R&B trio TLC has nothing left to prove. In addition to their four Grammy wins, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (who passed away in a 2002 car accident) have sold more than 65 million albums worldwide.
The threesome’s first four albums all went multi-platinum, and despite now more than doubling that number, their 1994 smash CrazySexyCool is still the only album by female group to receive diamond certification (10+ million in sales) from the Recording Industry Association of America.
After a 15-year hiatus during which Lopes was never replaced, Watkins and Thomas started a Kickstarter campaign earmarked for what would be the band’s farewell album.
The campaign garnered more than $430,000 — some $280,000 above the $150,000 goal — including a $10,000 contribution from New Kids on the Block and $5,000 from Katy Perry.
Watkins and Thomas intend to keep their word on the album as their swan song, but look forward to continuing under the TLC moniker.
This weekend, the pair appears at their first-ever Pride Festival where they will close the San Diego event with a headlining performance on Sunday night.
PACIFIC recently spoke with Watkins from her L.A. home about it all.
PACIFC: How are you?
TIONNE “T-BOZ” WATKINS: I can’t complain — not at all. Things have been really good. I’ve just been running myself crazy lately. I’m doing the TV show between every live performance and I sometimes ask myself, “Oh my god, what did I do?” But really, it’s a blessing. At least I’m working, right? (laughs)
Yeah! It started in 2016 for just a few episodes. But they called me back three times! Now, I have a whole life there. It’s so fun. And it allows me to get home to have dinner with my kids. It’s a great job for me. And my kids love it.
And that’s kids, plural. With a teenage daughter and all of your work, quite the commitment to adopt a baby boy!
It’s crazy! But I had said year after year that I wanted a boy. And that’s after I almost died with my daughter — I went into a coma for three days. But I’m hardheaded. I was like, “I think I can do it again.” And my family said, “Oh, hell no. You’re not doing that again.”
I wanted to adopt another little boy before, but the mother we were talking to reneged. And I ended up in the ICU and lost my spleen. So I thought it was meant to happen like that because I got really sick. But then my mom told me that this time, (the woman) had another baby and wanted to give it up. We talked to her for two months, made sure she really wanted to do it this time, and it happened.
Great result, but that had to have been difficult.
It was one of the most stressful times in my life. I thought being sick was stressful, but having your child from day one and knowing that someone could still strip that baby away from you, it was the most stress I’ve felt in my life.
But really, it’s all kept me younger. And I really was second-guessing myself at first. People just made so many negative comments about my age. But I’m dancing like I’m 19 years old all over the world and that doesn’t bother me! (laughs)
There’s never been a perfect time to do anything in my history.
My son, Chance, and the adoption just turned everything around for me — and came at the perfect time. He’s really the inspiration for songs like It’s Sunny and Way Back on the TLC album. I just put that positive energy into it.
But like you said, I have a 17-year-old as well. So it’s crazy. I have the emotional teen and the terrible two. So I have a double dose of it right now. (laughs)
Speaking of the album, you guys have said it’s your last. Is it?
It’s the last studio album. But I won’t say it’s the last of TLC. We both really want to do a residency and are currently in negotiations for the right deal. And I think that we both would be down with contributing a song to a compilation album or something like that, but as far as studio albums go, we’re done.
It’s hard. With Lisa, and people holding her vocals hostage, it’s a lot. And it’s stressful. We don’t want to go through all of that. We just really wanted to give fans what they’ve been asking for, and that was another album. So that’s what we did.
And now you’re going to be a part of San Diego’s Pride celebration.
I’m excited. It’s my first time. And honestly, the last few years have been our first time ever doing festivals, period. In the past, we’ve always been on some kind of full-blown tour. But we’re just now getting into spot dates and festivals. It’s awesome.
Great that you chose San Diego to kick it off.
I hosted a solo thing a while back and had a ball. But I’m excited to see what it’s really all about.
People are just so judgmental these days. And they’re judging those who are showing their own reflection and real truth. I just want people to be able to be free and who they are. And we want to support that.
TLC headline the San Diego Pride festival on July 15 at Balboa Park. Get your tickets at https://sdpride.org
Pitchfork: Next year is the 25th anniversary of CrazySexyCool. In that time period, do you think it’s become any easier for women in the music industry to be independent, both artistically and financially?
Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas: Women have more of a voice now. I think it was definitely harder before we came out and during the time that we came out. You had to fight a lot harder to make sure your voice was heard. We kicked down a lot of doors. It makes us feel really good when we hear someone like Lady Gaga thank us for paving the way for them. I definitely think that it’s different and the struggle is not over, but not the same.
