Survivor (Destiny's Child album)

Survivoris the third studio album by American girl groupDestiny's Child. It was released on April 25, 2001, byColumbia Records. As their breakthrough second studio albumThe Writing's on the Wall(1999) became a rising commercial success, Destiny's Child faced the controversial departure of original membersLeToya LuckettandLaTavia Roberson, who were replaced withFarrah FranklinandMichelle Williams, in February 2000. Soon afterwards, they commenced production of their third studio album, tentatively titledIndependent Women.
Mere five months after joining, Franklin departed from the group in July, and "Independent Women Part I" was subsequently released as a single from the accompanying soundtrack for the filmCharlie's Angels(2000). The song became a global commercial success and the group's third USBillboardHot 100number-one single. Retitling the albumSurvivorin reference to the turmoil surrounding their line-up alterations, Destiny's Child enlisted producers such asAnthony Dent,Damon Elliott,Mark J. Feist,Rob FusariandKeybeatsalongsideBeyoncé Knowles, who produced all and co-wrote nearly all of the album's tracks. Their final product was anR&Band pop record incorporating genres such as dance,funkandhip hop. Its lyrical themes explore dynamics between women, self-esteem, independence and romantic relationships.
Upon its release,Survivorreceived generally positive reviews, mostly aimed at its production, while its balladry, length and lyrical content ignited criticism. Retrospective critical commentaries have credited the record for its impact on mainstream music of the 2000s and for serving as foundation for Knowles' eventual solo career. A global commercial success, the album debuted atop the USBillboard200with first-week sales of 663,000 units, becoming Destiny's Child's first and only number-one studio album on the chart. It has gone on to be certifiedquadruple platinumby theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA). At the44th Annual Grammy Awards(2002), the album was nominated forBest R&B Album. By 2004, it had sold over 12 million copies worldwide, being among thebest-selling girl group albums of all time.
Survivorproduced four singles. Itstitle trackpeaked at number two on the USBillboardHot 100 and reached the top ten in 18 additional countries. In 2002, it won theGrammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. "Bootylicious" became Destiny's Child's fourth USBillboardHot 100 number-one single and attained international success. "Emotion" became a USBillboardHot 100 top-ten hit in the wake of theSeptember 11 attacks, while "Nasty Girl" was released only overseas and achieved moderate success. The album was further promoted with the co-headliningTotal Request Live Tour(2001) and theDestiny's Child World Tour(2002). After the latter's conclusion, the group embarked on a two-year hiatus, during which each member released a solo studio album to varying levels of success.
In July 1999, Destiny's Child released their second studio albumThe Writing's on the Wall. Their breakthrough record, it debuted at number six on the USBillboard200with first-week sales of 133,000 units.In December,LeToya LuckettandLaTavia Robersontried to split with Destiny's Child's managerMathew Knowles, claiming that he was keeping too much of the group's profits and that he favored his daughterBeyoncé KnowlesandKelly Rowland.When the accompanying music video for "Say My Name" premiered in February 2000, Roberson and Luckett found out that they were being replaced withMichelle Williams, a former backing vocalist forMonica, andFarrah Franklin, an aspiring singer-actress.On March 15, Roberson and Luckett filed a lawsuit against Mathew Knowles and their former bandmates for breach of partnership and fiduciary duties.Following the lawsuit, both sides were disparaging towards each other in the media.However, the group's prominence and commercial success burgeoned, aided by "Say My Name", which peaked atop the USBillboardHot 100.The Writing's on the Wallsubsequently registered a significant rise in sales,ascending towards a new peak at number five on theBillboard200.
In July 2000, it was announced that Franklin had departed Destiny's Child mere five months after joining. According to the group, Franklin missed a handful of promotional appearances and concerts and was asked to leave the group. However, Franklin stated that she quit because of negative energy within the group and her inability to assert any control in decision-making.The group had already begun recording material for their third studio album, with Franklin performing backing vocals on several tracks. Among those was "Independent Women Part I", which was recorded for the accompanying soundtrack for the 2000 filmCharlie's Angels.The song was released as a single on August 29.A global commercial success, it became the group's third USBillboardHot 100 and firstUK Singles Chartnumber-one single.It was nominated forBest Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Mediaat the43rd Annual Grammy Awards.Towards the end of 2000, Roberson and Luckett dropped the portion of their lawsuit aimed at Beyoncé and Rowland in exchange for a settlement, though they continued the action against Mathew Knowles. As part of the agreement, both sides were prohibited from speaking about each other publicly.
