Farrah Franklin

Farrah Laron Franklin (born May 3, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She is also a former member of the girl group Destiny's Child. Along with Michelle Williams, she replaced the group's original members LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. Franklin spent several months with the group before departing as a member. While her musical contribution to the group was minimal, Franklin's vocals are featured on the group's single "Independent Women Part I" which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following her departure.

Franklin was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and raised in Fresno, California. She considers Lawrence Bohanon to be her father, as she never met her biological father, Rodney Allen Heard. She is of African-American and Italian descent, and the oldest of fifteen children, including a younger sister named Karrie. She is also the cousin of late singer and rapper Natina Reed. Franklin grew up attending church. She started singing at age two, inspired by Bohanon, who played bass guitar in local bands. When Franklin was eight, she began performing in plays at the Fresno Memorial Auditorium. She was in the concert choir at Central High School, where she was bullied. At fifteen, Franklin decided to leave Fresno to pursue a career in entertainment following her aunt's relocation to Los Angeles. She went by the name 'Destiny Franklin' before her stint in Destiny's Child.

In 1999, while living in Los Angeles, Franklin was hired to be an extra in the music video for Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills". It was there that she met with group members Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson. At the time, she was in a fledgling singing group called Jane Doe, which was in the process of disbanding. In January 2000, Mathew Knowles invited Franklin and Michelle Williams to join Destiny's Child, replacing previous group members LeToya and LaTavia without notice. The two were introduced to fans in February 2000, by appearing in the music video for "Say My Name". Franklin toured and performed with the group, and also appeared in the music video for "Jumpin', Jumpin'". She contributed vocals to various Destiny's Child songs, including "Jumpin', Jumpin'" (Remixes), "Upside Down" (Live at VH1 Divas), and "Dot", as well as a few tracks on Survivor, released after her departure, like "Independent Women" and "Dance with Me".