So much about TLC broke the girl group formula, but there are also aspects of your music that fall into the girl group history: harmonies, choreography, a sense of unity. Did you see yourself as fitting into that lineage when you were forming TLC?
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins: I don’t think we had girl groups on our minds at that time. I didn’t know if I wanted to be in a group or just be an artist, period… But growing up [performing] in a band with my family, my mother and my father singing, of course I knew about the Ronettes. Patti LaBelle was one of my mom’s favorite singers. The Supremes, I loved them. But honestly, it wasn’t until I was put in the situation of a group that I started paying attention to the dynamics of being with girls, because I never got along with women growing up. I was like, “Uh oh, is this gonna be super hard for me?” Then I started paying attention to groups.
Did you ever sing girl group music growing up?
T-Boz: Oh, yeah. [singing]“Wait a minute, Mister Postman!” Of course. Even that song that’s out now [“Feel It Still” by Portugal, the Man] sounds just like it and it’s a major hit. When you hear something familiar to your ear that was already a hit, you don’t know why you like it, you’re just drawn to it. And I think that’s why that single did so well, because it was a classic from the Marvelettes.
Women’s self-esteem has always been a big topic for TLC, from “Unpretty” through your more recent song “Perfect Girls.” Do you have any thoughts on this now, in the age of Instagram?
T-Boz: Social media has made it to where young girls are striving to be something that’s not real. They have all these apps and filters where you can adjust your body shape. So I just want the younger generation to understand: None of us are perfect. We all have flaws. I just wish people would be more forthcoming about that. It cracks me up when you see somebody with a clearly fake booty; you wanna lie and say you was doing squats and you got on a push-up bra? Come on, man. Just say, “I got some injections in my lips. I got cheekbones. I got a butt ’cause I didn’t like mine being flat,” and keep it moving.
Chilli: It’s the deceitful part that makes it not okay. Nobody has this super-smooth everything from your head to your toenails.
T-Boz, I know you have a teenage daughter and a younger son. And Chilli, you have an older son and you founded Chilli’s Crew, an Atlanta nonprofit for disadvantaged teen girls. What are you trying to teach your daughter and your program girls today about how to live in this world?
T-Boz: My daughter understands how to respect herself. She’s been knowing that since she could talk. I’ve heard her even tell her friends about how they should respect themselves. And I don’t have to worry about nobody else raising my child, because I do. I’m secure in knowing that I’ve done my job as a parent and she’s not looking to Instagram to raise her.
Chilli: It’s sad because a lot of those girls [in Chilli’s Crew] are in group homes and they have a lot of challenges. I tell them to tell themselves,“I’m not going to allow these circumstances to be the reason that I can’t be successful.” You don’t always have to be a product of your environment…. And with my son, I’m just raising him to not be the average dude. That would not be acceptable to me. I’m teaching him to be respectful not only to women but to adults. I tell him,“I don’t care how old you become, I’m always gonna be older, so you’re never gonna be my equal.”
Cred: Andrew Cotterill
Do you have a favorite Left Eye moment in a TLC song?
T-Boz: Just her essence is my favorite. But one moment is the opening of how we all began, on “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg.” I mean, if I didn’t know us and I saw this girl with this bright green hat going, “Yo, one check, mic check, one, two, one, two, we in the house…” She just had this energy; you had to pay attention.
Chilli: I really love how she rapped in our Christmas song, “Sleigh Ride.” I miss how silly we all used to be together. It was just how we interacted, at least when we were all liking each other at the same time—you know how sisters are! We used to get into so much trouble. Almost getting kicked out of hotels, making an airplane almost turn back.
Wait, you almost grounded an airplane by being too crazy?
Chilli: Yeah, on the [MC] Hammer tour. Lisa got on the plane with her boombox and every time the flight attendant would come by, she’d ask her to turn the volume down. And Lisa would turn it down, but as soon as the flight attendant would walk away, she’d turn it back up. She kept doing that. And then it just kind of escalated from that point.
T-Boz: They had the police waiting for her when we landed. Lisa didn’t like the way the lady asked her. She felt that she could have asked her more respectfully. She was like[uncanny Left Eye impression], “I wouldn’t have minded if she would’ve asked me better than that!”
Chilli: She was fearless.
Which women in music do you like right now? Who’s carrying your girl power torch?
T-Boz: I’m happy that Janet’s back, for sure. “The Pleasure Principle” is my favorite song. SZA is dope. I like Cardi B a lot. She just wants to do herself, see her dream out. I love that and I think it’s refreshing.
Chilli: I have to agree on Cardi B. I just like her attitude. She’s real.
Have you reached out to Cardi B to do a song?
T-Boz: There’s been talk about us doing something together, yeah. You know how it is, the politics and people always getting in the way.
