TLC

Formed in Atlanta in the early 1990s, TLC initially brought together Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas around a blend of R&B, hip-hop soul, new jack swing and pop that fit into the American urban landscape of the time. TLC debuted with the album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip in 1992, then honed its songwriting and harmonies on CrazySexyCool in 1994, where the trio developed a smoother sound marked by mellow R&B productions, pop choruses and Left Eye’s rap contributions. FanMail, released in 1999, extended that evolution with a more electronic aesthetic and more synthetic textures, while retaining the group’s soul roots. Associated with the mainstream R&B scene of the 1990s, TLC worked with producers such as Dallas Austin, Babyface, Jermaine Dupri and Organized Noize. After Lisa Lopes’s death in 2002, T-Boz and Chilli occasionally continued TLC as a duo, with 3D the same year and TLC in 2017. Throughout its history and in its present form, TLC has maintained an identity based on the complementarity of singing, rap, very direct melodic lines and themes related to relationships, autonomy and the female experience.