The recording sessions forSurvivorcommenced in May 2000 at theSugarHill Recording Studiosin Houston, where most of the album was recorded. "Gospel Medley", which Destiny's Child had previewed during several public appearances throughout 2000,was also recorded there;the group decided to record it due to their longtime affinity forgospel.As on the group's previous records, their managerMathew Knowlesserved as the executive producer.Initial tracks recorded for the album were in the vein of "Jumpin', Jumpin'", which was released as the fourth and final single fromThe Writing's on the Wallwithin that period, to tremendous commercial success. However, as the recording progressed, the group gradually added more depth to their work as there were "so many people copping [their] sound, it was necessary to change things up a bit."After emerging as the focal point of Destiny's Child, Knowles assumed more control by taking a greater hand in songwriting and even producing some of the album herself.Knowles' intention was not to monopolize the spotlight; however, she did co-write 17 and produce all of the album's 18 tracks. She explained: "I only wanted to do like three songs... The label kept saying "Do another song, do another song, do another song". It wasn't planned. It wasn't like I said, OK, I'm going to take charge."However,Kelly RowlandandMichelle Williamsco-wrote only one track–"Outro (DC-3) Thank You".On July 20,Farrah Franklindeparted from Destiny's Child,having already recorded backing vocals for several tracks, including "Independent Women Part I".The group embarked onChristina Aguilera's tourChristina Aguilera in Concertas an opening act on July 31, touring until October and simultaneously recording the album.Six songs, including both parts to "Independent Women", "Nasty Girl" and the unreleased "I Tried", had been recorded by September.
Originally, theKeybeats-produced "Independent Women Part II" was recorded first as the song's album version, while the track which would become "Independent Women Part I" served as a remix.However, their roles were reversed as the group was offered to record material for the accompanying soundtrack toCharlie's Angels(2000), a film adaption of the 1976–1981television series of the same title. They re-recorded "Independent Women" and enlisted first-time collaboratorsTrackmastersto produce the track, altering the original's lyrics to suit theCharlie's Angelstheme.Cory Rooney, who co-wrote and produced the re-recording, said it took only 15 minutes for him and the Trackmasters to create the instrumental track.Aside from the SugarHill Recording Studios, part one was recorded at the Lobo Studios inDeer Park, New Yorkand the TK Studios in Honolulu, while part two was recorded at theChung King Studiosin New York City and the 24/7 Studios in Houston.TheAnthony Dent-producedtitle trackwas inspired by a pun a radio station had made about the fact that three members had already left Destiny's Child, comparing the group to the reality competition television seriesSurvivor. Knowles felt inspired to use the negative comment and turn its context positive by writing a song out of it.According to Williams, the song was recorded from September to November.It was recorded at the Chase Studios in Atlanta–where fellow Dent production was also recorded–and, alongside numerous other tracks, atthe Enterprise StudiosinBurbank, California.
