The prayers of many fans of the ‘L’ of TLC may have finally been answered, after years and years of hoping. The world could soon be blessed with some brand new music by the late and great Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes – according to her sister, Reigndrop Lopes.
If the prospect of new Left Eye music isn’t enough to keep you on cloud nine, Reigndrop also revealed that she has been steadily working on a Lisa Lopes biopic for the last 3 to 4 years, and plans to take as long as is required to ensure the project is done right to do her sister justice.
Speaking as a guest in Atlanta at The Conversation Corner for The Status Network with author Andrew Snorton, Reigndrop opened up about her own personal projects as well as the upcoming projects for Lisa.
Maintaining Left Eye’s Legacy
“I always wanted to continue my sister’s legacy in a positive way, so everything I do I try to make it positive for the young people coming up, specifically females, because I’m a female so I can relate to them more. I know how it was coming up, being bullied and not being like everybody else. So, I made sure I put that into everything I’m doing, whether it’s the acting, or the music or writing a book”.
Health Coaching
“I write plans for people and I also cook for people. Some people will hire me and I’ll come in and cook for them. I’m also still working on a healthy kids cooking show”.
Lisa Lopes Biopic
“It’s taking me years, but I’m going to take as long as it takes to get it done right! I’ve been working on this about 3 to 4 years now. So I pretty much want to get people who care about the story. I don’t just want someone who has a name in the industry or they have a background in making films. I want them to be in it for personal reasons.”
Overcoming frustrations making the movie
“I wanted to give up on making this movie so many times, because I don’t know anything about making a movie. But I know for a fact that I can do it, I just need the right people in place to guide me, and do the things they’re good at, and I stick to what I’m good at. I’m really good at having a vision, so the first person I met with was Rob Hardy, and he told me, if you want the movie to go a certain way you should get the script done first. So, I’m looking for a great scriptwriter. I’ve met with a few already but I haven’t found that perfect person”.
Reigndrop Lopes has a holiday single, “The Holidays Are Coming”, available on her website, where you can also purchase official Left Eye merchandise at ReigndropMusic.net
Patch: It’s been a little over a year since you released your album, “TLC.” What was it like to work on and release new material after all these years? … And is it really your “final” album?
Chilli: It was like riding a bicycle really. Once you know how to do something that you love, even if you step away for a long time, to come back to it is to pick it up like you never stopped. It was really exciting. It’s the final album, yes, but I wouldn’t say it’s the last of TLC music that you’ll hear from us. We’re open to tons of opportunities. Album wise though, yes, it was definitely the final one.
T-Boz: It’s been an absolute blessing. The studio is my second home really; I’ve never stopped recording. The difference for this was just that it was for our next studio album. It’s always hard doing a new album because it’s so much pressure. The studio part is easy, but the pressure is the hard part. And yes, it’s the final album. It doesn’t mean it’s the end of TLC though, it’s just the final album. We’re still open to singles and soundtracks and Christmas songs. There will still be lots of TLC!
Patch: If you ever recorded another record, what are some artists/groups you’d like to collaborate with?
Chilli: Bruno Mars, definitely.
T-Boz: So many of the artists I’ve dreamed of collaborating with have died in the past few years, so I really need to think about this one. There’s so many great artists out there.
Patch: You’ve headlined or co-headlined several successful tours, including I Love the 90s: The Party Continues Tour in 2017. What do you enjoy most about touring?
Chilli: I just love being on stage. What we do on stage, looking out to the audience and how the music is affecting those fans, from people smil[ing], to people who are crying, to people singing along and dancing, that makes me feel good.
T-Boz: The fans and the energy are the absolute best. Just being able to tour and have sold out shows 26 years later is an absolute blessing.
Patch: What is your favorite song to perform live and why?
Chilli: I don’t have a favorite song to perform, but anything uptempo I really enjoy. I don’t like to slow it down.
T-Boz: I don’t have one to be honest. I love them all. The energy on stage is what I love performing most, more so than the individual songs themselves.
Patch: Would you ever consider a Las Vegas residency?
Chilli: Well, we’re currently working on that. Hoping to lock that down sooner than later!
T-Boz: Absolutely! This has been our dream for years now!
Patch: You were in San Diego not too long ago for the San Diego Pride Festival. What was that experience like, and why is the cause important to you?
