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. [1] [ failed verification ] T'Melle left the group, began using a wheelchair, and underwent numerous surgeries to her left leg and hip. [2]
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. [3] "Pill" was released on Rapper Future's Mixtape Welcome 2 Mollyworld in late August. [4]
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 backing vocals 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 '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 also 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 by LaFace and Arista Records on November 15, 1994. 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 NFL player Andre Rison. The album's recording lasted until September 1994, with Lopes' role diminished while she was in rehab.
Blaque is an American girl group that charted from 1999 to 2004. Outside of the United States, they are known as Blaque Ivory. Their self-titled debut album Blaque sold more than 1 million copies and was certified Platinum. The group's debut included the platinum-selling lead single "808", a second single, "I Do", and the international pop hit "Bring It All to Me". In 1999, Billboard named Blaque the 4th Best New Artist of the year, with "Bring It All to Me" landing at number 30 on the 2000 Year End Chart. In 2002 and 2003, the group released three less successful singles, "Can't Get It Back", "Ugly", and "I'm Good", the latter appearing in the film Honey.
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"Girl Talk" is a song by American group TLC. It was written by band members Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins along with Anita McLoud, Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement, and Kandi Burruss for the group's fourth studio album, 3D (2002). Recorded a few days before Lopes' passing in April 2002, production on the song was helmed by Clement. Lyrically, "Girl Talk" has the protagonist warning men that if they lack in the bedroom, it will spread on the street amongst the women.
"Never Be the Same Again" is a song by British singer-songwriter Melanie C from the British girl group Spice Girls, featuring American rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of American girl group TLC. It was released on 20 March 2000 as the third single from her first solo album, Northern Star (1999). The song was co-written by Melanie C, producer Rhett Lawrence, Paul F. Cruz and Lopes.
"Welcome to Atlanta" is a 2002 hip hop song by Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris. It was released in 2002 as the second single released from Dupri's 2001 album Instructions and also appeared as a hidden track on Ludacris' second album, Word of Mouf. The song praises Dupri and Ludacris's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. It samples "Five Minutes Of Funk" by Whodini, as well as "Do It Baby" by The Miracles.
Natina Tiawana Reed was an American singer, rapper and actress. She was born in New York City and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where she pursued a career in music beginning in her early teens. Discovered by rapper Lisa Lopes, she worked as a writer for the girl group TLC. Reed gained notice in the late 1990s as a member of the girl group Blaque. They released two albums: their 1999 eponymous debut album that peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200, and Blaque Out (2001).
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The Last Days of Left Eye is a documentary directed by Lauren Lazin that premiered on VH1 and VH1 Soul on May 19, 2007. Filmed from March 30, 2002 until her death on April 25, 2002, it centered on the life, last days spent in spiritual retreat in Honduras, and accidental death of rapper and TLC member Lisa Lopes, featuring narrative insight and commentary from interviews of the singer.
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