How Jay-Z Helped Kelly Rowland Reunite With Her Father After 30 Years
From her years as an original member of one of the most celebrated girl groups of all time, Destiny's Child, to her successful solo music career, Kelly Rowland has been an accomplished performer for the vast majority of her life. In her personal life, Rowland has found great satisfaction in becoming a parent, as she gave birth to her son, Titan, in November 2014, per Essence. In addition, she welcomed another son, Noah, in 2021 as People reported.
Sadly, just a few weeks after Titan's birth, Rowland's mother, Doris Rowland Garrison, died at 66 years old. After Garrison's death, Rowland decided to reconnect with her biological father, Christopher Lovett, whom she had previously not been in touch with for 30 years. She announced their reunion, which took place in October 2018, on Instagram in June 2020. The singer posted a series of photos with her and Lovett and wrote that meeting him was "one of the most pivotal moments in [her] life." She also said that she arranged for their meeting while filming for the television series, "American Soul," and through this experience, was able to find forgiveness in her heart.
"I listened to him, I was nervous to trust him ... nervous about it all. And the truth is, I already loved him. ... I have forgiven, and we have spoken everyday since!" she wrote. Now, Rowland has further opened up about her story of forgiveness — and how it involved a very famous face.
Kelly Rowland took a leap of faith and forgave her father
Following her initial Instagram announcement that she had reunited with her biological father, Christopher Lovett, after 30 years of having no communication with him, Kelly Rowland has opened up for an in-depth interview about this life-changing experience. During an appearance on "Today," Rowland discussed how she was raised by her mother and was told that Lovett was not ready to take on the role of her being a father to her. Although she didn't have a desire to meet him as she matured, once she had her first son, Titan, and her mother passed away, Rowland had a change of heart and decided to reunite with Lovett.
In fact, Jay-Z helped her make this choice, as he gave her some words of wisdom when she was contemplating meeting with her father. "[Jay-Z] said, 'Love is all about risk. You gotta decide if you're gonna jump,'" Rowland shared. Lovett was also present for the interview and described it as being "just like a dream" finally being able to see his daughter face to face. Some important lessons Rowland said she learned from this journey are "that we are not perfect ... we have to give our parents grace ... [and] forgiveness is always right there." Rowland and Lovett's reunion story is a truly inspiring one that shows it's never too late to heal and move on from the past.