Since her debut with Destiny's Child in 1997, Beyoncé has become one of the most decorated, record-breaking artists of all time.

In 2023, Queen Bey became the artist with the most GRAMMYs in history with 32 wins, after her seventh album, RENAISSANCE, won Best Dance/Electronic Music Album. That same LP also helped Beyoncé become the first female musician to have their first seven studio albums debut at No. 1 in the United States.

Earlier this year, she became the first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart with "TEXAS HOLD 'EM," the lead single from her forthcoming album, COWBOY CARTER.

Beyond her chart achievements, Beyoncé has dedicated much of her work to uplifting women and exploring the Black experience, from Destiny's Child's "Independent Women, Part 1" to 2011's "Run the World (Girls)" and her 2016 album, Lemonade.

To add to her extensive resume, Beyoncé is also an active philanthropist and businesswoman. Through her BeyGOOD charity, she has championed countless causes, including education for young girls. Earlier this year, Beyoncé launched her hair care brand, Cécred, alongside an annual student scholarship and salon grant.

Among the many ways Bey has uplifted women around the world, her message to 2020 graduates perfectly summed up her influence: "Make those power moves, be excellent."

Press play on the video above to learn more about Beyoncé's colossal career. Check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Run the World, as well as for more news on Beyoncé's highly anticipated COWBOY CARTER.

Let's start with the essentials: house music is Black music. House music was born in the United States; Chicago to be exact. House music is one of the core foundational styles of electronic music; as important as Detroit-bred techno.

House is an upbeat genre characterized by a funky, repetitive 4/4 beat (also known as four-on-the-floor) and a danceable tempo ranging from 115 to 130 bpm. House is often made with synthesizers and drum machines — like Roland's classic TR-808 and TR-909 — along with samples. Vocals are common in house music, with the most classic iterations being female diva vocals that harken back to house's disco roots, or distorted, pitched vocals that give a sample new life.

The foundations for house music were bubbling in the '70s in the Midwest and East Coast, particularly at celebrated underground New York clubs like Paradise Garage and David Mancuso's Loft, and in Chicago's house party scene. Larry Levan, the star DJ of Paradise Garage, played an eclectic mix of tunes — particularly disco, R&B, new wave and proto-house records from the likes of Arthur Russell (as Dinosaur L and Loose Joints) and Gwen Guthrie. This New York underground sound would have a huge influence on house music, and was imported to and adapted for Chicago by the Bronx-born Godfather of House Frankie Knuckles.

While disco and funk thrived in the New York club scene, the short-lived post-Saturday Night Fever national disco craze led to its over-commercialization and oversaturation. That came to a head on July 12, 1979, when radio shock jock Steve Dahl led the Disco Demolition Night at the Chicago White Sox's Comiskey Park. The underlying racism was unmasked as mostly white attendees brought all sorts of non-disco records from Black artists for Dahl to blow up, culminating in on-field riot. 

The impact was swift and far-reaching. As the Guardian pointed out, 13 out of 16 of the No. 1 hits in the U.S. from the first half of 1979 were disco tunes, while just one disco tune topped the chart for one week during the second half of the year. Radio stations pivoted back to rock music, labels stopped investing in disco and even the Recording Academy canceled its Best Disco Recording category after one year.

While the commercial and pop culture appetite for disco had soured, people still needed music to dance to. The future of dance music would be created by innovative DIY producers. Aided by the exciting new technology of drum machines, Casio keyboards and other relatively affordable "bedroom producer" equipment, young people in Chicago — many of them Black and queer — made music that would soon be called house. Named after its first home, Chicago's Warehouse, which opened in 1977,  this music not only soundtracked sweaty dancefloors, but would influence electronic music the globe over to this day.

The history of house music — from its foundations in the Windy City to its global explosion, and evolution to the current day — is as rich and varied as the genre itself. This timeline, while not an exhaustive list, will take you through some of the biggest key moments, tracks and players that have shaped house over the last four decades.

House Music Is Born In Chicago

By 1980, The Warehouse was in full swing under the helm of its venerated resident DJ Frankie Knuckles, a.k.a. the Godfather of House. The Bronx-born DJ was a close friend of Larry Levan and also got his start in the queer NYC underground, bringing his disco-rich, classically omnivorous New York club sound to what would become his devoted Chicago fanbase. 

As disco singles dried up, Knuckles needed fresh tunes to mix into his sets and turned to reel-to-reel tape to craft his own extended remixes live in the club. Later, he'd produce his own original house tunes, like the kinetic "Baby Wants To Ride" featuring legendary house vocalist Jamie Principle in 1987. Knuckles famously called house music "disco's revenge." 

In late 1982, Warehouse admission price doubled and Knuckles left to start his own club, The Power Plant, where he introduced drum machines into his sets. Knuckles closed his venue in September 1987 and moved back to NYC. Meanwhile, The Warehouse was renamed the Music Box, and Knuckles' big shoes were filled by the frenzied, eclectic sets of new resident Ron Hardy. Another vital early house DJ, Hardy would play young local producer's tracks and make them hits — yet his untimely death to AIDS at age 33 in 1992 and limited production output have left his legacy oft under-sung. Smartbar, which has remained a purveyor of house music to this day, also opened in 1982, spreading the house club scene to Chicago's North Side.

The nascent genre was technically born in 1984 with the release of Vince Lawrence and Jesse Saunders' "On and On," one of the first original house tracks. With its jittery, repetitive loops, catchy, clapping hi-hats, simple, playful vocals, disco samples, and use of recently introduced drum machines, the track is a perfect representation of classic Chicago house. The pivotal track inspired a rash of other young house-heads to try their hands at production.

Other important '80s Chicago house tracks include Mr. Fingers' (a.k.a. Larry Heard) deep house classic "Can You Feel It," which was made with just the TR-909 and JUNO-60 drum machines, and Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body (the House Music Anthem)" — the first house track that used piano — both of which were released on Trax Records in 1986. Other crucial releases include Lil' Louis' frenetic, deeply influential 1989 track "French Kiss," Steve "Silk" Hurley's "Jack Your Body" in 1987, and Ron Hardy's "Sensation" in 1985. Phuture's "Acid Tracks" in 1987 marked the launch of acid house, characterized by DJ Pierre, Earl "Spanky" Smith Jr. and Herbet J's trippy, sputtering experiments with the Roland 909 drum machine. 

