T'Melle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | T'Melle Rawlings |
| Born | August 19, 1988 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, hip-hop, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, dancer |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Website | Instagram Soundcloud |
T'Melle Rawlings, known mononymously as T'Melle, is an American R&B and hip-hop singer, dancer, and songwriter. Rawlings previously worked under the name T'Nef.
T'Melle was discovered by the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC, who added her to Egypt, one of multiple girl groups she was developing. The other group members were Joy "Zada" Lonon, Katrina "Akila" Gibson, and Sophia "Isis" Gibson. Lopes mentored and managed the group.
On April 25, 2002, a car crash in La Ceiba, Honduras killed Lopes and injured other friends and family members, including T'Melle. T'Melle was among the seriously injured passengers, unable to walk on her own for a time after the crash. T'Melle left the group, began using a wheelchair, and underwent numerous surgeries to her left leg and hip. [1]
As a teenager, Rawlings convinced her parents to support her move to Atlanta, Georgia, so she could continue her career path. In Atlanta, T'Melle was introduced to Walter Sutton, CEO of Infra-Red Entertainment, an Atlanta-based entertainment company. T'Melle eventually captured the attention of Usher, accompanying him on a European tour as his only female background singer. She also caught the attention of Grammy Award-winning producer Tricky Stewart, who took her under his wing, aiding in her advancement as an artist.
T'Melle's most recent album, The Interview, was released in 2013. It was preceded by the single Go To War , which was released in April 2011. [2] "Pill" was released on Rapper Future's Mixtape Welcome 2 Mollyworld in late August. [3]
In October 2015, she released an uptempo single entitled "Drop It Down."
In the summer of 2016, she released "Cross the line (ft. Kevin Gates)." The song has surpassed a million plays on SoundCloud.
On March 1, 2019, T'Melle released a remake to Minnie Riperton's "Loving You" in homage to the soul singer.
T'Melle's most recent EP Dedicated was released on Apple Music on December 11, 2020.
Lisa Nicole Lopes, better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides rapping and singing on TLC recordings, Lopes was the creative force behind the group, receiving more co-writing credits than the other members. She also designed some of their outfits and the stage for their FanMail Tour and contributed to the group's image, album titles, artworks, and music videos. Through her work with TLC, Lopes won four Grammy Awards.
TLC is an American girl group formed in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia. The group's best-known line-up was composed of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. The group enjoyed success during the 1990s, with nine top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four number-one singles: "Creep", "Waterfalls", "No Scrubs", and "Unpretty". The group also recorded four multi-platinum albums, including CrazySexyCool (1994), which received a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). TLC became the first R&B group in history to receive the million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for FanMail (1999).
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CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American girl group TLC, released on November 15, 1994, by LaFace and Arista Records. Following the group's record deal, they released their debut album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip in 1992 to positive reviews and commercial success. The group began working on a follow-up in 1993 but experienced an unproductive recording process due to personal issues, notably those of member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who was struggling with alcoholism and her volatile relationship with football player Andre Rison. The album's recording lasted until September 1994, with Lopes' role diminished while she was in rehab.
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The Cut is a 1998 MTV talent series, hosted by TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. It was the first in a line of televised song contests that later included American Idol. A handful of would-be pop stars, rappers, and rock bands competed against each other and were judged. The prizes were a record deal and MTV's funding to produce a music video, which would enter MTV's heavy rotation.
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