In the shiny history of R&B from the late 1990s, LaTavia Roberson’s story is one of the best at showing the highs and lows of fame. Roberson was one of the original members of Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. She helped make hits that defined a generation. But her journey goes far beyond the group’s shadow. She has overcome personal challenges, started her own business, and quietly decided to define success on her own terms. Roberson is a great example of resilience at 44. He has a career that includes music, acting, philanthropy, and business, and it keeps changing.
Early Life: A Future Houston Star
Roberson was born LaTavia Marie Roberson on November 1, 1981, in Houston, Texas. She grew up in a city full of music. She was of African American and Louisiana Creole descent and showed an early interest in acting. She was a child model in the 1980s and appeared in national commercials, including one for Soft and Beautiful’s Just for Me hair relaxer. This job helped her get used to being in front of the camera. Roberson said in an interview with Essence in 2024, “I started out modeling; I really wanted to be an actress.” She tried out for a local girl group as a rapper and dancer when she was only eight years old. That’s when she met Beyoncé Knowles. They quickly became friends and even made a video for a song called “One Time” that almost made them famous as a duo.
Roberson’s journey to music wasn’t a straight line. She met Kelly Rowland in elementary school and told her to join the new group. At first, Roberson was only interested in rapping and dancing. Then he took singing lessons and started performing at local events. With Knowles, Rowland, and later LeToya Luckett, she helped start Girl’s Tyme in 1990. The group tried out for Star Search but lost to another group. Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, stepped in as manager and cut the group down to four members. He went through names like The Dolls, Something Fresh, Cliché, and finally Destiny.
Rise with Destiny’s Child: Heartbreak and Harmony
The group signed with Elektra Records in 1995, but things didn’t go well at first, and they were dropped from the label. The Men in Black soundtrack got “Killing Time” from a short time with Grass Roots Entertainment. Columbia Records signed them in 1997 as Destiny’s Child, with Beyoncé as the lead singer, Rowland as the second lead singer, and Roberson and Luckett providing rich background vocals. Roberson’s alto voice added depth as the group’s unofficial spokesperson.
Their first album, which was self-titled, came out in 1998. It had a remix of “No, No, No” with Wyclef Jean that reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Roberson rapped on “Illusions” and worked with Timbaland on songs like “Get on the Bus” for the Why Do Fools Fall in Love? soundtrack. The group opened for TLC on their FanMail Tour, was on the sitcom Smart Guy, and was the main character in the movie Beverly Hood.
The Writing’s on the Wall, which came out in 1999, made them superstars. It sold more than 8 million copies in the U.S. alone and had hits like “Bills, Bills, Bills” (No. 1), “Bug a Boo,” “Say My Name,” and “Jumpin’, Jumpin’.” Roberson wrote the music for a number of songs and sang lead on “Sweet Sixteen,” “Where’d You Go,” and “Can’t Help Myself.” The album was certified 8x platinum, and Destiny’s Child won two Grammys for “Say My Name” (Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals) and three Soul Train Awards. During Roberson’s time with the group, they sold more than 25 million records. She also sang on videos for artists like Jagged Edge. But even with all the praise, there were problems with management and money.
Going Away and Legal Battles: A Hard Breakup
By the end of 1999, things were at their worst. Roberson and Luckett wanted a mediator to help them work out their problems with Mathew Knowles, but they were shocked when the “Say My Name” video came out in February 2000 with Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin in their places. The firing led to lawsuits, the first of which was against Knowles and the group for breach of contract and defamation. The case was settled with royalties from previous albums still intact. In 2002, a second lawsuit targeted “Survivor,” saying the lyrics made fun of their exit (“You thought I wouldn’t sell without you, sold nine million”). That was also settled out of court.
The fallout was terrible. Roberson told People in 2016, “It was almost like a bad divorce.” There were public fights, but Roberson has since said that she supports her former bandmates and that their music helped her get through hard times.
