her musical debut at the age of seven, performing a rendition of the hymn "Blessed Assurance" at the St. Paul Church of God in Christ. She later sang in the gospel groups United Harmony and Chosen Expression. Williams graduated from Rockford Auburn High School in 1997. Shortly after graduating, she pursued a degree in criminal justice at Illinois State University, doubtful of her ability to make a career as a professional singer. However, after two years of college, she left to pursue a music career, as a backing vocalist for other artists such as Monica. In late 1999, 20-year-old Williams met Destiny's Child band members Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland in the lobby of an Atlanta hotel. Several months later, a choreographer acquaintance of Williams who knew the group connected Williams to the Knowles family and Rowland, as they were vetting potential new group members. 2000–2003: Breakthrough with Destiny's Child, Heart to Yours and Aida After the much-publicized turmoil, Williams, alongside Farrah Franklin, officially joined the group in early 2000, replacing LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson without notice. Buoyed by the group's breakout success, Luckett and Roberson had both attempted to split with the group's manager Mathew Knowles in late 1999, claiming that he kept a disproportionate share of the band's profits and unfairly favored Knowles and Rowland. The issue was heightened after Williams and Franklin appeared in the video of "Say My Name", implying that the original band members were already replaced. Franklin, however, faded from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. Franklin attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife. After settling on this final lineup, the trio released "Independent Women Part I", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film Charlie's Angels. It became their best-charting single yet, topping the official US singles chart for eleven consecutive weeks; the success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame. In May 2001, Destiny's Child released the group's third studio album Survivor. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with sales of 663,000 copies. Survivor has sold over twelve million copies worldwide, 4.1 million of which were sold in the US alone. The album's other number-one hits are "Bootylicious" and the title track "Survivor", the latter earning the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or