KELLY ROWLAND had a difficult time at school because she suffered an "identity crisis" as she was growing up.
The former Destiny's Child star was raised in Houston, Texas and was the only black girl in her class.
The singer admits she found herself longing to fit in with her peers, and even dreamed of lightening her skin colour.
She tells Britain's Heat magazine, "There's so much peer pressure, growing up I had an identity crisis - I went to a school that was predominantly white and I was the only black girl. I remember thinking, 'I don't want to be as dark as I am, I want to be a little fairer. I didn't want to be me."
Rowland credits her bandmate Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles, for helping to restore her confidence.
She says, "She sat me in front of the mirror and said, 'Girl, look at how pretty you are'. She made me feel comfortable in my own skin."
The singer finally shook off her insecurities as she reached adulthood, and the experience encouraged her to work with charities to help young women boost their self-esteem.
She adds, "When I got older, I embraced who I am as a woman. I look in the mirror and I'm like, 'I like Kelly. Kelly's not so bad.'
"I think that it's important to instill that in our girls, to know that they posses something special and that everybody's not supposed to be the same."
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