Girl groups are making a comeback. The London trio FLO has been on a steady rise in the music industry ever since the release of their debut single, “Cardboard Box,” last year.
Originally from London, Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renée Downer are carving their own space in R&B by delivering vocals, catchy tunes and memorable live performances. They recently performed their latest hit, “Fly Girl,” on the stage of The Tonight Show, Starring Jimmy Fallon. The single samples and features a verse from Missy Elliott’s 2002 “Work It,” with the rap legend also appearing in the music video.
FLO is ready to make its mark in the United States after bringing home a Rising Star Brit Award in the United Kingdom, their home country, last February.
The trio performed in front of a sold-out audience at Webster Hall in New York City on April 19. FLO is currently on tour and has several dates scheduled around the United States.
The group’s live performances play an important role in their success.
“As a group they are so fun,” Amy Bowerman, the current tour’s creative director, told whynow. The goal of each show is to have “the audience walk away feeling like they’ve gone to a party, on that high”.
Bowerman is familiar with what makes a successful girl group. She worked as the creative director for the K-pop group BLACKPINK on their “Born Pink World Tour.”
“You look at the other end of the spectrum, and it’s kind of the same. You’re looking at a K-Pop show that has the same amount of pyro, the same amount of vastness and huge things to play with,” she said, comparing the experience with some of the rock shows she attended when she was younger.
“I love the idea of a show not only being interactive, not only being about the fans, but also about putting on a well-oiled show,” Bowerman continued. “You see so many correlations between that and pop shows. For both, you walk away like Wow, I’ve had my face melted off.”
View this post on Instagram
Bowerman says it’s only the beginning for FLO and that the public can expect performances in front of larger audiences.
“We’ve basically got a five-year campaign ready,” she said. “It’s been fun doing a smaller venue with them, but I feel like in the next year or so they will be in giant venues. We have a whole bag of ideas that are arena-ready. I’ll stay with FLO for as long as they’ll have me.”
FLO is set to release their debut album later this year. The trio marks a long awaited comeback to the popularity of girl groups championed by the 1990s group TLC and more recent examples like Little Mix.