Chicago record stores such as Gramaphone and Imports Etc. played a vital role in promoting and distributing house music, and served as an educational and meeting space for DJs and ravers.

By the mid-'80s, house music was expanding beyond Chicago and its environs. Frankie Knuckles was in demand overseas, and even held a summer residency at a London gay club called Heaven in 1987. Led by techno forefather Kevin Saunderson and Chicago singer Paris Grey, Inner City showcased the joyful house music coming out of Detroit and the impact the two scenes were already having on each other. The group also showcased house’s global pop potential, with their classic 1988 debut single "Big Fun" scoring them a No. 1 hit in the UK and on the U.S. dance chart. 1988's "I'll House You" from New York rap group the Jungle Brothers and DJ/producer Todd Terry showed that New York was ready to bring their flavor to house.

Europe, UK & NYC Go House Crazy; Chicago's Second Wave Artists Emerge

House music continued to thrive in Chicago in the '90s as the next generation of pivotal Chicago artists cropped up , including Derrick Carter, Ron Trent, Paul Johnson and DJ Sneak, while the originators continued their quest to make house happen on a broad scale.

In 1992, house rebel Curtis Jones (performing as Cajmere) dropped the eternal dance floor heater "Percolator" and launched his influential Cajual Records. In 1993, he'd add Relief Records into the mix as an outlet for Green Velvet, his neon-green-mohawked acid house and tech house alter ego and, as Bandcamp put it, "early releases by future legends of the second wave." The popularity of Jones' music and labels helped put Chicago house on the map globally.

Read more: Dance Legend Curtis Jones On Cajmere, Green Velvet & 30 Years Of Cajual Records

In 1995, newcomer Derrick Carter teamed up with Brit Luke Solomon to launch London house imprint Classic Music Company, which is still running today under another iconic UK house label, Defected (established in 1999). 

In 1990, DJ collective The Chosen Few DJs, which includes Jesse Saunders, launched their annual house head reunion picnic. The Chosen Few Picnic and collective are still actively spreading the gospel of Chicago house today. In 1997, Chicagoans DJ Lady D, DJ Heather, DJ Collette and Dayhota made history with the U.S.’s first female DJ collective Superjane.

Dance remixes, many of which were undeniably house, proliferated in the '90s. New York remained the source of these in-demand producers, with Masters at Work (Louie Vega and Kenny Dope), C&C Music Factory (David Cole and Robert Clivillés), François K, David Morales, Todd Terry and Danny Tenaglia at the forefront. New York-based Strictly Rhythm and Nervous Records, both of which are still active, released countless house classics.

In 1991, Frankie Knuckles released his debut album Beyond The Mix, featuring the breezy classic "The Whistle Song." He brought his DJ sorcery to New York with residencies at clubs Roxy and Sound Factory, the latter which brought Harlem's liberatingly queer ballroom culture to the downtown club scene, via NYC house legend Junior Vasquez. In 1998, Frankie Knuckles fittingly won the inaugural Best Remixed Recording GRAMMY Award (then called Remixer Of The Year, Non-Classical), and was nominated again the next year, but David Morales took home the gold.

Masters at Work’s impact on ‘90s NYC house can’t be understated. Some of the dynamic duo’s big tunes from the era include Barbara Tucker's 1994 No. 1 Dance Club hits "Beautiful People" and "I Get Lifted," along with Harddrive’s (a.k.a. Vega) "Deep Inside" and "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" by the Bucketheads (a.k.a.  Dope). Other big '90s house tracks that came out of NYC include Robin S.' enduring "Show Me Love," which hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, Ultra Naté's ever-uplifting, Mood II Swing-produced "Free" from 1995, and Armand van Helden's 1999 classic "U Don't Know Me."

At New Jersey's influential Club Zanzibar, a deep and soulful rendition of house was being perfected by Brooklyn-born Tony Humphries and Jersey-bred Kerri Chandler (one of the progenitors of deep house, alongside Larry Heard). Demonstrating the porous borders of house, Jersey house singer Adeva teamed up with Knuckles for a joint album in 1995, going full gospel house with a backing choir. 

The '90s also saw more house coming out of Detroit, with a more minimal, often spacey touch, reflective of the city’s empty buildings and techno roots. Moodymann showcased his singular lo-fi funk-laden sound with his debut album Silentintroduction on Detroit techno legend Carl Craig's Planet E label, while Theo Parrish, Chez Damier (who got his start in Chicago), Stacey Hotwaxx Hale and DJ Minx all began making their mark on house. Of course, there is no rule that techno artists can't make house, and many Detroit legends did, including Kevin Saunderson, Carl Craig, DJ Minx, "Mad" Mike Banks and others.

Read more: Planet E's Carl Craig On Keeping Dance Music Black & Expansive New 'Planet E 30' Album

Mainstream European audiences have generally shown more openness to dance music than Americans, with dance tunes regularly topping the pop charts in the UK, Sweden, Germany, and beyond. Eurodance was at its euphoric peak in the '90s, with key tracks such as Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam" (1990, UK), La Bouche's "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams" (1995, Germany), Haddaway's "What Is Love" (1993, Germany), Snap's "Rhythm Is A Dancer" (1992, Germany), Real McCoy's "Another Night" (1994, Germany) and Corona's "Rhythm of The Night" (1993/4, Italy). Many of these singles also charted in the U.S.

The UK, and London specifically, have always had an affinity towards house music and putting their own spin on American sounds. In the '90s, soulful house from New Jersey inspired the bassline-focused UK garage (and, later, its faster cousin speed garage). Tech house was born in London in the mid-90s by acid house DJs; it soon became London's de facto club sound following Terry Francis' appointment as club fabric's first resident DJ. London club Ministry of Sound opened in 1991 with an award-winning sound system, bringing New York house legends like Larry Levan and David Morales across the pond. The club also spurred the phenomenon of superstar DJs like Carl Cox and and promoted UK acid house explosion via the likes of DJ Harvey.

Global Dance Comes Stateside

The seeds for EDM's (electronic dance music) popularity in the U.S. were sprouting in the 2000s. The most mainstream offerings in a broad and previously underground scene, EDM is characterized by big drops and pop tendencies like shorter track lengths and catchy vocal hooks. The new millennium also saw the ever-expanding sound of house officially take root globally, with international artists exporting a glossy version of the sound back to the U.S. 

