HOUSTON — As Houston gets ready to welcome international superstar Beyoncé home for two sold-out concerts, we looked back in our archives and found a gem from her Destiny's Child days.
It was 25 years ago in 1998, and Beyoncé and bandmates Kelly Rowland, Latavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett were teenagers still in high school. The girls grew up in Houston and had been friends since elementary school with a shared dream of being famous someday.
"When I was young, really young, I used to perform on the fireplace all the time with my mom's high-heeled shoes," LaTavia said.
The girls formed a band in 1990 and did shows around town. A record company scout saw them and Destiny's Child was signed by Columbia Records in 1997.
"We did a showcase for everybody at Columbia and got signed two-and-a-half weeks later," Beyoncé told us.
The then-16-year-olds wrote several of the songs on their debut album and Beyoncé produced their first single, "No, No, No." It became Destiny's Child's first big hit and set them on a path to stardom.
Fame was their destiny and their lives quickly became a whirlwind of recording, rehearsing, traveling and performing. We caught up with the girls at the airport during a rare stop on their tour.
"God, I feel so good to be home. I can't wait to go be in my bed and see my grandmother," LaTavia told us.
Despite having a platinum record, the girls carried their own luggage and there were no huge crowds to greet them back then. In fact, nobody at baggage claim seemed to recognize them.
"We're number one on the Billboard charts!" LaToya shouted from their limo.
"We love y'all," LaTavia said.
Even in the midst of a world tour that included Europe and Asia, they remained grounded.
"I give our praises to God. We had a dream and we just kept believing in ourselves and kept asking God to help us see it through," LaTavia said.
The girls admitted they were often starstruck when they rubbed shoulders with some of their favorite celebrities.
"We did a show in New York at the Madison Square Garden, and Mariah Carey passed by backstage," Kelly said. "And we were like, 'There goes Mariah Carey.' And she goes, 'Hi.' We were like, 'Hey!'"
Back then, Destiny's Child was a family affair. Beyonce's father Matthew was their manager and LaToya's mother Cheryl served as chaperone.
"We knew that they were supportive, but they were like, 'We're doing this because my baby wants to do this, so I'm going to stand behind her no matter what,'" LaToya said. "And now they're actually seeing it happen and they're so happy and surprised."
Many more hits followed but LaToya and LaTavia eventually left Destiny's Child and other members came and went.
Beyoncé eventually went solo and her career soared. Two decades later, she's an international superstar with a record 32 Grammys.
