Contributed
Michelle Williams, formerly of Destiny's Child.

Having been a member of the biggest-selling female group for more than eight years, Destiny's Child, Michelle Williams is re-embarking on a solo career with the release of her album, Unexpected. In this exclusive interview with Young Voices, the 27-year-old star opens up to Archna Sawjani about the constant comparisons with band mates Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland.

Hey Michelle! I love your new video.

Aww, thank you! It was actually directed by UK director, Phil Griffin.

Is it important for you to find talent from outside the US?

Absolutely - especially the UK! I love the UK! We were actually just talking about getting out there to do a show or something. I can't wait to come out there again.

Kelly Rowland seems to have set up home over here.

I know! She's been over there for a long time. I miss her! Tell her to come back (laughs)! She's doing her thing over there. I'm very excited for her.

You've had a lot of success with your gospel albums. What made you decide to come back to pop and R 'n' B music?

I guess because I just love all types of music and it's something that I missed. It's not something new to me; this is what everyone knows me best for from my Destiny's Child days.

The pop critics can be very harsh. Were you scared to come back and do it alone this time?

I never go into something thinking about what the critics are going to say. If I did I wouldn't do it, because it would probably scare me too much (laughs).

Have the critics ever affected your confidence?

Yeah, especially in the beginning! But if you know who you are, know what you bring to the table and you're consistent, no one can bring you down.

Are we going to see a new side of you on this album?

I am so happy with this project. I feel blessed to be able to approve every song that went on it. There is no song on the album that makes me cringe when I listen to it - I am very satisfied! You don't really see a new side of me, but you will see a confident, outgoing, sexy, young lady. I've grown so much in the past couple of years and I'm ready to showcase that.