Destiny Child’s singer-turned gospel artist, Michelle Williams, has had somewhat of a ‘Cinderella story,’ in regards to her music career…or so it seemed. When Michelle joined Destiny’s Child in early 2000, she went from literal obscurity, to mega-superstar quicker than we can say “I’m a survivor” twice. That’s because when Michelle (along with Farrah Franklin) replaced LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett- after Beyonce’s dad/DC’s then manager kicked them out- she joined an already superstar R&B group. She’d become thrust into the spotlight and in many ways, the shadows. of the already known Beyonce’ Knowles and Kelly Rowland. She was also in the lingering ‘shadows’ of LaTavia and LeToya.
Even though her new role was a major weight to carry, Michelle didn’t fold under the pressure and was ultimately able to carve her own space out within the group.
Tens of millions of records and several years later, Michelle has just gone into further detail of the suicidal thoughts (which she originally revealed a few years ago) in her October 18th (2017) co-hosting gig on The Talk daytime talk show. She laid it all out about why she’s now decided to speak on the suicidal tendencies she had when Destiny’s Child was at the height of their careers.
Story in a nutshell: Michelle was severely depressed ever since the age of “13 to 15”; Beyonce’s dad, Matthew Knowles, used to try to help her, but didn’t quite understand what was wrong with her….neither did she; Her depression stemmed from some type of trauma she says she endured as a child; Now she’s on a mission to “normalize” mental illness.
Michelle Breaks Down Her Battle w/Depression
“I think at the age of 25, had I had a name to what I was feeling at the time, I would have disclosed that, ‘I’ve been suffering from depression,'” Williams told The Talk co-hosts. “I didn’t know until I was in my 30s what was going on. I just thought it was growing pains. I just thought, ‘I’m turning into a woman.’ So I’ve been suffering since the age between 13 and 15. Like I said, at that age, I didn’t know what to call it.”
Watch Michelle William’s Open Up About Her Suicidal Thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHYNSaW6Ttw
Matthew Knowles Had Tough Time Understanding Her Depression
Michelle on what Matthew Knowles used to tell her to get her to snap out of it:
“I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression. And when I disclosed it to our manager at the time, bless his heart, he was like, ‘Y’all just signed a multi-million dollar deal, you’re about to go on tour, what do you have to be depressed about?’ So I was like, ‘Maybe I’m just tired.'”
She also said that although Matthew didn’t understand why she was appearing to be so “ungrateful” about all her blessings, with the success of the group, his intentions were good. So she in no way blames him for his misunderstanding.
What Caused Her Depression?
When asked what caused her depression, Michelle said:
“Well I will just say…it was some things that I had so growing up. I internalized everything, I didn’t have an outlet…”
In efforts to help others struggling with depression, Michelle says, “I want to normalize this mental health discussion,” by publicly demystifying the topic. After disclosing her past struggles on the show, Michelle then gave props to multiplatinum selling pop star, Demi Lovato, for recently detailing her struggles with depression and drug dependency in a new Youtube documentary.
We salute Michelle Williams and Demi Lovato for letting the world know that all that glitters ain’t gold. The old school saying goes: “With great power, comes great responsibility.” These ladies are are finding their balance within that reality, to help empower others. Salute.
