After an 11 year hiatus, the 90s girl group TLC is making a comeback and taking the music world by storm. The group was once famed for their ‘out of the box’ outfits, raunchy lyrics, and insane record sales, may have been forgotten by today’s music world but plans to return with many projects on the way.
The group has already started recording for a new album, although the record is untitled the group plans on releasing singles in fall of this year. The album will be including collaborations with Drake and Ne-Yo. TLC will also be performing at the VH1 Mixtape Festival this summer at Hershey Park in Hershey Pennsylvania on July 26th and 27th . VH1 has also filmed a TLC biopic, and the group has recorded new songs for the made for-TV-movie; Vh1 has not announced a release date for the film.
TLC, an all female rap and R&B group, is made up of three members T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli, hence the name TLC. The group made their mark in the music industry in 1992 with their debut album Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip. It is a historic record, promoting safe-sex, and female empowerment. The album included singles “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” and “What About Your Friends” both landed the US Hot 100 top ten singles. TLC’s success followed with their sophomore album CrazySexyCool which sold 11 million copies and had hits such as “Waterfalls” “Creep” “Red Light Special” and “Diggin’ on You” all songs that fans desired.
TLC’s main audience was women for their fun new sound and male-bashing lyrics that give women a sense of power and strength, and tell their female fans to be who they are and not change for a man.
“I like TLC because they have a smooth and soulful girl empowering music. My favorite song is “Creep” I can really rock out to it, and my favorite album is CrazySexyCool, because it came out the year I was born and it has the most 90’s feel which I love,” Meaghan Gallagher, Senior.
Work for TLC’s third album was Fanmail released in January of 1999. The album featured hardcore rap, slow ballads and intense lyrical rhythms and rhymes. One of TLC’s signature songs “No Scrubs”, a hip hop song about what men to date and which to ditch, was featured on the album.
Work for their fourth album began when member Left Eye, who was on a spiritual retreat in Honduras, got into a car collision and passed away. The remaining members finished their album and announced their retirement from the music industry after the release.
Now, 11 years later, TLC hopes that they can come back to the music industry and still carry the fan base they had at the peak of their career, even without Left Eye.
“I think they have potential to come back strong,” Gallagher said. “Some people will love the blast from the past from the past, but some people will love the blast from the past. Some won’t like it if they don’t update their music. It really depends on the audience hey are trying to draw,” Gallagher said
TLC will have a lot to bring fans in the coming months.