In the early aughts, tracks like Italian Benny Bennasi's "Satisfaction" in 2002, Swede Eric Prydz's "Call On Me" in 2004 and Frenchman Bob Sinclair's "World, Hold On (Children Of The Sky)" in 2006 cracked U.S. dance charts and solidified the artists as big-name mainstage DJs for years to come. The first two represented the electro house sound that would remain popular into the next decade. Prydz's 2008 hit "Pjanoo" marked another very Y2K sound: driving, trance-y progressive house.

The 2000 breezy "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Italian DJ Spiller and British dance-pop queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor was an Ibiza hit that made its way to American clubs and pointed to the popularity nu disco would have in the '00s (as seen by Ellis-Bextor's "Murder On The Dancefloor" and Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" in 2001). UK garage went mainstream as acts like So Solid Crew and Craig David incorporated the genre into chart-topping hits. Black Londoners like Supa D and Crazy Cousinz mixed house with elements from genres across the African diaspora into the captivatingly percussive sound of UK funky.

While French touch/filter house — the Parisian interpretation of house with funk and disco elements popularized by Daft Punk — was bubbling up in the '90s, it really took off around the year 2000. The genre is exemplified by 2000 singles such as Modjo’s "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)," Demon's "You Are My High," and Superfunk's "Lucky Star," featuring soulful vocals from Chicago's Ron Carroll.

In Berlin's underground dance scene, a melodic, intricate version of house was taking shape outside of minimal techno’s dominance. This was exemplified by M.A.N.D.Y. and Booka Shade 2006 smash "Body Language," alongside fellow Germans Henrik Schwarz, Âme and Dixon launching their hugely influential label Innervisionsin 2005, expressly indebted to Chicago and Detroit. Beatportal named Âme’s 2005 song "Rej" "the defining track of a whole era," one that led to the global dominance of what is known as melodic house and techno today. 

Underground scenes in San Francisco and Los Angeles blossomed, with the likes of Chicago transplant Mark Farina and the Sunset Sound System crew, and DJ Dan and Marques Wyatt fostering the respective local rave scenes. While Chicago had a bit of a slower creative period than the prior decades, Brooklyn-born DJ Heather was building her legacy as a Chicago house purveyor. Felix Da Housecat (who had released his first single back in 1987 at just 15 with mentorship from DJ Pierre) saw mainstream success in the '00s, getting tapped for remixes from the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, and Rökysopp. 

Windy City native Honey Dijon was working her magic in New York's queer dance music underground andfashion scene. In 2008, queer DIY New York collective Hercules and Love Affair, led by Andrew Butler, dropped the sparkling nu disco gem "Blind," bolstered by a remix from the one and only Frankie Knuckles. On Aug. 25, 2004, the section of Chicago's Jefferson Street that was home to the original Warehouse was renamedFrankie Knuckles Way.

 House Goes EDM

In the 2010s, dance music finally took off in the U.S. mainstream in the form of EDM, and its influence on pop is undeniable. Big room house — essentially house-indebted EDM — gained popularity via songs such as Martin Garrix's "Animals," Kaskade's "Don't Stop Dancing" featuring EDX and Haley, Calvin Harris' "We Found Love" featuring Rihanna, Swedish House Mafia's "Save The World" and Avicii's "Levels."

In 2011, massive EDM festival Electric Daisy Carnival moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, signaling  how popular dance music had become stateside and the unofficial start of the rave industrial complex. Coachella added the clubby Yuma tent in 2013 with the goal of focusing on underground dance music while expanding its original DJ-centric Sahara Tent. The following year, Harris drew the second-largest Coachella crowd at his mainstage, non-headlining set.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, house’s queer roots were blossoming. In 2013, The Blessed Madonna became smartbar's first woman booker after serving as a resident DJ. Eris Drew and Octo Octa, both trans women, have been expanding the bounds of house and bringing classic, eclectic rave energy since they got behind the decks, while Shaun J. Wright and Alinka have been keeping Chicago house queer and Black with their Twirl parties and label.

Read more: The Rise Of Underground House: How Artists Like Fisher & Acraze Have Taken Tech House, Other Electronic Genres From Indie To EDC

Two UK acts, Disclosure and Jamie XX, would bring classic house, specifically UK garage with a modern touch, to the U.S. charts and GRAMMYs with their debut albums, Settle in 2013 and In Colour in 2015, respectively. Disclosure's success was swift and far-reaching, winning the GRAMMY for Best Dance/Electronic Album for Settle; lead single "Latch" remains their biggest hit and turned then-unknown Sam Smith into a pop star.

Midway through the decade, tech house — which blends elements of techno into a four-four house beat — would begin to take over as the dominant sound of EDM, making superstars of Chris Lake, Hot Since 82 and Patrick Topping and inspiring the next generation of global DJs. This trend was largely driven by Welsh house purveyor Jamie Jones, whose label Hot Creations, producer supergroup Hot Natured, and Paradise Garage-inspired, Ibiza-bred Paradise parties helped popularize a groovy version of tech house. 

Elsewhere in Europe, Norwegian DJ/producer Todd Terje kept the spirit of Ibiza's breezy Balearic house and nu disco alive on his instant-classic debut single "Inspector Norse" in 2012, made using only an ARP 2600 synth. Cinthie, "the Berlin Queen of House," was keeping the spirit of classic-yet-fresh Chicago house alive in the techno-loving city with her all-vinyl sets and label 803 Crystal Grooves.

South Africa'sBlack Coffee became a global flagbearer for Afro house, a vast umbrella term representing an innovative and disparate group producers and subgenres from the African continent and diaspora, further cemented by Drake sampling his 2009 tune "Superman" on 2017's "Get It Together," naming him as a featured artist alongside singer Jorja Smith.

Read more: Black Coffee On New Album, 'Subconsciously': "Music Is Life To Me And I Want You To Feel That With Every Beat And Melody"

House: The Bedrock Of Multiple Mainstream Smashes

In 2022, ill-informed headlines claimed Beyoncé saved house music with the release of the euphoric GRAMMY-winning single "BREAK MY SOUL" and album RENAISSANCE.

House music didn't need saving, but it did reach a wider audience and become the sound of the summer while sparking important conversations reminding people that house is a Black American genre. The 32-time GRAMMY winner did her homework and enlisted a bevy of producers, including Honey Dijon and Luke Solomon (who worked on "COZY" and "ALIEN SUPERSTAR"), and samples to pay tribute to dance music's Black queer roots on RENAISSANCE. Honey Dijon and T.S. Madison— whose "B**ch, I’m Black" speech was sampled on "COZY" — made history as the first Black trans women to earn a Billboard hit.

