Kelly Rowland was the first person in her family to buy a house.
The star shot to fame alongside Beyoncé and Michelle Williams in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny’s Child. She recalled how “great” it felt for her to collect the keys to her first property after years of schlepping around the country with her mom while trying to build a career.
“I was the first one in my family to actually buy a home,” Rowland said in a video posted to Instagram. “It was in Houston, Texas, and I will never forget going to the office where you fill out all of your paperwork. … When they gave me the keys to my first home, I think I cried. I think I shouted. I was also scared, you know what I mean? Because this is a very big purchase.”
“It’s a big investment, but it’s a lot of responsibility. But I remember how great I felt, because I remember my mom and I moving from pillar to post. She was a very hardworking woman. She was a nanny and a housekeeper, and we never had, like, a house that we owned. So getting those keys, that was incredible,” she continued.
The “Dilemma” hitmaker — who now has a reported net worth of $26 million — was speaking out about her first time buying property as she learned that 85 percent of Americans feel as if they will never get the chance to own a home. Rowland urged them to vote in the upcoming election.
“So please, it’s important for you, for your future, that we get out here and vote,” she stated. “Let’s make our voices heard. Make them loud and proud and don’t let nobody talk you out of your vote. Speak up for your future.”