Beyoncé claimed to have written "Bootylicious" on a plane flight to London while listening to the song "Edge of Seventeen" byStevie Nicks, when the word "bootylicious" popped into her head.Rob Fusaridisputed the claim in 2010, stating he himself had the idea for the song and had wanted to use a guitar riff fromSurvivor's 1982 song "Eye of the Tiger" but, after not being able to find it, used a similar riff from "Edge of Seventeen".However, in 2016, he revealed that after the "Edge of Seventeen" sample was approved, he conceived the song with Beyoncé over the phone, adding: "She was out of the country at that point, but she had the 'Bootylicious' concept in her head. That was totally her. She knew what she wanted to say. It was very urban pop angle that they were taking on the record."Once the group decided to record "Bootylicious", Fusari wanted to remove the sample, explaining: "I figured I'd put the guitar loop on there temporarily, and later go into the studio with a guitar and replay it, because I'd learned, after samplingStevie Wonder's "I Wish" forWill Smith's "Wild Wild West," that I didn't want to lose 50% of the publishing. I vividly remember telling Mathew Knowles, "Mathew, you got to book me into your studio and let me replay that riff." It was Guitar 101! One note!"; however, Knowles refused.Dan Workman, who engineered several tracks fromSurvivor, commented on the recording sessions: "Beyoncé would be driving over to the studio listening to all these tracks that had been sent to her, and she would pick out her favorite. When she got here, she would immediately start writing lyrics for the song and finish it right there in front of me. For the song "Bootylicious" she wrote all the lyrics for it right in [SugarHill Recording Studios'] Studio A. Then she taught the song to Kelly and Michelle, and all three of them worked on the vocals together."
D'wayne Wiggins, who wrote "Fancy" with Beyoncé andJ. R. Rotem, said Destiny's Child would carefully select lyrics for the songs, adjusting them to suit the group. According to Wiggins, they would "just take a song and dissect it and put it back together again. For "Fancy," it took [only] about 30 or 45 minutes to change the hook."Rotem reflected on the song's simple instrumentation, revealing he created beats solely using a keyboard and a drum machine.The song was recorded at the Digital Services in Houston, with additional recording at the House of Music inOakland, California.Mark J. Feist, who produced "Emotion", changed the arrangement and production ofSamantha Sang'sdisco-soul1977original versioninto a contemporary ballad.Beyoncé would re-record "Dangerously in Love" with a modified arrangement for her 2003debut solo studio album of the same title.Both versions were recorded at the SugarHill Recording Studios, and were written and produced by Beyoncé andErrol McCalla Jr.AsSurvivorneared its completion in December 2000, Destiny's Child referred to their hectic schedule while recording the album, revealing they took time off recording solely on Christmas Day. While they intended to complete the album soon afterwards, the recording continued into early 2001, causing the album's release date to be postponed and its lead single "Survivor" to be delayed from January to March.During the album's production, Rowland recorded her debut solo recording "Angel".Produced by Beyoncé, Fusari andFalonte Moore–who wrote and produced "Bootylicious", "Apple Pie à la Mode" and "Happy Face"–the track appeared on theaccompanying soundtrackfor the 2001 filmDown to Earth.Previous collaboratorRodney Jerkins, whose production "Say My Name" became one of Destiny's Child's biggest hits, had also returned to work onSurvivor. He produced two tracks, including the "street-edgy", up-tempo "Girl Like Me", but neither made the final track listing.
Survivoris predominantly anR&Band pop record exploring genres such aship hop,funkand dance.Its lyrical themes include dynamics between women, self-esteem, independence and romantic relationships.The album opens with the uptempoclubtrack "Independent Women Part I", which encourages female empowerment and financial independence. As it was recorded for the accompanying soundtrack forCharlie's Angels(2000), it makes numerous lyrical references to the film.The album'stitle trackfeatures looped strings built around an "abrasive" hip hop instrumental.Lyrically, it's considered a "prolonged and rather vindictive attack" on the former members of Destiny's Child–LeToya Luckett,LaTavia RobersonandFarrah Franklin.The "blindingPrince-like R&B-jazzodyssey" "Bootylicious" features a lyrical response to those who had criticizedBeyoncé's weight gain, against a prominent guitarriffsample fromStevie Nicks' 1981 song "Edge of Seventeen"."Nasty Girl" features the group "hurling insults at a hip-hop harlot",while dismissing "classless" women altogether.It features an uncredited interpolation ofSalt-N-Pepa's 1986 song "Push It".Pizzicato string-driven "Fancy" is seen as anotherdiss trackdirected towards the group's former members.