Learn more: Obsessed With Beyoncé's 'Renaissance'? Keep The Dance Party Going With Albums From Frankie Knuckles, Big Freedia & More

Drake also brought house (and its rapid-fire cousin Jersey club) tunes to the top of the charts on Honestly, Nevermind with help from Gordo (who previously made EDM as Carnage). Keinemusik heads Rampa and &ME brought their wildly popular driving, melodic, Afro-house-infused sound to "Falling Back" and "A Keeper," and Black Coffee and Gordo deliver the breezy, Jersey club meets deep house "Currents."

ARC Festival launched in 2021, as Chicago's answer to Detroit's long-running Movement electronic music festival, featuring local legends and big-name DJs from around the globe and reinvigorating the Windy City as a dance music destination. In 2023, the city finally protected the West Loop building that once housed The Warehouse as an official city landmark.

A younger generation of DJs, such as South Korean Peggy Gou, British TSHA and Aluna, Canadian Jayda G and Detroit-born-and-raised DJ Holographic continue to keep the spirit of house alive and fresh. The likes of Aussie Dom Dolla, Chicagoan John Summit and Brazilian Mochakk have become tech house biggest rising stars while coloring outside of the lines.

Before Afrobeats icons Burna Boy, WizKid, and Tyla became globally recognized household names, Yemi Alade was the continent’s biggest pop star. On July 26, she will release her sixth studio album, Rebel Queen, which expands her repertoire with a world of adventurous pop sounds.  

The Nigerian singer/songwriter burst onto the African pop music scene in 2014 with "Johnny," a now-classic tune that gained acclaim by its iconic video featuring a TV news reporter tracking the titular womanizer. The video made her the first Nigerian female artist to hit 100 million views on YouTube.  

Since then, Alade has had an illustrious career, collaborating with artists including Rick Ross, earning another 100 million-view video for "Oh My Gosh," and featuring alongside fellow Africans Mr. Eazi and Tekno on the Beyoncé-curated soundtrack for The Lion King.

Her latest album, Rebel Queen, includes high-profile collaborations with Angélique Kidjo, Ziggy Marley, and dancehall star Konshens. The album promises a genre-jumping journey across the globe, incorporating amapiano ("Soweto to Ibiza"), highlife ("Chairman"), and even reggae ("Peace and Love") and dancehall ("Bop’).

Ahead of Rebel Queen’s release, GRAMMY.com caught up with Alade about her progression as an artist, what it was like to work with Beyoncé and her team, and bridging international success.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Your new album, 'Rebel Queen', contains influences from all over Africa and beyond. Was that intentional?

Yes, you're correct that I wanted to make sure that the album had sounds that I actually genuinely love, from the amapiano influence to dancehall. And also, I personally wanted to go back to the foundation of Afrobeats, which are sounds and genres that I listened to growing up as a kid. When my parents took me to family parties, there were certain melodies and guitar strums that I fell in love with. And I wanted to revisit those nostalgic moments and put it all in this album.

There are a lot of high-profile collaborations on this record, such as Anjélique Kidjo and Ziggy Marley. How did you decide who to work with on 'Rebel Queen'?

Honestly my life is a roller coaster, same for every touring artist. We try to gather as much as we can while being in motion. Anjélique Kidjo is like my music mum, I love her. And when I made the record, "African Woman," who else would I feature on such a song if not Anjélique? And as for Ziggy, he and I have a song that we did previously ("Look Who’s Dancing Now"), which was his song, and he featured me. And I wanted a tit-for-tat moment. So I sent the song to him. I felt like, who else but him? Every feature was necessary to complete the melody for each song, they are such a huge part of each one, not just in the fresh vibe that they bring. 

Learn more: Watch Yemi Alade's Enchanting Performance Of "Tomorrow" | Global Spin

It’s been ten years since you broke out with the massive hit "Johnny." Back then, African pop music was relatively unknown in America. Since then, African artists have gained global recognition. Do you see yourself as a pioneer for the current Afropop movement?

I agree with you 100 percent, there is no way you authentically go through the history of, you know, building a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world via music without mentioning a song like "Johnny." It's definitely an honor for me to be the vessel that delivers such amazing music to the world. Of course, there were people way before me who also did the same thing. We're talking about Fela [Kuti]. We're talking about King Sunny Ade. At the end of the day, yes, music is metamorphosing into so much more. And definitely, I'm a pioneer [laughs].

You have a strong sense of storytelling, especially in your music videos. "Johnny" has an entire storyline about a news reporter investigating a womanizer. How important is that kind of storytelling to your music?

Storytelling is a big part of my artistry, because I feel everybody loves a good story. I find that even when I'm writing most times in the studio, there's always a picture I'm trying to paint, and it only makes sense for the visuals to kind of match that most of the time. Except sometimes we decide to make it a performance video because I just feel like dancing.

What’s the most memorable video you’ve ever done?

Every one of my videos has taken a lot of pain, sweat, and even some tears. But I think "Johnny" is such a masterpiece, because it resonated with the entire world, and Africa especially. And it pretty much helped me to stay on my way through the industry, because it became my identity. That song and that video was the platform for the brand and everything that I am today. you know, so that is definitely the most memorable, in a good way.

You've traveled to and performed in America several times in your career. What's your overall impression?

I think I've done four or five American tours. And yo, America is so big [laughs]. My first American tour had me in shambles, because of the flights. I didn't realize that to go from one city to another, I might have to connect once or twice depending on how far I'm going. So the flights had me in shambles, but the energy of the people? Oh my days, lit! America is definitely one of my favorite places. I’m always reminding my agents to make sure that they include American cities on my tours, which is why even for the album listening parties for Rebel Queen, we did the first one in Paris, then London, and then we had to come to New York as well. And then just yesterday, we had one in Lagos as well.  

Since you first became popular, a lot of Afrobeats artists have gained a following abroad like Burna Boy and WizKid. It seems as though, at least looking at the artists that break outside of Africa, that the genre is still very male-dominated. Do you agree with that? And do you think there’s potential for more female artists to break out internationally?

