Entertainment

Michelle Williams Just Revealed How Destiny’s Child’s Coachella Reunion Really Came To Be

by Tolly Wright
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

When it came to this year's Coachella, headliner Beyoncé came to slay, and she brought some old friends with her. Speaking to Billboard, one of these pals, Michelle Williams, revealed how Beyoncé got Destiny's Child back together for the occasion, and why she's always willing to team back up again with Bey and Kelly Rowland after all these years. The powerhouse girl group might have broken up years ago, but the three members have stayed true friends.

“It’s just like old girlfriends coming together,” the "Say Yes" singer said. "It’s something that when the three of us come together, we all know we feel safe within each other. Like I got your back. We’re good. I really love that about us.”

According to Williams, she didn't actually expect Beyoncé to invite her and Rowland to perform at the festival. When she first got the phone call, she assumed her old bandmate just wanted to meet for a social occasion. "We talk all the time so when she called I just thought she was gonna say, 'Hey I wanna go to lunch, I wanna come to dinner' or something," she explained. "So it literally was the phone call, like yay. 'Y’all know I’m doing Coachella, I would love for y’all to come out and we’ll figure out what we’re going to do.'"

Williams also reenacted the phone call on Good Morning America where she briefly showed off her Bey impersonation.

Williams described the experience of performing with her old group, which officially disbanded in 2005, as if no time has passed. She told Billboard:

"I love performing with the girls. There’s nothing like it. Something happens when the three of us come together. I just love the power it shows, the unity that it shows, that no matter where we are in life —personally, career wise — that we make time for each other."

This seems to echo the official statement the trio gave when they did decide to go their separate ways over a decade ago. At the time, the group wrote about their decision, "No matter what happens, we will always love each other as friends and sisters and will always support each other as artists."

It seems that they remained true to their words, too. Their performance of a medley of their greatest hits, including “Say My Name,” “Lose My Breath,” and “Soldier” during both weekends of Coachella was flawless. They returned to their old harmonies and amazing choreography as if the past 13 years were spent mostly apart.

Of course, one of the best parts about the reunion was how much of a surprise it was. Though the performance was highly anticipated (that's an understatement), there were very few leaks. Williams revealed they had been working together on their portion of the set since late February. "Beyoncé has been very private all of the years that I’ve known her, Williams said. "She’s fun, goofy, laughs, everything, but she’s always been very private. So those around her who are her friends, you kind of respect that." While it may have been a no-brainer to her to keep the performance a surprise, she also told Billboard that she suspects some people signed non-disclosure agreements to ensure they'd keep their lips tightly sealed.

This wasn't the first time the three women blew the audience away by reuniting, either. During Queen Bey's 2013 Super Bowl halftime show, Rowland and Williams joined her onstage and made every '90s kids' heart nearly explode. Beyoncé isn't the only one who can convince the gang to get back together again, either. Rowland and Beyoncé joined Williams for a surprise reunion at the 2015 Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The three sang a version of Williams' song "Say Yes."

As Williams pointed out to Billboard, they seem to get back together to do something every couple of years. While it's exciting to think that they're not done with each other yet, it'll be hard to wait until circa 2020 to see the three of them harmonizing again.