Kelly Rowland Talks Columbia Records 'Drop' In Statement, Cites 'New Amicable Direction'

Grammy Award-winning starlet Kelly Rowland says rumors that her split with Columbia Records, revealed Monday, having to do with not being "commercially viable" are false !

In a statement obtained early Tuesday, Rowland and Columbia reveal that the former "Like This" singer will not only continue on at Columbia as part of Destiny's Child but the split was truly amicable and her decision.

"Because Columbia Records has been my home base as an artist for more than a decade, the decision to move out on my own required a lot of soul-searching," says Kelly Rowland.

"As a solo artist, I felt the need to explore new directions, new challenges, and new freedoms outside my comfort zone and my friends and family at Columbia have been incredibly understanding about my evolution. I want to thank everyone at Columbia for the love and support they've shown and I will never forget how many good times we've had over the years."

While at Columbia, Rowland helped to earn Destiny's Child (including Beyonce and Michelle Williams) the distinction of becoming the #1 female pop group of all time, a fact that Columbia/Epic Label Music Group CEO Rob Stringer can't ignore.

"Kelly Rowland is one of our finest contemporary artists and a musical force to be reckoned with," says Stringer.

"It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with Kelly and we will continue our working relationship with her under the Destiny's Child moniker. The decision for Kelly to seek other opportunities for her solo career was agreed upon mutually, and any reports to the contrary are false."

As they say... there you have it !

In addition to selling more than 50 million records worldwide with Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland sold more than 4 million copies globally of her two solo albums: 2002's "Simply Deep" and 2007's "Ms. Kelly," which included the international #1 chart-topping single, "Work."

As previously reported on Singersroom, Rowland has inked a new deal with BRAVO for the forthcoming series "The Fashion Show" slated to premiere on the network later this year.

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