LeToya Luckett joined Tank and J Valentine on their “R&B Money Podcast” where she discussed forming self-doubt and a lack of confidence while part of the girl group Destiny’s Child.
LeToya and the hosts noted how for anyone wanting to make it in the music business “confidence is key.”
For LeToya, that wasn’t a problem — or so she thought. The “Torn” singer knew she had a voice and knew she was talented; however, her confidence began to shake once she joined Destiny’s Child — originally called Girls Tyme — at the age of 12.
“Once I became a part of DC it wasn’t your local talent show anymore,” she said. “It wasn’t a stage play, this was real.”
Practicing every single day with minimum breaks, LeToya admitted the four young girls barely had any time to do normal tween activities.
“We ate, slept, and peed this industry like it was nonstop.”
As the interview continued, LeToya revealed her confidence began to dip after she heard all of the different voices in the group, especially Beyoncé’s.
“We talking about B, I don’t sound like that, I don’t sound like – that ain’t how I sound. Does that mean I’m not good enough or does that mean it’s just different?”
While LeToya clarified to Tank and J Valentine that she had no ill feelings or jealous emotions toward Beyoncé or her voice, she did start to question her abilities as a vocalist, she said, and began to dim her own light by establishing her position and never straying away from it.
She confessed, “The position I was given was soprano, so I just worked on that.” She continued, “I found my lane in the group, I played my part but I played that part for so long that I never really, I never really put the effort to make other parts of my voice.. Like to grow. Because I was too busy sharpening soprano.”
Making sure her soprano was good for the group, but it was bad for LeToya’s sense of trust within herself and her own vocal capabilities. Even the thought of going solo put fear in her heart due to her lack of self-confidence.
“I became insecure in anything else. To even hear my voice stand alone, because I’m just here for the harmonies. I’m just here to play my part as a soprano in the harmony. The thought of hearing myself again or being a solo artist was.. Oh my gosh, the anxiety.”
Ultimately, the soprano vocalist, now 41, branched into solo artistry, with a number of solo hits such as, “Regret,” “Not Anymore,” “She Don’t” and her biggest single, “Torn.”
In an industry that has been tough on many, nevertheless, LeToya decided to arrest her internal self-inflicted obstacles and change her own narrative from one of not being able to actually doing.
