Interview: Michelle Williams (of Destiny's Child) – Singer and Actress - Page 3

I don't know! That's a hard one to reconcile [laughing]. As one-third of the Destiny's Child, the best-selling female group of all time, how difficult has it been to branch out as a solo artist and establish the Michelle Williams brand?

That's the cool thing about this album. People will get to know a side of Michelle that they didn't get to know before. I'm a fun girl. I've always been outgoing, so I think people will see that in this album. "Oh, she's cool; she's fun." On the last album for Destiny's Child, I was really coming out of my shell. The Destiny Fulfilled album – that's when I was like, "Okay, this is who I am. I know what I offer. I know my role. Cool." Then the group broke up and I was sitting there like, "Hold up!" I wasn't through yet. The group might have been but I wasn't. I was ready to go, "Let's get to this album and let's continue the process."

What obstacle have you consistently had to overcome in your pursuit of success?

People-pleasing. I was like that before I even tried to do music, but it eventually rolled over into the career part. Just making sure you're honest with yourself, that yes is yes and no is no. The minute I said, "No," for the first time, it was one of the most liberating, let-freedom-ring experience. I just didn't know how to say no. I thought that if I said no, people would look at me as mean, rude and arrogant. I was like, "What if I don't want to do something?" It's okay to say no.

Well, where did that work ethic come from?

I would say when I was with Destiny's Child, our work ethic was absolutely incredible. There was no "I just ain't feeling good today."

Well, the hard work in the early years really paid off, because over the course of your career, you have been able to successfully branch into acting, on television and the Broadway stage. In 2006, you made your television debut on the UPN sitcom Half & Half. On the show, you played a radio executive that was HIV positive. After doing a little bit of research, I found out that you have also worked with Camp Heartland, which is dedicated to kids that suffer from HIV/AIDS. Taken altogether, I am curious to know how the whole HIV/AIDS issue came to the forefront of your social consciousness.

Article Author: Clayton Perry

Clayton Perry's mission parallels that of John Hope Franklin, Marcus Garvey and Carter G. Woodson. As the founder of the NUBIANO Project, Perry facilitates the design of projects that give voice to the Black diaspora, empower the Black community, …

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