This week marks 22 years since the tragic passing of the iconic, trendsetting and the center of TLC, the dearly beloved Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.
It is an annual tradition for TLC and Left Eye fans to request the release of the debut solo album of Left Eye, ‘Supernova‘, to streaming platforms, on her birthday. And this was no different on the 22nd anniversary of her passing.
To put things into perspective, Left Eye’s album was partially released in 2001, excluding the United States after a lackluster reception to her solo single, “The Block Party“.
Following the tragic loss of Left Eye in April 2002, the future of her solo career was left in limbo, and the rights to her material were put on hold.
The Lopes family had released a tribute album in 2009 via Mass Appeal in the form of ‘Eye Legacy‘ — a compilation of remixed tracks taken from her original album, ‘Supernova’.
Left Eye’s posthumous album, ‘Eye Legacy’ (2009)
‘Eye Legacy’ received mixed reviews, and the majority of fans preferred to have the original album released in its entirety, the way in which Left Eye would have wanted. ‘Supernova’ was a body of work that she was proud of, and it should be kept intact and released to honor her wishes.
Left Eye’s younger sister, Reigndrop Lopes, finally gained control and ownership of the masters for the original ‘Supernova’ album in 2021. Fans have been excited at the news, and Reigndrop hinted that she may release the album on the date Lisa initially wanted it to be released on, August 16.
However, three years have passed since the announcement, and the album has yet to be seen on any streaming platforms. “My family own Lisa’s masters, so you don’t have to go to anyone else to ask them to put it out on streaming”, Reigndrop said in 2021.
“We’re working on it, we’re working on a lot of other stuff, so just be patient. Timing is everything, it’s going to come out when it’s supposed to come out. Just know that your voices are being heard and we’re working on it. A lot of things are happening at the same time which is overwhelming, so we have to pace it out. But it will be out, I promise”.
“We’re working to release ‘Supernova’ to streaming on the date that she originally wanted her album to be released”, Reigndrop announced in 2022. “And if you’re a real fan you already know what the date is, so I don’t have to say it”. Although she added that “plans can change”, she was adamant that,”That date meant something to Lisa, so we’re going to stick to that”.
When questioned about the topic of the album release in 2024, Reigndrop decided to clear the air and make it clear that nothing was set in stone. “Life happens and no promises were made!”, Reigndrop states. “Rest assured, it will be released at the right time. Sometimes things don’t happen when you want them to, but when they need to”.
So, the bottom line is, the album will be released on streaming platforms when the time is right. Reigndrop teased details of a Left Eye biopic in the works in 2022, and that she was working with executive producer Grammy and Oscar winning Elizabeth Hubbard.
The Lopes family will be hosting their first ever annual Left Eye Wellness Expo and birthday party on Sunday, May 26, 2024 to honor Lisa’s memory and legacy.
The location will be at The Atrium, 5479 Memorial Dr. Stone Mountain, GA 30083.
For further details, head over to the Left Eye Expo instagram page.
Legendary 90s girl group Eternal have returned to the music scene after a decade long break since their last reunion in 2014.
Easther and Vernie Bennett made the surprise announcement via British tabloid The Mirror on Feb 26, stating that they have found the perfect member to join them by the name of Christel Lakhdar, hailing from France, who said it was a “dream come true” to join the group.
Vernie admits that the addition of Christel will take the group to the “next level”, adding, “Meeting Christel for the first time just felt right. She’s talented, accomplished and has such an amazing personality. She’s also strong vocally, so our harmonies will be taken to the next level. I think our music followers will love her just as much as we do.”
Christel Lakhdar on Eternal Photoshoot (2024)
Easther said she was “really looking forward to dipping my toes in again with a few festivals here and there”, adding: “This new era is all about enjoying the moment.”
Christel said of joining Eternal: “I’ve been singing these songs since [I was] a young age and feel like pinching myself as I’m taking it all in.”
Eternal are being co-managed by their former long-term manager and founder, Denis Ingoldsby, and 23 Management.
They enjoyed incredible success after bursting onto the scene in 1993. Debut album ‘Always & Forever‘, released in the November of that year, peaked at No 2 on the UK chart. It sold more than a million copies in the UK and 10 million worldwide.
