June's Diary facts for kids

June's Diary is an American girl group that was formed in 2016. The group was created by singer Kelly Rowland and choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. on a TV show called Chasing Destiny. The group has five talented members: Kristal Lyndriette Smith, Ashly Williams, Brienna DeVlugt, Gabrielle "Gabby" Carreiro, and Shyann Roberts.

June's Diary signed a music deal with Epic Records, which is part of Sony Music Entertainment. They have performed with many famous artists on tours, including Xscape and Jussie Smollett. They also teamed up with the group En Vogue on ABC's Greatest Hits show.

After their TV show Chasing Destiny ended, they released their first song, "All of Us", on June 7, 2016. A few weeks later, on June 24, 2016, their official first single, "L.A.N.C.E.", came out.

The Story of June's Diary

How the Group Started: Chasing Destiny in 2016

Chasing Destiny was a TV show in 2016 that helped create June's Diary. Former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland and famous choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. worked together to find a new girl group. Their goal was to find talented African American singers who could also form a strong sisterhood.

Kelly Rowland explained in an interview that she felt there was a need for more girl groups in music. She wanted to show that women could work together and succeed. Rowland held auditions in three cities, starting with 600 girls. She narrowed it down to 15, and then chose the final five members of June's Diary. These members are Gabrielle "Gabby" Carreiro, Kristal Lyn Smith, Ashly Williams, Brienna DeVlugt, and Shyann Roberts.

Some of the girls, like Williams and Smith, were brought into the group later in the process. Williams was initially cut but brought back because of her talent. Smith had worked with Beyoncé before and was added by Gatson. The group gained a lot of attention in May 2016 when their cover of Drake's song "Hotline Bling" went viral during the show.

First Releases: Male Edition and More (2016–2017)

On June 7, 2016, after the final episode of Chasing Destiny, the group released their first song, "All of Us". At this time, they were still deciding on a group name. The five members signed with L.A. Reid's record label, Epic Records, which is part of Sony Music Entertainment.

On June 23, 2016, they officially announced their group name: June's Diary. Kristal Smith explained that June was the month when they truly connected as a group. Many good things happened for them in June, and they felt a special bond. The "Diary" part means they are telling their story and writing new pages every day.

Their first official single, "L.A.N.C.E.", was released on iTunes on June 24, 2016. They also released a music video for the song during the 2016 BET Awards. The group started their first promotional tour in late 2016. They later joined R. Kelly on his Buffet Tour and 12 Nights of Christmas tour.

In March 2017, June's Diary released a cover of "Stay" by Jodeci. This song was part of their first mixtape, Male Edition, which came out on June 30, 2017. This mixtape featured covers of songs by male boy bands. They also released an unofficial song called "I Know Why You Callin'" on YouTube and Soundcloud. Later in 2017, June's Diary opened for Xscape on their reunion tour across America.

New Music: All of Us EP and Album Plans (2018–Present)

After Chasing Destiny, the group started recording new songs for their first extended play (EP). In early 2018, they held two special shows in New York and Atlanta. These shows helped them choose which songs to include on their EP.

Their debut EP, titled "All of Us", was released on June 29, 2018. It came out through an independent record label called Music of Sound. The EP did well, reaching number eighteen on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. It also briefly hit number one on iTunes.

After releasing their EP, the group began working on their first full album. In 2019, they released a single called "Take Your Time," which included two songs: "I Ain't With It" and "Stuntin." In September 2020, they announced another single called "Way Off," which was released on September 25.

Meet the Members

Ashly Williams

Ashly Breshé Williams was born on (1989-01-15) January 15, 1989 (age 36) in Compton, California.

Ashly auditioned for The X Factor in Los Angeles, singing Whitney Houston's famous song, "I Will Always Love You". She also performed Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" during the show. Ashly was chosen to be part of Kelly Rowland's girl group, June's Diary, after starring on the BET show Chasing Destiny.

Kristal Lyndriette Smith

Kristal Lyndriette Smith was born on (1988-07-28) July 28, 1988 (age 36) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kristal was previously a member of an R&B group called RichGirl from 2007 to 2011. After leaving that group, she released an EP called Proclamation. Kristal also toured with Usher as one of his backup singers. She joined the show "Chasing Destiny" in its third episode and was later chosen to be a part of June's Diary.

Brienna DeVlugt

Brienna DeVlugt was born on (1993-11-26) November 26, 1993 (age 31) in Trenton, New Jersey.

Brienna is one of six daughters of Lincoln 'Link' DeVlugt, who was in the reggae group POV. She studied economics in college but left to follow her dream of music and try out for Chasing Destiny. She later went back and earned her degree in 2017. Brienna has said that Destiny's Child, Danity Kane, and Dream are her biggest musical inspirations. She became a member of June's Diary after appearing on Chasing Destiny.

Gabrielle Carreiro

Gabrielle "Gabby" Carreiro was born on (1996-05-20) May 20, 1996 (age 29) in Glendale, California.

Gabby started singing in choir in seventh grade and quickly fell in love with music. In 2015, she released an a cappella song on YouTube called "Bitter." This song showed off her smooth, jazz-inspired alto voice. She is influenced by artists like The Talking Heads, Sarah Vaughan, and Michael Buble. Gabby was one of the five finalists chosen to be part of June's Diary on Chasing Destiny.

Shyann Roberts

Shyann Destiny Roberts was born on (1996-08-31) August 31, 1996 (age 28) in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Shyann started singing at age 2 and has been performing since she was 4. She has opened for well-known artists like Boyz II Men and once sang the National Anthem for a 76ers basketball game. Shyann was the youngest member chosen to be part of Kelly Rowland's girl group, June's Diary, after starring on Chasing Destiny.

Music June's Diary Has Released

Mixtapes

• Male Edition (2017)

Extended Plays (EPs)

Singles

Songs as the Main Artist

Songs Featuring June's Diary

Promotional Songs

Other Songs They Appeared On

TV Appearances

Television Shows

Tours and Performances

Headlining Tours (Their Own Shows)

• 2016: June's Diary Tour
• 2017: Essence Music Festival
• 2018: June's Diary SOB & Vinyl Tour
• 2019: Essence Music Festival - Teddy Riley

Opening Act (Performing Before Other Artists)

• 2016: The Buffet Tour (R. Kelly)
• 2016: 12 Nights of Christmas Tour (R. Kelly)
• 2017: The Afterparty Tour (R. Kelly)
• 2017–2018: The Great Xscape Tour (Xscape)
• 2018: Sum of My Music Tour (Jussie Smollett)

Awards and Nominations

Eddy Awards