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 Like
many of our modern epic voices, Letoya Luckett's phenomenal musical journey
began in the humble surroundings of the church choir. It didn't take long for
her immense talent to catch the eye of Matthew Knowles, founder and manager of
the group, "Girl Tyme". They later morphed itself into the super group
we now know as Destiny's Child. They released
their eponymous debut album in 1998, but it wasn’t until the release of their sophomore
effort, The Writing’s On The Wall, that things well and truly exploded for the girl
group.
LeToya
was a member of Destiny's Child from 1993 - 2000 prior to her departure from
the group. Although the split was contentious, LeToya has moved forward to
pursue her dreams as an artist scoring a big hit in the States with her debut
single, Torn which is about to get it’s release in the UK.
LeToya
was recently in London
for some promotional duties and to perform at the 2006 MOBO Awards. Ever since
the acrimonious split the tabloids have been quick to stoke the fire of the
supposed Beyonce vs. LeToya feud. The latest rumour is that Beyonce and Jay-Z
were in London
but failed to turn up at the MOBOs even though she won three awards. Why didn’t
she turn up? The apparent reason for her absence was that her biggest rival of
the moment, LeToya, would be performing at the event. “I have no idea why she didn’t turn up, I knew she was in the country
though,” LeToya’ says simply. “Either
way I had a great night and I was glad to be there to perform.”
After
being tossed aside by the remaining members of Destiny’s Child (Kelly Rowland
and Beyonce Knowles) LeToya took her time before starting up her own solo
career.
“I steered away from becoming a solo artist
because it was an uncomfortable feeling.” She reveals. “As soon as I arrived in the studio I
overcame my fears and wanted to make a great album.”
There
have been hurtful words exchanged between herself and her former bandmates, but
Letoy says she has forgiven and forgotten. “You
can’t do anything about it. It’s like seeing an ex-boyfriend with a new girl,
you just move on.
And
moved on she has. LeToya’s self-titled debut album topped the billboard charts.
It was originally slated be released around the same time as Beyonce’s new
“B-Day”, but funnily enough that Beyonce’s album was available for pre-order
prior to its release date. Fingers were pointed at Beyonce and Mathew Knowles and
accusations of sabotage were made. “I have no idea how much truth there is in
that but I would hope they wouldn’t be that negative,” she says
diplomatically. She adds: “Beyonce and I
see each other sometimes and are very cordial but it’s not like it was before.
We haven’t had a real sit down in about six years. People just grow apart from
each other for whatever reason which is a real shame.”
Cynics
will believe that Letoya owes any success to the hype surrounding her former group
and the albums they sold together, but she firmly believes that it isn’t the
case. “Maybe they love my story because
of Destiny’s Child but if I came out with Torn and my album I would have still
had good reactions,” she states.
In
the summer of 2006 LeToya toured with soul songstress Mary J.Blige on her
Breakthrough Tour. When asked if she hopes for the same kind of longevity that
MJB has had she says hopefully, “I would
love to have that. Mary is a hard worker and I’ve seen why she lasts so long,” she
gushes. “She’s an awesome performer and
is known for giving it her all every time she’s on stage. She has emotion that
a lot of artists can’t portray. I would like to think that would be me in a few
years.”
Torn is released on 25th
September, followed by her debut album “LeToya” on 2 Oct.
Official
website: www.letoya.net / www.myspace.com/letoya
By
Rashmi Shastri
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i love u!!! 