Honestly, when I started out, the odds were really way more against women than they are right now, in that, there were female artists sprouting maybe once every two years, or once every year, and barely hanging around long enough. But now, the story is different. And I give kudos to all the women before me and all the women with me. Yes, in a male dominated society, it seems as though my male counterparts get their roses and their flowers for a second. And you know, once in a while someone comes back and remembers, "Oh, there's Yemi Alade." Do you know what I mean? 

I was speaking to someone earlier today and I was saying, I think what surprises me the most is that, I feel like there are no expectations of female artists. So like, if we do or we don't, people are just moving on. But I'm not the one to play victim, never. Despite the odds, you see that the females continue to be resilient, because we know. I know deep within that my existence is definitely of value to so many people out there.

What do you think of the upcoming generation of talent like Tems and Ayra Starr and Tyla, who recently won the first GRAMMY Award for Best African Music Performance for "Water?"

Exceptional, exceptional artists. As you just mentioned, they're doing amazingly well. And, you know, these women are unique in their own ways. And I want to just say that I believe it's just the starting point for them. There's so much to come. And there's so many other females that are still en route to greatness.

How have you seen the music industry in Africa evolve? And what sorts of challenges do you think African musicians face today?

I personally feel like, with all the momentum that Afrobeats has got, we need authentic platforms that can actually check the streaming numbers that are coming in for music, especially within Africa. Because at the moment it’s mostly Apple, Spotify, etc. But there are other platforms here in Africa that most Africans use, and they have more of a database compared to Apple and Spotify. We've come to a point where we need to have more credible numbers, because there's millions of people streaming music in Africa that are not on those platforms.

So you think that these local platforms need to be counted alongside Apple and Spotify?

100 percent. In Nigeria there’s two: Audiomack and Boomplay. Boomplay is a big deal.

You’re going on a decade in the industry. In all that time, what's one moment or one achievement that gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment? What are you most proud of in your career?

That’s a big question…I think I have an idea, because there've been so many moments in my life and in my career that have aligned with my dreams coming true. Number one is each time that I'm approached by a complete stranger and the stranger tells me "Oh my God, Yemi. You don't know what your music has done for me. Your music has gotten me through so much grief." Some people walk up to me and tell me that they just had the biggest struggle in their life and they listen to my music, and it always sends them into a realm of joy and happiness. Honestly, I feel accomplished in those moments, because when I record my music, I always say, the thing I'm trying to spread through my music the most is love, joy and happiness. So to have people testify to that, it means to me that the magic is complete, that my job is actually effective. So that makes me feel very accomplished. 

On a personal note, an accomplishment that I am most grateful to is the fact that I'm always able to comfortably take care of my family. It's something that I would never play down. You know, I'm just grateful to God for that. 

And lastly, aside from winning a GRAMMY through Angelique Kidjo — you know, I've met a lot of amazing people, and Beyoncé is one of them. So at the end of the day, it's a full circle moment for me. I'm just enjoying the ride.

You know, it’s funny you mentioned Beyoncé, I was just about to ask you what it was like to work with her. 

Oh my days — wow, working with her, it was such an experience for myself and my team. It was like, we're literally awake, walking in the dreams that we have dreamt for so long.The process of her team contacting us was a bit weird, because my management didn't realize that Parkwood [Entertainment] was a real company, that they were emailing them and talking about Beyoncé. They assumed that it was some kind of scam artist. But when they had sent it to me, I was like "What? Parkwood? Who doesn’t know Parkwood is Beyoncé?" 

So it turned out that it was for real, and we went to L.A. where the studio was, and I lost my voice for 24 hours — I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t sing. I just soaked up all the vitamin C's and hot teas and Throat Coats I could get. I managed to regain a little bit of my voice back and that's what I was able to record that day. That was a miracle for me. But one of the most memorable moments was actually meeting her in person. After the album, Lion King, came out, the movie was being premiered in London, and I happened to be in London at that time. We had met her in person, we met Jay Z. It was such a full circle moment. Honestly, that lady has really touched my life in a way that I will never forget. Because she could have lived her life without doing what she did, but she decided to reach out to people she felt were pillars of African music and pay homage to Africa. And I'm happy to have been part of that moment.

Three months after OneRepublic began promoting their sixth album, Artificial Paradise, in February 2022, the band unexpectedly had their biggest release in nearly a decade. The pop-rock band's carefree jam, "I Ain't Worried," soundtracked Top Gun: Maverick's most memeable scene and quickly became a global smash — ultimately delaying album plans in favor of promoting their latest hit.

Two years later, "I Ain't Worried" is one of 16 tracks on Artificial Paradise, which arrived July 12. It's a seamless blend of songs that will resonate with longtime and newer fans alike. From the layered production of "Hurt," to the feel-good vibes of "Serotonin," to the evocative lyrics of "Last Holiday," Artificial Paradise shows that OneRepublic's sound is as dialed-in as it is ever-evolving.

The album also marks the end of an era for OneRepublic, as it's the last in their contract with Interscope Records. But for the group's singer, Ryan Tedder, that means the future is even more exciting than it's been in their entire 15-year career.

"I've never been more motivated to write the best material of my life than this very moment," he asserts. "I'm taking it as a challenge. We've had a lot of fun, and a lot of uplifting records for the last seven or eight years, but I also want to tap back into some deeper material with the band."

As he's been prepping Artificial Paradise with his OneRepublic cohorts, Tedder has also been as busy as he's ever been working with other artists. His career as a songwriter/producer took off almost simultaneously with OneRepublic's 2007 breakthrough, "Apologize" (his first major behind-the-board hit was Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love"); to this day he's one of the go-to guys for pop's biggest names, from BLACKPINK to Tate McRae.

Tedder sat down with GRAMMY.com to share some of his most prominent memories of OneRepublic's biggest songs, as well as some of the hits he's written with Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift and more.

I was producing and writing other songs for different artists on Epic and Atlantic — I was just cutting my teeth as a songwriter in L.A. This is like 2004. I was at my lowest mentally and financially. I was completely broke. Creditors chasing me, literally dodging the taxman and getting my car repoed, everything.

I had that song in my back pocket for four years. A buddy of mine just reminded me last month, a songwriter from Nashville — Ashley Gorley, actually. We had a session last month, me, him and Amy Allen, and he brought it up. He was like, "Is it true, the story about 'Apologize'? You were completely broke living in L.A. and Epic Records offered you like 100 grand or something just for the right to record the song on one of their artists?"