Avant-funktrack "Apple Pie à la Mode" features "percolating" beats and harmonies,while the dance track "Sexy Daddy" is infused with discordant harmonies and "thundering"raggabeats."Independent Women Part II" sonically differs from its counterpart, featuring modified lyrics against a cartoonishbouncebackground.The "sunny day" pop track "Happy Face" promotes self-esteem; Sylvia Patterson fromNMEclassified its genre as "cajun-R&B-yodel-pop".A string ofballadssubsequently appears, including a "slow jam"cover versionofSamantha Sang's 1977 song "Emotion",as well as the "soft" "Dangerously in Love" and theeasy listeninglove song "Brown Eyes".Brian Hiatt fromMTVdescribed the latter as "a gently harmonized love song, with production reminiscent of theJanet Jacksonhit "Again."""The Story of Beauty" lyrically differs from the rest ofSurvivor, telling a story about a victim ofsexual abuse; it was based on a fan who wrote a letter to the group.Beyoncé described it as "a pretty controversial yet realistic song that deals with something that happens in most families that no one wants to talk about."A cappellagospeltrack "Gospel Medley" comprises the Beyoncé-written "You've Been So Good",Kirk Franklin's "Now Behold the Lamb", theChristian hymn"Jesus Loves Me", andRichard Smallwood's "Total Praise".The album closes with "Outro (DC-3) Thank You", on which the members congratulate, praise and thank each other.
Originally titledIndependent Womenafter "Independent Women Part I", the album was later retitledSurvivors, as Destiny's Child branded themselves "survivors" in reference to theturmoil that had coincided with the groupthroughout 2000.The title was later altered toSurvivor.Beyoncéfurther explained: "I thought about this joke that this radio station had, and they were saying, 'Oh, Destiny's Child is like "Survivor," trying to see which member is going to last the longest on the island,' and everyone laughed. I was like, 'Ah, that's cute, but you know what? I'm going to use that negative thing and turn it into a positive thing and try to write a great song out of it.'"
Thecover artworkforSurvivorwas photographed by Rod Spicer, with the group styled by Beyoncé's motherTina Knowles.Biographer Daryl Easlea noted the cover "showing the group now as women rather than the girls of the previous sleeves".The album's booklet included a photograph of the members looking "triumphal" standing on rocks on adesert island, inspired by the reality television seriesSurvivor, as a reference to the album's title andtitle track.
Survivorwas originally slated for February 13, 2001,before being postponed to April,and afterwards to its ultimate release date of May 1.Its promotional activities commenced on February 28, when Destiny's Child performed the lead single "Survivor" for the first time at the2001 Soul Train Music Awards.The song was subsequently performed on the April 6 episode ofTop of the Popsin the United Kingdom,with "Emotion" onSaturday Night Liveon May 5,onLate Show with David Lettermanon May 10,and with "Bootylicious" onTodayon May 11.The group additionally performed the album's first three singles "Survivor", "Bootylicious" and "Emotion" onThe Early Showon June 6.They subsequently opened theinaugural BET Awardswith "Bootylicious" on June 19,later performing the song on the August 3 episode ofTop of the Popsand the September 7Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebrationshow.In the meantime, the group had embarked on the co-headliningTotal Request Live Tourwith3LW,Dream,EveandNellywith theSt. Lunatics, which ran throughout North America from July 18 until September 21.Afterwards, their own European tour was scheduled to run from October 24 to November 20, but was postponed in the wake of theSeptember 11 attacks.
Following the tour's postponement, Destiny's Child performed "Survivor", "Emotion" and "Gospel Medley" during the benefit concertUnited We Stand: What More Can I Give, led byMichael Jacksonin tribute to victims of the September 11 attacks, on October 21.Within subsequent months, the group focused on the overseas promotion ofSurvivor, performing "Emotion" on the November 23 episode ofTop of the Popsin the UK and the December 15 episode ofWetten, dass..?in Germany,"Survivor" during theSanremo Music Festival 2002in Italy on March 8,and "Bootylicious" at theLogie Awards of 2002in Australia on April 28.Also, their firstremix album, titledThis Is the Remix, was released on March 12 and included remixes of several tracks fromSurvivoramong other tracks;it debuted at number 29 on the USBillboard200.The postponed Destiny's Child World Tour commenced on April 29, being expanded from solely Europe to Oceania and Japan as well, and finished on June 24.ItsRotterdamshow was filmed and released via video albumDestiny's Child World Touron July 8, 2003.
