Michelle Williams: Benefits of being the Destiny‘s Child member ‘no one recognises’
Michelle Williams says there are benefits to being the Destiny’s Child member “no one recognises” and has revealed the Aussie chain she craves back home.
She may one-third of the one of the most successful music groups of all time, but Michelle Williams says she doesn’t mind being the Destiny Child’s member that people have a habit of forgetting.
“They will take pictures of Beyoncé at the supermarket but no cares if I go,” she laughs.
“You can’t take yourself too seriously – you just can’t”.
Williams has taken this mantra to heart, with a new advertising campaign for Uber in Australia. She self-deprecatingly plays up her image of being the Destiny’s Child member and in the ad readily admits “no one recognises”.
Talking to news.com.au in her hometown of Atlanta, Williams also revealed the Destiny’s Child song fans will never get to hear, Beyoncé’s penchant for discount department stores – and the Australian family restaurant chain she can’t get enough of.
In January, Williams made a dash to Sydney to film a set of ads for the UberOne subscription plan.
In the skits, Williams struts around the Royal Botanical Gardens looking every bit the superstar – but no one bats an eyelid. Even when someone asks if she is indeed “Michelle Williams”, it’s only because they’ve picked up her dropped wallet.
Echoing the ad’s tone, Williams’ exit and entry into Australia went essentially unnoticed.
“You have to own it,” she says of her relative anonymity.
But, on paper, it seems absurd to think Williams is anything but a high achiever in the entertainment industry.
There’s her Grammy, through Destiny’s Child, a Gospel Touch music award for her 2014 song Say Yes that featured both bandmate Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland, and a MOBO award for best gospel singer – as well as a slew of other gongs.
Outside of creating music, she is the only star to appear as a contestant on the Australian, British and US versions of The Masked Singer.
Branching into other areas, her podcast focusing on mental health, Checking In, has racked up more than 150 episodes and she has released a book based on the topics she discusses in the show.
Despite this, the Bootylicious singer said it took some “emotional growth” for her to feel positive about her career trajectory. It’s not surprising: There was, after all, an entire genre of meme known as “poor Michelle” that unfairly compared her to her bandmates in the early noughties.
But as the decades roll by since the last Destiny’s Child album, and people have looked back at the band, she’s noticed a change.
“Not everything that’s written about you is going to be peaches and cream,” she said.
“But somebody posted on social media about our last studio album. A comment said, ‘Michelle, we are so sorry that we did not appreciate you back then. We’re older now and we get every word that you were saying.’”
She says there are benefits to her somewhat lower profile.
“Part of me appreciates that, no one sees me putting too much in my shopping basket. I can do shop in private, Beyoncé can’t,” said Williams of her co-star who has been snapped at the aisles US retailer Target, similar to Australia’s Kmart.
And, Williams revealed, Knowles’s Target trips aren’t just for show. She’s not just about designer togs.
“There was one time I was at her house she had on this cute loungy jumpsuit. And you know, she’s like ‘all this came from Target.”
Destiny’s Child song fans will never hear
Last month Kelly Rowland made headlines when she refused to talk about Destiny’s Child while doing the rounds promoting her new Netflix film Mea Culpa.
Williams, too, is more than just the band – but she also happy to dive into the band’s archives and talk about her memories of an extraordinary era.
This year marks two decades since the release of Destiny Fulfilled, the final album from Destiny’s Child.
Last year she told US breakfast show Today that “if it was up to her” the band would still be around.
But here and there, on very special occasions, the band has reformed.
Williams and Rowland joined Beyoncé on stage for her half time show at the 2013 Superbowl, as well as at Coachella in 2018.
Most recently, the trio did a performance of Happy Birthday to Rowland’s husband, Tim Weatherspoon.
“Yes it was just Happy Birthday but we had to do it Destiny’s Child; we had to put our seasoning salt on it,” she revealed.
It sounded epic but will fans ever get to hear, or see this, Destiny’s Child number?
Williams said that private performance was in the vault – at least for now.
“It was amazing and I do have video of it but you can’t see it,” she teased.
“We’re just constantly reminded whenever we work together, that we work very well. We’re pretty great and I do miss that... the creating part of being with the girls.”
Pact between three singers
Part of that bond between Williams, Knowles and Rowland is due to a pact the trio made, she said.
“Don’t disrespect each other and if you have a thought against somebody, you go to them directly, not to somebody else. The agreement helps us remain friends today.
“They say in healthy relationships you can disagree but we have never had anything disrespectful happen. We wanted to win together, cry tears with each other and witness each other’s successes.”
Beyonce’s mum knew
Destiny’s Child did win, big time, with 60 million records sold and scores of top selling singles and albums, but Williams was struggling with her mental health at the time even though she didn’t really understand it.
“I didn’t get a diagnosis until after Destiny’s Child,” she said.
“At the peak of Destiny’s Child, now that I look back, I had low moments.
She didn’t talk about it and her fellow band members were unaware. But, confided Williams, Knowles’ mother Tina seemed to twig something was up.
“She reminded me that once she walked into my room one day and said ‘girl you have to open your curtains and let some sunlight in here’.
“But sometimes if you’re dealing with depression you don’t know it. I didn’t know if I was just tired from being on the road or if I was home sick. We now know that accolades, success, money does not heal certain traumas or wounds.”
Williams said that “inner work” and “being able to process” helped.
“A person can thrive and even move past some things that maybe harmed them when they were a child.”
Aussie chain Williams loves
Between The Masked Singer and her Uber ads, Williams has now spent a substantial amount of time in Australia – and she’s found a surprising fondness for Aussie food.
“I know people are like ‘it’s just Tim Tams’, but oh my gosh! For me, they’re amazing.”
There’s one restaurant chain she has a particular weakness for which she discovered near her hotel on Sydney Harbour.
“I love Pancakes on The Rocks. They have 1000 varieties of pancakes, big sausages and eight eggs.”
Indeed, Williams really does like it in Australia full stop.
“I want dual citizenship,” she exclaims. “I would absolutely love it.”
“I already know what I want my house to look like: modern, lots of windows, water view.”
Bondi it is then for Williams’ Sydney pad.
“Do I need to twirl on a pole to afford the house?” she asked.
She may be the one “no one recognises” from Destiny’s Child but with her individual success, swags of awards, and her new Uber gig, she can probably afford a flat in Bondi.
No twirling required.
Uber assisted in the reporter’s travel and accommodation.
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