And that is true. It was, like, 20 [grand], then 50, then 100. And I was salivating. I was, like, I need this money so bad. And I give so many songs to other people, but with that song, I drew a line in the sand and said, "No one will sing this song but me. I will die with this song." 

It was my story, and I just didn't want anyone else to sing it. It was really that simple. It was a song about my past relationships, it was deeply personal. And it was also the song that — I spent two years trying to figure out what my sound was gonna be. I was a solo artist… and I wasn't landing on anything compelling. Then I landed on "Apologize" and a couple of other songs, and I was like, These songs make me think of a band, not solo artist material. So it was the song that led me to the sound of OneRepublic, and it also led me to the idea that I should start a band and not be a solo artist.

We do it every night. I'll never not do it. I've never gotten sick of it once. Every night that we do it, whether I'm in Houston or Hong Kong, I look out at the crowd and look at the band, and I'm like, Wow. This is the song that got us here.

We were halfway through promoting Dreaming Out Loud, our first album. I played basketball every day on tour, and I snapped my Achilles. The tour got canceled. The doctor told me not to even write. And I had this one sliver of an afternoon where my wife had to run an errand. And because I'm sadistic and crazy, I texted [songwriter] Evan Bogart, "I got a three-hour window, race over here. Beyoncé called me and asked me to write her a song. I want to do it with you." He had just come off his huge Rihanna No. 1, and we had an Ashley Tisdale single together.

When you write enough songs, not every day do the clouds part and God looks down on you and goes, "Here." But that's what happened on that day. I turn on the keyboard, the first sound that I play is the opening sound of the song. Sounds like angels singing. And we wrote the song pretty quick, as I recall. 

I didn't get a response [from Beyoncé after sending "Halo" over], which I've now learned is very, very typical of her. I did Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé "II MOST WANTED" [from COWBOY CARTER] — I didn't know that was coming out 'til five days before it came out. And when I did "XO" [from 2013's Beyoncé], I found out that "XO" was coming out 12 hours before it came out. That's how she operates.

["Good Life"] was kind of a Hail Mary. We already knew that "All the Right Moves" would be the first single [from Waking Up]. We knew that "Secrets" was the second single. And in the 11th hour, our engineer at the time — who I ended up signing as a songwriter, Noel Zancanella — had this drum loop that he had made, and he played it for Brent [Kutzle] in our band. Brent said, "You gotta hear this drum loop that Noel made. It's incredible."

He played it for me the next morning, and I was like, "Yo throw some chords to this. I'm writing to this today." They threw some chords down, and the first thing out of my mouth was, [sings] "Oh, this has gotta be the good life." 

It's the perfect example of, oftentimes, the chord I've tried to strike with this band with some of our bigger records, [which] is happy sad. Where you feel nostalgic and kind of melancholic, but at the same time, euphoric. That's what those chords and that melody did for me.

I was like, "Hey guys, would it be weird if I made the hook a whistle?" And everyone was like, "No! Do not whistle!" They're like, "Name the last hit song that had a whistle." And the only one I could think of was, like, Scorpion from like, 1988. [Laughs.] So I thought, To hell with it, man, it's been long enough, who cares? Let's try it. And the whistle kind of made the record. It became such a signature thing.

Adele — "Rumour Has It," '21' (2011)

"Rumour Has It" was the first song I did in probably a four year period, with any artist, that wasn't a ballad. All any artist ever wanted me to write with them or for them, was ballads, because of "Halo," and "Apologize" and "Bleeding Love."

I begged [Adele] to do a [song with] tempo, because we did "Turning Tables," another ballad. She was in a feisty mood [that day], so I was like, "Okay, we're doing a tempo today!"

Rick Rubin was originally producing the whole album. I was determined to produce Adele, not just write — because I wanted a shot to show her that I could, and to show myself. I stayed later after she left, and I remember thinking, What can I do in this record in this song that could be so difficult to reproduce that it might land me the gig?

So I intentionally muted the click track, changed the tempo, and [created that] whole piano bridge. I was making it up as I went. When she got in that morning. I said, "I have a crazy idea for a bridge. It's a movie." She listens and she says, "This is really different, I like this! How do we write to this?" 

I mean, it was very difficult. [But] we finished the song. She recorded the entire song that day. She recorded the whole song in one take. I've never seen anyone do that in my life — before or since.

Then I didn't hear from her for six months. Because I handed over the files, and Rick Rubin's doing it, so I don't need to check on it. I randomly check on the status of the song — and at this point, if you're a songwriter or producer, you're assuming that they're not keeping the songs. Her manager emails my manager, "Hey, good news — she's keeping both songs they did, and she wants Ryan to finish 'Rumour Has It' production and mix it." 

When I finally asked her, months later — probably at the GRAMMYs — I said, "Why didn't [Rick] do it?" She said, "Oh he did. It's that damn bridge! Nobody could figure out what the hell you were doing…It was so problematic that we just gave up on it."

I was in a Beyoncé camp in the Hamptons writing for the self-titled album. [There were] a bunch of people in the house — me, Greg Kurstin, Sia — it was a fun group of people. I had four days there, and every morning I'd get up an hour and a half before I had to leave, make a coffee, and start prepping for the day. On the third day, I got up, I'm in the basement of this house at like 7 in the morning, and I'm coming up with ideas. I stumble across that chord progression, the guitar and the melody. It was instant shivers up my spine. 

"Lately I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be" is the only line that I had. [My] first thought was, I should play this for Beyoncé, and then I'm listening to it and going, This is not Beyoncé, not even remotely. It'd be a waste. So I tabled it, and I texted the guys in my band, "Hey, I think I have a potentially really big record. I'm going to finish it when I get back to Denver."

I got back the next week, started recording it, did four or five versions of the chorus, bouncing all the versions off my wife, and then eventually landed it. And when I played it for the band, they were like, "This is our favorite song."

It was my second session with Taylor. The first one was [1989's] "I Know Places," and she sent me a voice memo. I was looking for a house in Venice [California], because we were spending so much time in L.A. So that whole memory is attached to me migrating back to Los Angeles. 

But I knew what she was talking about, because I lived in New York, and I remember the feeling — endless possibilities, all the different people and races and sexes and loves. That was her New York chapter. She was so excited to be there. If you never lived there, and especially if you get there and you've got a little money in the pocket, it is so exhilarating.