"Survivor" was released as thelead singlefromSurvivoron March 6, 2001, to mixed critical reception.A commercial success, it became Destiny's Child's fourth consecutive USBillboardHot 100top-three single, peaking at number two.The digital single was certifiedplatinumby theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) in July 2020.Internationally, the song reached the summit in Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom, and the top ten in 15 additional countries.Despite a mixed critical response, it wonBest R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocalsat the44th Annual Grammy Awards(2002), marking Destiny's Child's third and finalGrammy Awardwin as a group.ItsDarren Grant-directed accompanying music video depicts the members as shipwreck survivors on adesert island.The video was released as the group's firstDVD single, which peaked at number nine on the USTop Music Videosand was certified gold by the RIAA.At the2001 MTV Video Music Awards, the video wonBest R&B Video,also being nominated forBest Pop VideoandBest Group Video.
"Bootylicious" was released as the second single fromSurvivoron May 22, 2001.Commercially, it fared similarly to its predecessor, becoming Destiny's Child's fourth and final USBillboardHot 100 number-one single.The digital single was certified platinum by the RIAA in July 2020.Internationally, the song reached the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the UK.ItsMatthew Rolston-directed accompanying music video showcases the group performing numerous ofMichael Jackson's choreographies and featuresStevie Nicksplaying the guitar riff sampled from her song "Edge of Seventeen".
"Emotion" was released as the third single fromSurvivoron September 4, 2001.A commercial success, it continued Destiny's Child's streak of USBillboardHot 100 top-ten singles by peaking at number ten after being fueled by post-September 11 attacksairplay.Internationally, it peaked within the top ten in Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and the UK.ItsFrancis Lawrence-directed accompanying music video features the members' respective situations through a triple-split screen; Beyoncé deals with an adulterous boyfriend, Kelly Rowland deals with separation from her boyfriend, while Michelle Williams deals with the death of her grandmother.
"Nasty Girl" was released as the fourth and final single fromSurvivoroutside North America on March 4, 2002,to negative critical reception.A moderate commercial success, it peaked at number ten in Australia and within the top 40 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.ItsSanaa Hamri-directed accompanying music video depicts women perceived as "nasty girls" receiving transformations.In 2016,Rob Fusari, who produced several tracks fromSurvivor, revealed "Happy Face" was originally slated as the album's final single, but those plans were scrapped due to the song's lyrical content being deemed inappropriate in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
Survivorreceived generally favorable reviews frommusic criticsupon its release. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaveragescore of 63 out of 100, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".Writing forEntertainment Weekly,David Brownepraised the record, calling it "the divas' premature, but inevitable growing pains album."Spincommented that "Survivoris relentlessly inventive in its recombinations."Ethan Brown fromNew Yorkwas less impressed, writing: "All fifteen tracks are one-dimensional disses and dismissals of scantily clad women, vengeful boyfriends, and the group's assorted doubters."Sylvia Patterson fromNMEsummarized the album as "Multi-platinum booty-shakers in boundary-pushing nil-shit-taking exercise", while highlighting "Independent Women Part I".Natalie Nichols fromLos Angeles Timesdescribed it as a "generic hip-hop music box of ticking percussion, pulsing bass and uninspiring samples [which] barely allows [Destiny's Child] a moment to breathe, let alone stretch out".
Despite criticizing its length, lyrical content and balladry, Alexis Petridis fromThe Guardianwrote thatSurvivor"has a rare individuality, and a hint of genius, hidden in its grooves".Nathan Rabin fromThe A.V. Clubshared Petridis' negative sentiments, concluding his review by saying: "if the group wants to survive the stormy seas of the pop world for more than a few years, it should call its stable of songwriting wizards ASAP".In a positive review, Cristín Leach fromRTÉhighlighted "The Story of Beauty" while dismissing the album's closing tracks "Gospel Medley" and "Outro (DC-3) Thank You".Laura Sinagra fromBlenderwrote: "Aside from disposable ballads and the sappy "Perfect Man,"Survivorblasts haters, child molesters and "been-around-the-block-females," keeping the blood up as they whup ass."Sal Cinquemani fromSlant Magazineexpressed that "for the most partSurvivorrises to the occasion, and while the album isn't groundbreaking, it at least shows the new trio breaking out on their own."Rob Sheffield fromRolling Stonepraised the album but singled "the self-righteous tone creeping into the songs" out as its sole weakness.
