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FLO is the British girl group from London, who are recreating the future of R&B. With a fresh take on the iconic sounds of 90’s R&B music, this trio is adding a new Gen-Z flair to the nostalgic sound fans have been missing. Meet the members of FLO and learn more about their ascension to stardom inside.
The group, consisting of members Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma, and Renée Downer, formed in 2019 and signed to Island Records. They released their debut single “Cardboard Box,” which quickly gained notoriety on social media.
Black women singing harmoniously alongside one another has been a key component to R&B. While groups haven’t completely left center stage and K-pop acts like BLACKPINK are massive across the world, the Black girl R&B group has seemingly drifted away.
It was the Destiny’s Child, TLC, SWV, 3LW, and Danity Kane’s of the world that feel lost amongst R&B music today. These groups amassed world fame that greatly impacted the industry for generations to come. There have been a few modern day acts like June’s Diary, the OMG Girlz and Cherish, who hoped to recreate the vibe of 90’s and 2000’s Black girl group magic. Unfortunately, they never reached mainstream fame.
FLO has all the makings of success and are preparing to revive the Black R&B girl group. They have already been gained support from artists like SZA and Missy Elliott, and drawn in comparisons to singer Brandy and groups like TLC and 3LW.
“Cardboard Box” dominated social media with the help of their debut EP, The Lead.
The trio has already reached a few major career milestones like reaching one million monthly listeners on Spotify. FLO also won the Brits Rising Star award.
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Their success is unraveling quickly and they believe it is a testament to fans yearning for these type of songs that defined R&B girl groups in the 90s and early 2000s.
“[When] ‘Cardboard Box’ did what ‘Cardboard Box’ did, we were thinking, Oh, my God, are the other songs on the EP going to match that energy?” Douglas shared in an interview with Harpers Bazaar. “Obviously, they haven’t done that streaming-wise, but we can see that real lovers of R&B are appreciating it, and that’s more important than any amount of streams.”
Between their social media virality, milky harmonies and passion for the music, FLO is the future and have all the pieces to the girl group puzzle to success.
The context of their songs usually mirror their self-confidence. They attest their self-assurance to being raised by single moms.
“I think it’s because we were raised by single mothers,” Downer mentioned in the article. “I know that whatever I do in life, I’ll be okay by myself. Obviously, it’s lovely to have someone else and to have another half, but you don’t need them. As sad as you may be, you’ll survive, so that’s instilled in me.”
Though they’re sure they have what it takes, the pressure to sustain their success as a girl group is constantly looming over the group. FLO considers the history of Black girl groups’ downfalls as they continue to ascend to R&B stardom.
“I think it ended badly for a lot of girl groups,” Douglas said. “Obviously [with] Destiny’s Child, you have the whole thing where it’s like, ‘Oh, now it’s Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle,’ and then, obviously, with TLC, [there was] the whole money problem, so I think it’s all kind of been left with like, ‘What happens to girl groups?’ Knowing that has made us very militant. We can see when people are trying to pull the wool over our eyes, and try to be really strong to avoid that from happening.”
The flourishing trio recently dropped their latest single, “Losing You” on all streaming platforms.
FLO is changing the course of R&B girl groups today. Be sure to support and stream their music.