New era: Easther, Christel & Vernie
The girls reached No 1 on the UK singles chart alongside BeBe Winans with “I Wanna Be the Only One” in 1997 and have had 15 UK Top 20 hits between 1993 and 1999, including “Stay”, “I Am Blessed”, “Angel Of Mine” and “Just a Step from Heaven”.
Former member Louise Redknapp has not been a member of the group since 1995, when she embarked on a solo career, and was only a member during the debut album.
Kéllé Bryan was part of the group from the beginning until her exit in 1998. She briefly reunited with the group in 2014 for the hit ITV2 series, “The Big Reunion”. At the time, Kéllé claimed the reunion gave her a sense of closure, and she healed her relationship with Easther and Vernie.
Kéllé is now a regular host on the ITV daytime television talk show, “Loose Women” and had a reoccurring role on “Hollyoaks”.
Easther and Vernie made a surprise appearance on BBC Radio London on April 17, on the “London Nightlife with Jacqueline Shepherd” show. The sisters reveal that BeBe Winans wrote “I Wanna Be The Only One” specifically for Eternal.
“BeBe Winans was one of our favourite gospel singers growing up. So, for us, we were gobsmacked when our management put us together with him, because we didn’t think that it was going to happen”, Easther admits. “He fell in just right. He was like a big brother to be fair. It was amazing to sing with him, and to have him write for us”.
Easther touches on the importance of their success and reaching number one on the charts, something which was a rarity for black artists during the 90s. “It was definitely a surprise [it did so well]. It was almost like when we heard how well we did with “Stay”, we jumped up and start doing the dance routine. Equally, when we heard “I Wanna Be The Only One” was number one and was still doing well, it’s something that every band looks forward to, and what every band works towards. Being a black artist at the time, you know, it’s iconic — not many of us get there. We’re releasing singles all the time, but we never get that number one. So, it’s nice to be able to hold that torch and say, yeah, we did it”.
First look: Eternal shot by Rupert Bryan (2024)
Vernie goes on to explain why Christel was chosen to be in the group. “She’s amazing. She has got an amazing vocal, gorgeous personality and we just clicked on the first time that we met. She’s French, so the first time that we met was over Zoom. When we got talking we laughed, and she’s into kickboxing, and she was like, ‘when I come over you girls will be put through your paces’, she’s going to put us through our paces and get ready for these gigs so, she’s on it at a fitness level, and she’s just an amazing girl and we’re really pleased to have her on board”.
Easther adds that Christel will be an important addition to Eternal to improve the look and sound of the group. “I think when you’re thinking of harmonies then it makes sense, and then the visuals — the group looks better as a three piece, it just fits better”.
The ladies made a surprise confession and revealed songs that they didn’t like initially but were proved wrong when they became hits. “Definitely the songs. Having great A&R representatives and Denis Ingoldsby made a massive difference finding the songs”, Easther says. “I must say that we were complete tearaways, because some of the songs that came to us we were like, we’re not doing it, that just doesn’t work for me, I don’t like that one — low and behold those were the one’s that became the hits. Songs fit differently for different artists. One of them [that we didn’t like initially] was “Oh Baby I” and “Someday” — and it became a big hit. When it’s properly done and produced, it makes a big difference.”
Easther & Vernie Bennett at BBC Radio London (April 17, 2024)
The big question is, will there be any new Eternal music in the future? “At the moment, it’s like, let’s just dip my toes”, Easther admits. “You’ve taken time out to have kids, your body is moving slow! Decrepit (Laughs). Okay, I’ll speak for myself! This the the way — mandolorian, love that. But yeah, dipping the toes, let’s see what happens. Who knows what the future will bring. What I think is really important is just enjoying it. Enjoying every moment, every gig, every mistake that you make and just laugh at it — it is what it is, so just enjoy the moment”.
When asked about what to expect from the Eternal setlist by Dubai 24 last month, Vernie said, “I think what we’re going to do, because we have so many hits, is we’re going to is have segments, so it goes from one song to the next, so that you can get a feel for some of the songs that we won’t be performing, but you’ll hear them but we won’t be performing them — it was really really tricky to put together the final setlist.
Easther interjects and says, “Do we have a final list? We keep going back and forth. We’re undecided.” Vernie agrees and says, “Yeah, we might swap it at the last minute.”
Christel has continued with her routine kickboxing, which she often highlights to her followers on Instagram whilst she waits for the time with Eternal to launch. Christel said that she will be in London “very soon” to start rehearsals for the upcoming shows, kicking off in Dubai on May 4.
