CNN) — It has got to be one of the best lineups of Grammy-winning artists ever to tour together: Beyonce Knowles, winner of eight Grammys, along with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott, who’ve won five Grammys each. Together the ladies have sold more than 30 million albums.

Despite their individual successes, they decided to join forces for the Ladies First Concert Tour. By most standards, it’s a short tour, lasting only a month and a half, and only taking them to 26 cities.

Used to touring as a group with Destiny’s Child, Beyonce wanted friends along for her first tour promoting her solo work.

“All three of us wanted to do a tour with other female artists,” she says. “Being R&B artists, we don’t have a tour for females, and it’s just kinda crazy that this is the first time it’s happening — [in] 2004.”

The ladies kicked off the tour earlier this month in Sunrise, Florida. Missy Elliot took the stage first, followed by Alicia Keys and then Beyonce.

“I always want to go on first. I just wanted to get it over with,” says Missy. That settled one possible early roadblock in putting together this tour, but some competition between the ladies was still expected.

According to Keys, there’s absolutely no competition between the ladies. “I think we all really respect each other and we really respect the work that each one does and we really have an admiration for each other and enjoy … [the chance] to join forces in this kind of way.”

“All of us are songwriters and producers and are very talented,” adds Beyonce. “It was for me to go on tour with people who are very talented, and secure in ourselves. There will be no competition.”

The ladies don’t plan to perform together on the tour. But they say it’s because their schedules made it impossible to plan and rehearse a set featuring all three of them.