Before finding success as a solo artist, Beyoncé found fame as a member of one of the most popular girl groups of all time. People who are not well-versed in pop culture may think she was a Spice Girl, but did she ever have a connection with this group?
Beyoncé has never been a Spice Girl. The English pop girl group consisted of Melanie C, Emma Bunton, Mel B, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria Beckham. Beyoncé never performed by their side, but she rose to prominence as a member of another girl group – Destiny’s Child.
Destiny’s Child Days
Beyoncé started her career in the music industry as a member of the girl group Girl’s Tyme, which changed its name to Destiny’s Child in 1996. Many members came and went, but Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland stuck around from the very start, and Destiny’s Child as we know it today was complete when Michelle Williams joined the group in 2000.
Destiny’s Child released a total of four studio albums together, and topped the charts with several songs, including “Bills, Bills, Bills”, “Say My Name”, “Independent Women Part I”, and “Bootylicious”. They managed to sell over 60 million records worldwide, and won a total of three Grammys before parting ways in 2006.
Their breakup was amicable, and they split up to “pursue [their] personal goals and solo efforts in earnest”. They performed together when Beyoncé was headlining the Super Bowl halftime show in 2013, and Coachella Festival in 2018, but they’re yet to give us some new music or a reunion tour.
Destiny’s Child Vs. Girls
Destiny’s Child and Spice Girls can often be found on lists of the best girl groups of all time, but they were hardly bitter rivals. By the time Beyoncé’s group started their rise to power, Spice Girls’ star was slowly burning out. They parted ways in 2000, but reunited on several occasions in the future, while Destiny’s Child kept performing and stayed active until 2006.
Two girl groups were rarely butting heads on the charts, since Spice Girls were already past their prime when Destiny’s Child was releasing their biggest hits. They were also dominating different markets. Spice Girls found bigger success in their home country of The UK, while Destiny’s Child dominated the Billboard Hot 100 in The US.
Michelle Williams later described Spice Girls as great role models for Destiny’s Child, because they were “a strong, female group that became a megastar brand.” It’s also been reported that Beyoncé considered Destiny’s Child reunion after seeing that Spice Girls found huge success with their reunion tour in 2019.
Victoria Beckham Connection
Beyoncé and Victoria Beckham both went on to become the most successful members of their girl groups, but their careers had very different trajectories after Destiny’s Child and Spice Girls broke up. Queen Bey put her energy into building a successful music career, while Beckham gave fashion design a shot.
Posh Spice also tried flying solo, but her self-titled debut album failed to make a splash in 2001 and received mixed reviews. She still managed to score a £1.5 million deal for her second album, but eventually decided to focus on her fashion career after her label Telstar Records declared bankruptcy.
While developing her second album, Beckham worked on a song titled “Resentment” that was later re-recorded by Beyoncé and featured on her second solo album B’Day. She described it as the song from this LP that she’s probably the proudest of because it shows her growth as a vocalist and a songwriter.
In addition to transforming one of her past tracks into a hit, Queen Bey also gave Victoria Beckham’s fashion brand her seal of approval. Posh Spice screamed for joy after seeing Beyoncé in one of her dresses, and described the singer as an artist that she has “so much respect for”.
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