At the time of the announcement on February 29, 2024, Christel took to her social media and said that she was “so thrilled” to join Eternal, adding, “Massive thanks and hugs to Vernie Bennett and Easther Bennett for the warm welcome, you’re amazing”. Christel also thanked Denis Ingoldsby and musician Marshall Music for assisting her with the deal, finishing off with, “Can’t wait to be on stage! See you very soon!:
The current tour dates to see Eternal live this year are as follows:
TLC celebrated the 25th anniversary of their iconic ‘Fanmail‘ album, released on February 23, 1999!
To celebrate this milestone, the ladies surprised fans with some exclusive never-before-seen footage of behind the scenes clips from the music videos for the first two lead singles from the album, “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty“!
In new interviews for the anniversary with Sony’s legacy catalog, Legacy Recordings, T-Boz and Chilli took a trip down memory lane to discuss their feelings about the ‘Fanmail’ project.
“I was like, I’m gonna record this. This is the one!”, Chilli recalls on the first time she heard the “No Scrubs” demo with producer Shek’spere. “I knew it was a smash”.
Whilst discussing the follow up single, “Unpretty”, T-Boz explains, “It came from a personal situation of mine. Men were being verbally abusive to women, telling them to look down, telling them to look up — it couldn’t have been me! So, I thought of this word, and thought, oh, they’re making them feel un-pretty.”
“We have so many people who tell us that it helps them feel better about themselves — one of them was Lady Gaga. So, you never know who is listening and who the song touches”, T-Boz says. “I feel good!”
Fans were holding out for an anniversary edition of the album. This didn’t happen, unfortunately, but Vinyl Me, Please announced a 3rd Edition pressing of the ‘Fanmail’ album, on sale now.
You can purchase the stunning vinyl here. It comes with a limited bonus vinyl, featuring the Left Eye rap mix of “No Scrubs”, and the bonus track, “U In Me“.
Sony also finally released the complete set of EP’s from the ‘Fanmail’ era to digital platforms. This includes, “No Scrubs”, “Unpretty”, “Dear Lie” and “Silly Ho“.
Usher tore down the TV ratings this past weekend when he headlined the Super Bowl with a show-stopping performance, and secretly married his long time girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea in Las Vegas.
However, the R&B superstar decided to dive into his past and touched on his previous relationship with the ‘C’ of TLC, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, whom he dated from 2001 to 2004.
In a cover story he did with PEOPLE magazine, Usher said, “If I am to be honest, I was her No. 1 fan, and she was my superstar. At the age of 8, I put her poster on my wall and said, ‘Man that girl is so beautiful. One day I’m going to meet her.’”
Explaining why the relationship with Chilli didn’t work out, he admits, “I was a young man, and she had very specific rules that didn’t work for me,” he says. “We were missing each other. I really did want to have a different type of relationship where she was there with me, and she couldn’t be. She didn’t believe that I was actually in love with her as much as I was.”
Usher then stuns readers with his admission, saying, “I wanted to marry her. I proposed, and she told me no. I went through a great deal of pain after that, not trusting women or wanting to open up.” He admits, “I hurt her too,” but the situation “broke my heart.”
Chilli and Usher (2003)
Of course, the media would expect a response from Chilli after Usher’s recent revelations. However, a spokesperson for Chilli has informed TMZ that Chilli is far too occupied with her current beau of 2 years, Matthew Lawrence, to be focused on anything that is going on in the press.
Chilli was in fact spending some quality time at the Sandals resort in Jamaica with Matthew, celebrating his 44th birthday.
“More importantly,” TMZ states, “[Chilli’s] mind is a world away from all this Usher stuff. Speaking of which, our sources tell us that Chilli, generally, takes marriage very seriously … and she’s not just going to hop into a commitment like that until she’s totally convinced she and her partner are both ready for marriage.”
Chilli with boyfriend Matthew Lawrence (2023)Usher with wife Jennifer Goicoechea (2024)
Time is a healer, after all. And Usher seems to have finally moved on. These days, “I’m not hurt over that at all,” Usher says of him and Chilli not working out. “We’ve since become cool with each other, celebrate each other and it’s always light when we see each other.”
Leon@TLCArmy
TLC-Army.com 