FANMAIL
They stand
alone, a trio of female pioneers who have demonstrated an uncanny ability
to bridge the
gap between
rap, hip-hop, pop and soul. No followers of fashion, but leaders of their
generation who
push the
envelope in music, image and style. Out front, no strangers to controversy,
the three young
women who
compose the best-selling female group in music history are always looking
ahead,
creating
a new level of growth and accomplishment. With the release of their third
album FanMail,
T-Boz,
Left Eye and Chilli use the cutting edge approach that has taken TLC to
international
recognition.
Filled with
tough grooves and melodic jams, FanMail is the most personal album the
trio has made,
reflecting
experiences and emotions T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli have faced in the last
few years since
TLC became
a household name on the music scene worldwide. Cut by cut, TLC delivers
on this
power-packed,
hit-filled album, which was executive produced by co-founders Antonio "L.A."
Reid and
Kenneth
"Babyface" Edmonds, and super hitmaker Dallas Austin.
Fearlessly,
they lay it on the line with "Come On Down" which is a provocative ballad
penned by
award-winning
songwriter Diane Warren especially for the group. The slammin' smash single,
"Silly
Ho," is
about a certain type of female who hasn't gotten her game together. Their
first single, "No
Scrubs,"
which was produced by newcomer Shekspere and written by Columbia recording
artists Tiny
and Candy
from Xscape is set to put men with no cars, no jobs, no lives and no love
in their proper
places.
While the no-nonsense rap, "My Life" deals with challenges of being a public
personality, and
the hard-edged
"If They Knew" centers around keeping an illicit love affair under wraps.
"We're taking
it to the next place in terms of production, artwork, concept and image,"
says Left Eye
referring
to the group's 1999 release. "We want to be universal with this record.
It's for our fans - which
is why
we called it "FanMail," but we also want to get it to the people who have
never even heard of
us," says
Chilli. With production by Dallas Austin (who worked with TLC on their
two previous
best-selling
albums), Babyface, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Jermaine Dupri and Shekspere
- FanMail
has all
the makings of becoming TLC's most successful project to date. "We all
had a lot of input for
this album,"
says T-Boz. "We sat down with Dallas (Austin) and worked on some of the
concepts
behind
the material. For example, "UnPretty" was based on a poem I wrote that
he converted into a
song. It's
a girl's anthem because I know a lot of women who feel insecure. Society
can make them
feel unpretty
and I know it all starts within."
The groove-flavored
title track addresses some of the trials and tribulations as well as the
group's way
of saying
'thank you' for the support that has kept them at the top of their game
for the past seven
years.
The melodic slow jam "Don't You Pull Out On Me Yet" has a distinctive '70s
old school flavor
and feel;
while the hypnotic "Shout" is all about self-expression, "about letting
it all out," as Left Eye
explains.
Track for track, FanMail is an ambitious musical set that closes the five-year
gap since the
1994 release
of the 10 million-selling, Grammy-award album CrazySexyCool. "You'll never
see us
copy anyone
else," says T-Boz. "We're always a little scared when we put out a new
record, but we
stand firm
in what we believe in and we have our own thoughts which come through our
music."
Production
for FanMail began in early 1998, and in the years since the release of
CrazySexyCool, all
three women
have been busy working on different projects. "Since the last record I've
become a
mother,"
says Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. "And since I don't believe in the 'nanny'
thing, I've been
spending
all my time with my new son. I did some acting on the side. I was in the
film "Hav Plenty"
and I've
been working with an acting coach. I turned down quite a few major movie
roles, because I
want it
to be right." Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins has also had an opportunity to hit
the silver screen
through
the 1998 film "Belly" and she's also been spending time developing business
interests. "I
started
my own companies, Shee Entertainment, Shee Inc. and Grung Girl Music. I've
been doing
some writing
and I plan on doing some production on new and established artists. I've
written an
inspirational
book of poetry and I have a cartoon in development, Oh, and I started a
clothes line with
Dallas
Austin called Grungy Glamorous. So, I've been pretty busy!" Lisa "Left
Eye" Lopes has also
been maintaining
her visibility as the host for MTV's daily show, "The Cut" while developing
her Left
Eye production
company, working on projects for Sony Music.
The release
of FanMail has been much-anticipated by the group's countless admirers
the world over.
TLC literally
burst on the music scene in 1992 with two consecutive Top 3 platinum singles,
"Ain't Too
Proud To
Beg" and "Baby, Baby, Baby" and the gold single "What About Your Friends."
All three
tracks
helped propel their LaFace debut Oooooooohhh! On The TLC Tip to the top
of the charts,
selling
three million in the process. However, it with the 1994 follow-up, CrazySexyCool
that broke
wide open.
Working with producers such as Austin, Dupri, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Organized
Noize,
TLC delivered
a record that set them apart from all other female groups of the day. The
first single,
"Creep"
was another platinum smash, staying at the top of the pop and R&B charts
for weeks to end.
The second
single, Babyface's "Red Light Special" was another major hit while the
hypnotic
"Waterfalls"
was platinum-plus release that also topped Billboard's pop and R&B
charts. The
million-dollar
high-tech video for the song (which dealt with how a mother copes with
her son's drug
dealing
and how AIDS has become a part of the daily lives of countless people everywhere)
garnered
no less
than four MTV Music Video Awards.
The success
of CrazySexyCool (which also featured guest appearances by Busta Rhymes
and Phife
of A Tribe
Called Quest) led to a total of six Grammy nominations and TLC walked away
with two
Grammy
Awards for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo/Group" for "Creep" and "Best
R&B Album" for
their sophomore
set. Countless other accolades followed including two Lady of Soul awards,
two
Billboard
Music Awards, three Soul Train Music Awards and a Blockbuster Entertainment
Award. In
1995, TLC
completed a successful nationwide tour with Boyz II Men. Their many media
appearances
included
the film "House Party 3," and the popular sitcom "Living Single" and "Out
All Night."
Musically,
the group contributed the theme to Nickelodeon show "All That," covered
The Time's "Get
It Up"
for the "Poetic Justice" soundtrack. Their charitable work has included
launching the 1995
"Believe
In Yourself" campaign and working with the "Make-a-Wish" Foundation.
Known for
their unique 'look,' TLC has earned a reputation for a down-to-earth attitude
and straight
ahead approach
to a career that has given the group global recognition. "Some groups have
tried to
take off
from where we left off in 1994," says Left Eye. "We've heard about record
companies who
have tried
to put together groups like us, but no one can do it. It's the combination
of our personalities
and the
chemistry between us that makes TLC what it is." Adds T-Boz, "We know that
some people
think we're
the big 'cahunas' because of the success of our records. Sure, there's
room for everyone
and we're
not worried about competition, because we've tried to be trendsetters.
But, honestly, with
this new
album, I would worry if I was one of those other groups out there! We're
back to reclaim
what's
ours!"
United,
according to Chilli, in their goal "to be the biggest female group of all
time, to sell so many
albums
that it will be a few years before any other group can catch up!" The members
of TLC are
ready to
hit the road in '99 and make FanMail another milestone in a career already
filled with
accomplishment.
As Left Eye states with characteristic frankness, "Look, our best challenges
are
ahead of
us. Whatever we've been through personally and professionally has made
us stronger, and
has prepared
us for what we're doing now." And what TLC is doing now is reaching new
heights with
FanMail,
an album that reinforces their status as unquestionably the world's top
female trio.