Chilli: It was honestly such a great show. It was awesome. And important, because we want our fans to know we love them as much as they love us. Every time we get to perform, we want to make them feel that, and San Diego was just perfect for that.
T-Boz: For us, fans are fans, no matter their sexual orientation, but I love Pride because it allows people to be themselves and stand up for what they believe in. You’re supposed to have pride in who you are, and that’s what Pride is about. Anytime fans are being true to themselves, we want to support that!
Patch: Now you’re headed back to the San Diego area. Your performance at KAABOO in Del Mar is just weeks away. What can fans expect?
Chilli: They can expect a lot of energy. A lot of energy. There’s a lot of choreography. Even on the ballads, we bring the energy and the entertainment.
T-Boz: High energy concert, ton of excitement! Basically, we plan to have a big party together with tens of thousands of people, that’s what this is all about!
Patch: Will you get a chance to enjoy the festival? If so, who are you looking forward to seeing?
Chilli: We’re excited for everyone, but I’m really excited to see Katy Perry! She’s amazing, so it’ll be awesome to see her.
T-Boz: I wish! But my family are waiting for me. I’ve got a little one at home who’s waiting for me, so I’ll be in and out, to be with my family.
Patch: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Chilli: Just that I’m so excited to be a part of this and I hope they invite us again!
T-Boz: I just want to thank the fans for their support over all these years, still coming to see us and selling out all these shows! If it weren’t for them we wouldn’t be doing this anymore.
Following the epic premiere of TLC‘s intimate concert documentary Once In A Lifetime Sessions this week on Netflix, the girls have gone one step further to surprise their fans!
Tonight (Aug 2) it was revealed by Candace Wakefield, the talented singer-songwriter and vocal producer who assisted the girls on last years #1 self-titled album, that they are indeed working on some new music!
“Got to work with BOTH my babies today“, Candace said excitedly on her Instagram. “I’ve always worked with them separate. It’s always a pleasure working with legends.”
She went on congratulate the ladies, stating that they did an ‘amazing job today‘ in the Los Angeles studio, signing off by saying new music is coming soon!
TLC have always been open to recording new music if the right project or soundtrack comes along, so surprises like this may occur more often, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, you can catch Chilli while she’s in LA at the Nike Basketball Celebrity 3ON3 Tournament at LA Live on August 3 at 7:30PM.
TLC launched their Kickstarter campaign 2 years ago on January 19, 2015. It took them only 3 days to reach their target of $150,000 and make Kickstarter history by being the fastest funded pop album on the site!
Various stars contributed to TLC’s campaign, from Katy Perry (who pledged $5,000) and their Main Event Tour friends New Kids On The Block (pledging a whopping $10,000)! Celebrities like Mariah Carey and Bette Midler have also shown support!
TLC offered many exciting rewards for fans to pledge for as a thank you for supporting the album fundraiser.
Meet and greets, personalized voicemails, slumber parties, date at the movies, workout sessions, handwritten lyrics, platinum plaques, studio session meets and many more rewards on top of signed copies of the new album!
Leon’s personalized Fanmail platinum plaque
Coralene’s TLC handwritten ‘Unpretty’ lyricsNeil and Rey at TLC recording studio session
There were also opportunities to obtain VIP tour packages for The Main Event tour in 2015 which they did alongside Nelly and NKOTB!
Darryl with TLC in Fort Lauderdale, VIP Main Event tour 2015Carl with TLC in Washington DC, VIP Main Event tour 2015
Lura with TLC at Madison Square Garden, VIP Main Event 2015
Tessa travels from Hong Kong to workout with Chilli
TLC have been working hard to ensure it will be the finest body of work for all the fans who contributed to make this once in a lifetime chance to be part of the album happen!
The album is complete and being mixed! The finer details are being fine tuned in order to release the album in the best way possible, independently.
This is why Kickstarter was the best way to avoid going through record labels, have full control of the content and to let the fans contribute. Nobody wants that album more than us, so we’re proud to be a part of TLC history to make this 5th album happen!
There is no official release date as of yet, but you can expect it be with us this Summer in the 2nd quarter! A single will be dropping before that and an update via Kickstarter will be coming very soon, so stay tuned!
Leon@TLCArmy