It was me just kind of witnessing her brilliant, fast-paced, lyrical wizardry. [Co-producer] Max [Martin] and I had a conversation nine months later at the GRAMMYs, when we had literally just won for 1989. He kind of laughed, he pointed to all the other producers on the album, and he's like, "If she had, like, three more hours in the day, she would just figure out what we do and she would do it. And she wouldn't need any of us." 

And I still think that's true. Some people are just forces of nature in and among themselves, and she's one of them. She just blew me away. She's the most talented top liner I've ever been in a room with, bar none. If you're talking lyric and melody, I've never been in a room with anyone faster, more adept, knows more what they want to say, focused, efficient, and just talented.

I had gone through a pretty dry spell mentally, emotionally. I had just burned it at both ends and tapped out, call it end of 2016. So, really, all of 2017 for me was a blur and a wash. I did a bunch of sessions in the first three months of the year, and then I just couldn't get a song out. I kept having, song after song, artists telling me it's the first single, [then] the song was not even on the album. I had never experienced that in my career.

I went six to nine months without finishing a song, which for me is unheard of. Andrew Watt kind of roped me back into working with him. We did "Easier" for 5 Seconds of Summer, and we did some Sam Smith and some Miley Cyrus, and right in that same window, I did this song "Sucker." Two [or] three months later, Wendy Goldstein from Republic [Records] heard the record, I had sent it to her. She'd said, very quietly, "We're relaunching the Jonas Brothers. They want you to be involved in a major way. Do you have anything?" 

She calls me, she goes, "Ryan, do not play this for anybody else. This is their comeback single. It's a No. 1 record. Watch what we're gonna do." And she delivered.

My memory is, being in lockdown in COVID, and just being like, Who knows when this is going to end, working out of my Airstream at my house. I had done a lot of songs for movies over the years, and [for] that particular [song] Randy Spendlove, who runs [music at] Paramount, called me.

I end up Zooming with Tom Cruise [and Top Gun: Maverick director] Jerry Bruckheimer — everybody's in lockdown during post-production. The overarching memory was, Holy cow, I'm doing the scene, I'm doing the song for Top Gun. I can't believe this is happening. But the only way I knew how to approach it, rather than to, like, overreact and s— the bed, was, It's just another day.

I do prescription songs for movies, TV, film all the time. I love a brief. It's so antithetical to most writers. I'm either uncontrollably lazy or the most productive person you've ever met. And the dividing line between the two is, if I'm chasing some directive, some motivation, some endpoint, then I can be wildly productive.

I just thought, I'm going to do the absolute best thing I can do for this scene and serve the film. OneRepublic being the performing artist was not on the menu in my mind. I just told them, "I think you need a cool indie band sounding, like, breakbeat." I used adjectives to describe what I heard when I saw the scene, and Tom got really ramped and excited. 

You could argue [it's the biggest song] since the band started. The thing about it is, it's kind of become one of those every summer [hits]. And when it blew up, that's what Tom said. He said, "Mark my words, dude. You're gonna have a hit with this every summer for, like, the next 20 years or more." 

And that's what happened. The moment Memorial Day happened, "I Ain't Worried" got defrosted and marched itself back into the top 100.

Tate McRae — "Greedy," 'THINK LATER' (2023)

We had "10:35" [with Tiësto] the previous year that had been, like, a No. 1 in the UK and across Europe and Australia. So we were coming off the back of that, and the one thing she was clear about was, "That is not the direction of what I want to do."

If my memory serves me correct, "greedy" was the next to last session we had. Everything we had done up to that point was kind of dark, midtempo, emotional. So "greedy" was the weirdo outlier. I kept pushing her to do a dance record. I was like, "Tate, there's a lot of people that have great voices, and there's a lot of people who can write, but none of those people are professional dancers like you are. Your secret weapon is the thing you're not using. In this game and this career, you've got to use every asset that you have and exploit it."

There was a lot of cajoling. On that day, we did it, and I thought it was badass, and loved it. And she was like, "Ugh, what do we just do? What is this?"

So then it was just, like, months, months and months of me constantly bringing that song back up, and playing it for her, and annoying the s— out of her. And she came around on it. 

She has very specific taste. So much of the music with Tate, it really is her steering. I'll do what I think is like a finished version of a song, and then she will push everyone for weeks, if not months, to extract every ounce of everything out of them, to push the song harder, further, edgier — 19 versions of a song, until finally she goes, "Okay, this is the one." She's a perfectionist.

I love [our latest single] "Hurt," but my favorite song on the album is called "Last Holiday." I probably started the beginning of that lyric, I'm not joking, seven, eight years ago. But I didn't finish it 'til this past year.

The verses are little maxims and words of advice that I've been given throughout the years. It's almost cynical in a way, the song. When I wrote the chorus, I was definitely in kind of a down place. So the opening line is, "So I don't believe in the stars anymore/ They never gave me what I wished for." And it's, obviously, a very not-so-slight reference to "Counting Stars." But it's also hopeful — "We've got some problems, okay, but this isn't our last holiday." 

It's very simple sentiments. Press pause. Take some moments. Find God before it all ends. All these things with this big, soaring chorus. Musically and emotionally and sonically, that song — and "Hurt," for sure — but "Last Holiday" is extremely us-sounding. 

The biggest enemy that we've had over the course of 18 years, I'll be the first to volunteer, is, this ever-evolving, undulating sound. No one's gonna accuse me of making these super complex concept albums, because that's just not how my brain's wired. I grew up listening to the radio. I didn't grow up hanging out in the Bowery in CBGBs listening to Nick Cave. So for us, the downside to that, and for me doing all these songs for all these other people, is the constant push and pull of "What is their sound? What genre is it?" 

I couldn't put a pin in exactly what the sound is, but what I would say is, if you look at the last 18 years, a song like "Last Holiday" really encompasses, sonically, what this band is about. It's very moving, and emotional, and dynamic. It takes me to a place — that's the best way for me to put it. And hopefully the listener finds the same.

In 1997, all-female R&B groups were thriving: TLC already had seven Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, En Vogue had numerous platinum singles, and Xscape reached No. 1 more than once. Soon, a quartet of teenagers would burst upon the scene and leave an indelible impact.

While Destiny’s Child are now canonical in the world of '90s and early aughts R&B, the group initially experienced spotty success. Their 1997 debut single, "No, No, No (Part 2)" peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and was certified platinum. Yet their eponymous album, released in February 1998, only hit No. 67. Their follow up single, "With Me," also failed to set the charts ablaze. 

