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Kelly Rowland talks about being constantly compared to Beyoncé

The singer opened up during a recent episode of "The Voice Australia."
Beyonce Celebrates The Release of Her New Album "Dangerouslyinlove"
Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé Knowles first met when they were nine years old.L. Cohen / WireImage
/ Source: TODAY

Kelly Rowland is a major star in her own right, but there was a time when she felt like she was simply living in Beyoncé's shadow.

During a recent episode of “The Voice Australia,” the singer opened up about what it was like to constantly be compared to her Destiny's Child bandmate during the group's heyday.

“I would just torture myself in my head. Like, I can’t wear this dress because they’re going to say it’s like B, or, I can’t have a song like that because it sounds too much like B. They’re gonna compare anyways,” Rowland explained.

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The 39-year-old got candid about her experience as a member of the popular girl group while mentoring "The Voice Australia" semi-finalist Chris Sebastian, whose brother Guy is a pop star and mentor on the show.

"Identity has been a real weird thing for me. I love Guy but like I've always kind of had to prove myself," Sebastian told Rowland. "Even just being taken seriously, its been hard to be taken seriously. I felt like you would get me."

"I know this feeling. Can you imagine what it's like being in a group with Beyoncé?" Rowland replied and then laughed.

Rowland and Beyoncé first met when they were nine years old and skyrocketed to fame as members of Destiny's Child in the '90s.

"I grew up with Beyoncé, her sister Solange, her mother Tina and her eldest cousin Angie. It was a real sisterhood," Rowland told Marie Claire Australia last year. "We grew up in this industry together; we’ve shared ups and downs and we are closer than ever. I can tell her anything and she’ll never judge me."

Destiny's Child on "Good Morning America" - November 16, 2004
Rowland has known Beyonce since she was a child.Theo Wargo / WireImage

Despite their strong bond, Rowland admitted that she did feel like she was overshadowed by her best friend while Destiny's Child was still together.

“I would be lying if I said no, it’s never bothered me. That’s bull. There was a whole decade, if I am being completely honest, a decade, that it was like the elephant in the room. It was the thing that would constantly be on my shoulder,” she said.

After the group went their separate ways to pursue solo projects, Rowland had the chance to find her own identity and she encouraged Sebastian to do the same.

"This is your opportunity to carve your own path, even with (your brother) sitting in that chair down there," she said.