After Destiny’s Child: New Projects and New Paths
Roberson and Luckett left the group and started Anjel in 2001 with Naty Quiñones and Tiffany Beaudoin. They recorded a 22-track demo called Heavenly in Atlanta with the help of Jagged Edge, but problems with So So Def and Columbia kept it from being released. Some of the tracks later leaked online. Anjel was on Good Day New York and in the music video for the “Where the Party At” remix. Xscape asked her to join in 2005, but Roberson put family first.
Black Summer’s Night, her first solo album, started recording in 2006 with big names like Scott Storch and André 3000. It was supposed to come out in 2009. It never happened. Instead, she changed direction by starring in the 2008 stage play Those Jeans, talking about her exit from Destiny’s Child on VH1’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams in 2007, and being on Young Sween’s “Swagga Check” (2009).
In 2014, she was on the reality show R&B Divas: Atlanta with Angie Stone and Keke Wyatt for 11 episodes. She had trouble performing because she was still healing from her personal problems. How to Love and Not My Family (2013) was another stage production. In 2017, she made her first movies: horror But Deliver Us from Evil (as Stacey), Dirty South House Arrest (as Tamika), and The Hills (as Marie). That year, she released her first solo single, “Best Time of Your Life,” which was a mix of EDM and pop. She also sang on Darryl Allen’s “Baby Love Crazy” and “Lord’s Prayer,” a gospel song.
Personal Struggles and Triumphs: Fighting for a Cause in Hard Times
There were some dark times in Roberson’s life after the group. In a candid interview with Billboard in 2017, she talked about her struggles with depression, addiction, sexual abuse, and alcoholism, which got worse after Destiny’s Child broke up. She went to jail after being arrested for DWI in 2010, but she got treatment and has since spoken out for mental health and recovery. She said, “I’ve been through a lot of things, like being molested and dealing with drugs and alcohol.” This was a tease for her memoir I Am LaTavia, which was announced in 2016 but delayed because of a dispute over a quote in People.
Being a mom made me happy and sad. On August 21, 2013, she gave birth to a daughter named Ly’Sahvia with producer Don Vito. In 2016, she lost a second daughter late in the pregnancy, which was very sad. Adore, their son, was born on September 23, 2019. Roberson is an honorary member of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority. She uses her experiences to help others.
Entrepreneurship and New Projects: Making an Empire
Roberson’s new business ideas are great. She started Luxury Hair Direct for extensions in 2015 and helped the Saving Our Daughters charity. Roberson Sports Management for boxers and Slugfest magazine (2019–2020, with Roy Jones Jr.) were both published in 2018. The Online Diary of LaTavia Roberson, a YouTube series she made in 2016, gave fans a close look at her life.
She started the Queens Collection makeup line for all types of beauty in 2023 and the Le Papillon Foundation, a nonprofit that helps young girls build their confidence and grow, based on her own “butterfly” transformation. The next collection, LMR Collection, was shown at New York Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter 2024 show in February 2024. She is managing R&B singer Roland Champaine and getting him to work with Houston legends like Paul Wall.
During Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour in 2023, Roberson joined former members on stage for the first time in 26 years. She called it “priceless” in a 2024 chat with Entertainment Weekly. That year, she made a cameo appearance as herself in Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. In May 2025, she talked about the split in The Root and how important it was to heal: “Being able to be back with everybody… we just sat and enjoyed each other.” Her net worth is about $2 million, which comes from music royalties, acting, and other business ventures.
Thereintrodocumentary.com is making a documentary called “The Reintro” that will show what it was like to be in Destiny’s Child and more.
A Legacy That Will Last
LaTavia Roberson’s story, from being a child model to winning a Grammy, from heartbreak to healing, shows how cruel the music business can be and how strong you can be if you keep going. Instead of trying to get back into the spotlight she used to share, she’s making her own and helping others along the way. She said her story is a “parable of the music industry” in that it shows how to be flexible and graceful. Roberson shows that real survivors don’t just get through tough times; they grow. In 2025, he has new projects in the works.