In the United States,Survivordebuted atop theBillboard200chart dated May 19, 2001, with first-week sales of 663,000 copies.It also debuted atop theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling over 87,000 copies at the R&B core stores within its first week.Destiny's Child's first number-one album on both charts, it registered the highest first-week sales for anyColumbia Recordsartist at the time.Despite a 46% sales decline to 358,979 units, the album remained at the summit in its second week, reaching the one-million sales mark.In its third week, the album descended to number three, selling 221,884 copies; in total, it spent 14 consecutive weeks within the top ten.By the end of 2001,Survivorhad sold over 3.7 million copies, becoming the seventh best-selling album of the year.It was certifiedquadruple platinumby theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) on January 7, 2002.By November 2005, the album had sold over 4.7 million units in the US, being one of thebest-selling girl group albums everin the country.In Canada, the album debuted atop theCanadian Albums Chart, spending four weeks at the summit.In October 2003, it was certified quadruple platinum byMusic Canada.
Across Europe,Survivorreached the summit in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.On theEuropean Top 100 Albums, it debuted at number 49 and peaked atop the chart the following week.In 2001, the record was certified double platinum by theInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry(IFPI) for sales of two million units across Europe.In the United Kingdom, the album debuted atop theUK Albums Chart,UK R&B Albums ChartandScottish Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 118,000 copies.It became the first studio album by an American girl group to peak atop the UK Albums Chart and made Destiny's Child the second American girl group in history to reach the summit, followingThe Supremes, who did so with their greatest hits albumsGreatest Hits(1967) and20 Golden Greats(1977).British Phonographic Industry(BPI) certified it triple platinum in December 2001.
In Australia,Survivordebuted and peaked at number four on theARIA Top 100 Albums,and was certified double platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association(ARIA) in December 2001.In New Zealand, it debuted at number ten, ascending towards its peak at number five in its second week.The album was certified double platinum by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand(RIANZ) in 2002.In Japan, it peaked at number 12 on theOricon Albums Chart,being certified platinum by theRecording Industry Association of Japan(RIAJ) in May 2001.In South Africa, the album reached number one and, in 2002, was certified triple platinum by theRecording Industry of South Africa(RISA).According to IFPI,Survivorwas the third best-selling album worldwide of 2001,with 7.8 million copies sold during the year.By November 2004,Survivorhad sold over ten million copies worldwide, being thefifth best-selling girl group album of all time.
Survivorwas a subject of several controversies, albeit less than its predecessorThe Writing's on the Wall(1999).Rob Fusari, who wrote "Bootylicious", recalled a dispute with Destiny's Child's manager and Beyoncé's fatherMathew Knowlesover the song's conception. In an interview withBarbara Walters,Beyoncéhad discussed how she came up with the idea for the song herself. Upon seeing that, Fusari called Knowles, describing the conversation:
The lyrical content of "Survivor" caused backlash fromLeToya LuckettandLaTavia Roberson, who had controversially departed from the group in February 2000 and filed a lawsuit against the group and their management soon afterwards. The portion of the lawsuit directed towards Beyoncé andKelly Rowlandhad been dropped by the end of the year, with a mutual agreement prohibiting either party involved from making "any public comment of a disparaging nature concerning one another".Luckett and Roberson contended the line "You thought I wouldn't sell without you, sold 9 million" violated the agreement and filed another lawsuit against the group in February 2002, accusing Beyoncé, Rowland andMichelle Williamsof making "deliberate disparaging, defamatory factual misrepresentations" in the song, as well as in their statements for the press surrounding the release ofSurvivor.By late July, the parties had reached a settlement out of court.
