mentoring new talent. “I know when I meet L.A. Reid, he was always talking about his experiences,” Rowland said. “He’s always talking about the different things that he’s seen in his career and giving great advice. They take the artist seriously and they groom them they help them if they have any questions. Puff does the same thing. Jay Z does the same thing.”
Like her peers, Rowland hopes to be a mentor to her girl group as they evolve in the industry. “If they listen, if they take heed and they care about having a career, they care about longevity. They need to care about showcasing the important things.”
–leonye mccalla