Chilli: We would definitely love to do something with her. I think it would make a lot of sense.
Next year is also the 20th anniversary of “No Scrubs.” Have your red flags for a scrub changed in the last two decades? I mean, Tinder is like scrub central.
T-Boz: Oh god, that’s hilarious. I never use that.
Chilli: Yeah, I never. No, it has not changed. It’ll never change.
T-Boz: There are always scrubs. Any generation, you have a scrub. Always.
T-Boz recently stopped by at Steve Harvey‘s own talk show Steve to discuss her latest book, A Sick Life.
T-Boz is looking for a husband… and she will only allow Steve Harvey to be the matchmaker!
Steve stated he has had success with 6 marriages as a result of his love matchmaking using the Dating Pool segment of his show!
But for the first time, T-Boz revealed that TLC were going to be the opening act on Michael Jackson‘s 2009 ‘This Is It‘ comeback tour in London!
When discussing who she’d like to work with, T-Boz said “I’ve worked with Michael Jackson, like, he had us perform at his Save The Children tour. But I wanted to work WITH him! On the same stage, which we were supposed to open for his last concert.”
“I was about to pack up my house and everything, like, Chase, we’re going to live with Michael!”
A TLC and Michael Jackson tour would have been something only dreams were made of! Although it wasn’t meant to be, the fact Michael chose our girls speaks volumes!
Check out the full interview on the Steve show below!
T-Boz is officially reprising the role of Sheila on the hit TV soap Days of our Lives for the third time this summer!
She is currently in the process of shooting her scenes in between her prior commitments, touring with TLC and carrying out charity work and events like T-Boz Unplugged.
T-Boz took some time out her hectic schedule on the set of Days to jump on her Instagram to connect with the fans!
Days of our Lives schedule
They are working me, because in between the TV show I am still doing tours and then I have a day off to travel and then come back on set. But I think I’m off set for a while because when they needed me I’m touring already so I think I’ll have to come back later. So I’m gonna miss doing DOOL for the rest of the next month.
TLC Reality show
We’re thinking about it. I might. That kinda TV stuff depends on what it is, I’m not feeling reality right now. These [soap] shows that I’m doing now are way easier, and the pay is nice. And I’m done early enough to do dinner for my kids, and that matters a lot. Those kind of [reality] shows can take all day, a lot of waiting around.
Ballads
I am not a ballad person. Chilli is more of a ballad person than me.
No Scrubs background vocals
Yeah, I sang background vocals, maybe they left me out? But yeah, I sang on it. I don’t sweat the small stuff, y’all know my voice. I ain’t gotta trip. They should add me to the background vocals because I was on the background vocals.
TLC’s absence at BET Awards
Why wasn’t we at the BET Awards? You should ask them. For some reason I could have sworn that we were black. And for us to be the biggest selling American girl group of all time and we’re black, and you don’t have us on there? That’s wack. But it’s all good, I’m not tripping, I’m not begging nobody for nothing.
T-Boz Unplugged 2018
October 14 is when I plan on doing T-Boz Unplugged this year. Don’t know who the hell is going to perform yet, because I have been tired and I’ve been working. But Brian [Amlani] has been on my ass about sitting down and picking who we can have perform this year. Summer time is tour time for a lot of artists so sometimes it’s hard to book people because of the scheduling not because they don’t want to.
Weight loss
It looks like I lost weight? A little bit. Sometimes food be good, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes you bloat up, other stuff going on, I might have to take steroids for my sickle cell. And then you go down! But I’m not a shallow person, so I don’t be tripping. If my ass got big it got big, and if I got small I got small, ok? But thank you, though.
Totally T-Boz
That show was wack as fuck. I did not like Totally T-Boz at all! I’m glad it was only 4 episodes because they didn’t let me be me and do me. That was just a depressing time in my life, I was going through a lot. I had just lost my spleen and almost died. Long story short, if you’re not gonna let me be me, there’s no need for me to be doing the show.
Solo song on movie soundtrack and being allowed to work outside TLC
I’m going in the studio tomorrow. I’m doing a song for a soundtrack, so you’ll be hearing that come out for the movie, and it’s solo. And don’t nobody ask if it features Chilli because that would be a TLC song, and everything we do we don’t do together, because I’m tired of y’all acting like we’re joined to the hip! When Lisa was alive, ‘is it..’ no! If they’re involved, it’s TLC, if not, whatever! I guess we could have solo stuff and feature each other but it’s still to me like TLC a little bit, except for it’s not on a TLC album, but no it’s not Chilli being featured on the song, OK? We are not tied at the hip, y’all.
Leon@TLCArmy
TLC-Army.com 