Retrospectively,Survivorhas received mixed to positive critical commentary, with criticism directed towards its lyrical content, and praise towards its thematic impact on mainstream music of the 2000s.Stephen Thomas Erlewinewrote forAllMusic: "Survivor, their first album as full-fledged superstars – also their first album since most of the group disappeared due to managerial conflicts – is as contrived and calculated as aMariah Careyrecord, only without the joy. This is a determined, bullheaded record, intent on proving Destiny's Child has artistic merit largely because the group survived internal strife."On the contrary, J'na Jefferson fromVibedeclared the album "a seminal force in thefemale empowermenttrend of the 21st century, serving as a love letter to body-positive, independent and fierce women all over the globe."Furthermore, Vincent Anthony from The 97 credited the record for "unbiasedly [melding] R&B inspirations and hip-hop nuances into an [sic] unique brand of pop that defined the early 2000s".From a standpoint concerning pop culture,Nathan BrackettandChristian Hoardwrote that the album "helped establish [Destiny's Child] as an American institution" inThe New Rolling Stone Album Guide(2004).Its second single "Bootylicious" popularized theportmanteauterm "bootylicious", a combination of the words "booty" and "delicious", although the term had already been used bySnoop DoggonDr. Dre's 1992 song "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" as a pejorative.As Destiny's Child brought the term's neologism of approval to prominence, it consequently entered the mainstream English language, thus being added to theOxford English Dictionaryin 2004, referring to a sexually attractive woman in its definition.Following theSeptember 11 attacks, the lead single "Survivor" received new lyrical interpretations from the public, being called a "tool for national grief in a way to show solidarity and strength"."Emotion", which was released as the third single around the time of the attacks, was also branded a "healing song", which contributed to its commercial success in the United States.
As previously announced,following the completion of promotional duties forSurvivor, Destiny's Child embarked on a hiatus in 2002, in order for its members to release solo albums.Michelle Williamswas first to release a solo album, titledHeart to Yours, in April 2002. It features the "Gospel Medley" first released onSurvivor.The critically acclaimedgospelrecord debuted at number 57 on the USBillboard200, with first-week sales of 17,000 copiesand later peaked at number-one on theTop Gospel Albumschart.It became the biggest-selling gospel album of the year, with 220,000 copies sold in the US.At the 2002MOBO Awards, Wiliams won an award for "Best Gospel Act",before making herBroadway debut, as theleadin the musicalAidain November 2003.AlthoughBeyoncé Knowles' solo album was initially scheduled for October 2002, its release was postponed due to the success ofKelly Rowland's collaboration withNelly, "Dilemma". The song reached the summit of the USBillboardHot 100, thus Rowland'spop rock-oriented solo debutSimply Deepwas moved up to October from its original early 2003 release date.Simply Deepdebuted at number 12 on the USBillboard200, selling 77,000 units within its first week and going on to be certifiedgoldby theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA)."Dilemma" additionally won Rowland her firstGrammy Awardoutside the group, forBest Rap/Sung Collaborationat the45th Annual Grammy Awards(2003).Following numerous postponements, Beyoncé was the last to release a solo album. TitledDangerously in Love, it was released in June 2003 to widespread critical acclaim.The album debuted atop the USBillboard200 and registered the highest first-week sales among the members with 317,000 units.It was preceded by the lead single "Crazy in Love", which spent eight consecutive weeks atop the USBillboardHot 100. "Crazy in Love" was followed by "Baby Boy", which surpassed its predecessor's reign at the summit by one week, and the top-five hits "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl".At the46th Annual Grammy Awards(2004),Dangerously in Loveand its tracks won five awards, includingBest Contemporary R&B Album; Beyoncé consequently tied withLauryn Hill,Alicia KeysandNorah Jonesfor the record of most Grammy Awards won by a woman at a single ceremony.Following the release of her sixth solo studio albumLemonade(2016), Sasha Geffen fromMTVclaimed "Survivormarked [Beyoncé]'s turning point from musician to global phenomenon", drawing parallels between lyrical themes of tracks fromSurvivorand those fromLemonade.
Notes
Sample credits
Credits are adapted from the liner notes ofSurvivor.