Not many people in the public eye had a comeback story quite like Letoya Luckett. The former Destiny’s Child singer was counted out by a high percentage of fans who witnessed the sudden ousting of the Luckett along with Latavia Roberson at the height of their career. But nobody could have predicted her solo success when fans thought The Writings On The Wall were clear for Letoya Luckett. Perhaps not even the singer. Letoya Luckett is opening up about her journey and the hardships she faced, including a bout of homelessness.
Letoya Luckett came to prominence as one of the four original members of Destiny’s Child. Together with the group, she was a part of two albums, their self-titled debut and its follow-up, The Writings On The Wall. Luckett achieved multi-platinum success and also helped to co-write some of the group’s biggest records like “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and “Say My Name.”
But fans were incredibly shocked when the video for “Say My Name” was released with two new faces that were not Letoya Luckett or Latavia Roberson. Instead, Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland were joined by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin, thus making up the new Destiny’s Child. However, that lineup was also changed as Farrah Franklin was swiftly dropped. The foursome became the threesome that many have come to remember Destiny’s Child by.
The reason that Letoya Luckett found herself on the Destiny’s Child chopping block was due to her issues with management, which was handled by Beyonce’s father, Matthew Knowles. The former DC member sought new representation for management after she felt there was a lack of communication and other issues. Soon, the singer found herself embroiled in lawsuits with Matthew Knowles and the other members of Destiny’s Child. The suits were later settled.
The years following Letoya Luckett’s split from Destiny’s Child proved to be a bit tumultuous for the singer. However, most of the world had no clue. Fast forward to 2006, and Letoya’s debut solo album was released to positive reviews. The singer’s debut single, “Torn,” became a big success for Letoya Luckett, charting in the top 40 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and number 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
Letoya Luckett’s journey with her solo career produced three albums and other successful singles like 2009’s “Regret” featuring Ludacris. Following her split, she also opened a boutique in Houston called Lady L Boutique in 2004. Luckett also stepped into a successful acting career, including Preacher’s Kid and the Lifetime film Line Sisters. It was also recently announced that the sometimes reality star will star in the upcoming Dionne Warwick biopic as the “That’s What Friends Are For” singer.
But it took tons of hardships, bouts of uncertainty, and tons of activated faith to get to where Letoya Luckett has gotten. Recently, the entertainer had an Instagram Live session where she dove into much of her journey. Luckett invited a fan into her session who questioned following her purpose after Destiny’s Child and in life. Letoya Luckett revealed that she actually had no idea what life would give after leaving the iconic group.
The singer shared that she was around 18-years-old when it all transpired and had difficulty adjusting as she wasn’t used to life as a “normal teenager.” Letoya Luckett also confessed that she was dealing with insecurities after leaving Destiny’s Child, and the thought of doing anything by herself was “very, very scary” and admittedly “terrifying.”
Letoya Luckett shared that she fell out of love with singing and just the mere thought of the idea angered her. “I didn’t believe I had a voice,” she said. “I didn’t believe I could sing. I didn’t believe that I would ever return to the music industry.” Even through all she accomplished up until “Torn” dropped, Letoya Luckett was struggling through life in order to achieve her dreams. The singer revealed on Instagram Live that times got hard when she created her first album. She tearfully recalled staying in people’s homes and sleeping in her car while in Los Angeles. At the time, Luckett could only afford “a gallon of water” and packages of oodles of noodles, and she would cook it on hotel coffee pots. Click the video below to go on the journey with Letoya Luckett.