Destiny’s Child's underwhelming chart performances could’ve easily derailed the budding group. Fortunately, the four ambitious girls from Texas had other plans. 

Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and Le Toya Luckett were determined not to become one hit wonders, and quickly went back into the studio to record their sophomore album. Released on July 14, 1999, The Writing’s On the Wall became Destiny’s Child’s highest selling album and spawned some of their most iconic songs — one of which led to the group's first GRAMMY win. Not only did the album establish Destiny's Child as a household name, but it fine tuned the R&B girl group concept to perfection.

"We had no idea that The Writing's on the Wall would be as big a record as it was. Especially worldwide," Beyoncé said in a 2006 Guardian interview.

In celebration of the iconic album's 25th anniversary, read on for five reasons why The Writing’s On the Wall is the defining album of Destiny’s Child’s career.

Its Members Took Creative Control

On their debut album, Destiny’s Child tapped into the neo soul trend popularized by the likes of D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Maxwell — artists in their early-to-mid twenties with a maturity the teen quartet didn’t yet have. The references and creative direction clashed with the reality of the group members being so young.

"It was a neo-soul record and we were 15 years old. It was way too mature for us," Beyoncé tol the Guardian.

Heading back into the studio, the girls made sure to eradicate any misalignments and put more of themselves into their sophomore album. In an interview with MTV, the members said The Writing’s On the Wall had a fresher, more youthful vibe because "it comes from us." The quartet's fingerprints are all over the 16 track album: Each member co-wrote at least 50 percent of the album. 

"Even at the time, Beyoncé would produce a lot of their background vocals, and she was a leader even at a young age," Xscape's Kandi Burruss said in a Vice interview, reflecting on her work as a songwriter and producer on The Writing's On the Wall. This heightened presence enabled the group to develop lyrics that boldly reflected their opinions and youthful energy. In turn, The Writing's On the Wall netted a run of iconic hit singles.

Read more: Destiny's Child's Debut Album At 25: How A Neo-Soul Album From Teens Spawned R&B Legends

It Pushed R&B Forward 

Like its predecessor, The Writing’s On the Wall is very much an R&B album. However, Beyoncé's father Mathew Knowles — who still managed the group at the time — brought in producers who weren’t afraid to experiment. The result was a more commercial album that fused classic R&B with pop influences, creating a sound that was simultaneously contemporary and timeless.

Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and Burrus (who would go on to co-write and produce TLC’s "No Scrubs") contributed to five of the album's tracks, shaping its overall sound and differentiating it from Destiny’s Child. The duo kept a few elements from the group’s debut effort, including the sing-rapping heard on "Bug A Boo" and "Hey Ladies." With syncopated beats, thumping basslines, and their knack for writing catchy hooks, Briggs and Burrus created R&B records with the perfect blend of chart-friendly accessibility.

On the Missy Elliott produced "Confessions," synthesizers, drum machines, and electronic garbling were layered to create a lush, futuristic backdrop. Further subverting the classic R&B ballad, Elliott paired what sounds like a cabasa to match Beyonce’s cadence throughout the verses which gives her laidback vocals an almost robotic feel. In addition to producing, Elliott’s velvety vocals also appear quite prominently on the chorus, adding to the track’s sonic tapestry.

GRAMMY-winner Rodney Jerkins was tapped to produce "Say My Name." The original beat Jerkins used was two-step garage, a subgenre of UK garage. No one else liked the sound, so he completely revamped the track into the GRAMMY-winning anthem we know today. Jerkins melded funk-inspired guitar and a call and response approach, then modernized them with a shimmery, polished production. This helped "Say My Name" become the group’s most listened to song on Spotify with over 840 million streams. Jerkins has even gone on record to say this is his favorite song he’s produced to date.

Read more: "Say My Name" 20 Years Later: Why The Destiny's Child Staple Is Still On Everyone's Lips

Its Music Videos Praised Black Culture

"For me, it is about amplifying the beauty in all of us," Beyoncé said in a 2019 interview with Elle when asked about the importance of representation. Even before her solo work, the importance of spotlighting Black culture was evident in Destiny's Child's music videos.

In "Bills, Bills, Bills," we see the group play the role of hair stylists in a salon which is an obvious nod to Beyoncé's mother’s longstanding relationship with all things hair. Near the end of "Bug a Boo," the members change into their version of majorette costumes and dance in front of a marching band. Majorettes and marching bands have a vibrant legacy within HBCUs; almost 20 years after this video premiered, Beyoncé revisited this very concept for her 2018 Coachella performance. 

It Delivered Mainstream Success 

The Writing’s On the Wall was a hit across the charts. The group earned their first No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 with "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name." Promotions for the latter also reinvigorated album sales and helped shift another 157,000 copies (an impressive 15 percent increase from their first-week sales). The fourth and final single, "Jumpin’, Jumpin’" was released during the summer of 2000 and became one of the most played songs on the radio that year.

Songs from the album were nominated at both the 42nd and 43rd GRAMMY Awards. Destiny’s Child took home their first golden gramophone at the 2001 GRAMMYs, winning Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Say My Name." The single also won Best R&B Song and  was nominated for Record Of The Year. 

With 14 nominations, Destiny’s Child remain the most nominated girl group in GRAMMY history. With worldwide sales of 13 million, The Writing’s On the Wall is also the fourth best-selling girl group album of all time.

It Expanded The Concept Of "Girl Power"

The Writing’s On the Wall was much more than catchy, radio-friendly tunes. Lyrically and in production, the album reintroduced Destiny’s Child as the architects for their own lives. The tongue-in-cheek Godfather-inspired intro tees up each song with a commandment for their partners and, at times, for themselves.

Often misconstrued as a gold digger anthem,"Bills, Bills, Bills" empowers a woman to confront a lover who's financially taking advantage of her. This is a far cry from the theme of a young woman focused on finding love — a common theme on Destiny's Child —  and puts their confidence on full display. "So Good" is a sassy, uplifting anthem which explicitly addresses haters with pointed lyrics like "For all the people ‘round us that have been negative/Look at us now/See how we live." Destiny's Child was sending a clear message: they’re going to be fine regardless of what others say. 

And when the group became tabloid fodder due to unexpected lineup changes, "So Good" took on a new meaning for persevering through hard times. While there are some songs with morally questionable lyrics — we’re looking at you ‘"Confessions" — the consistent message of embracing one’s self-worth and independence is clear.