From throughout the pond, Renée Downer of FLO, the buzzy, new U.Okay. R&B trio, says, “We’re nonetheless little fish within the huge fish business,” inflicting her groupmate Jorja Douglas to giggle on the metaphor. However for 3 “little fish,” Downer, Douglas and Stella Quaresma have made fairly an enormous splash during the last 12 months they’ve began releasing music collectively as a gaggle — which was years within the making.
Quaresma was born in Kingston upon Thames in southwest London and moved to Mozambique as an toddler earlier than returning to London at age 5. She and Downer, who was born and raised in North London, each attended the Sylvia Younger Theatre Faculty, a performing arts college that boasts all-star alumni together with Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa and Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Combine, the British lady group that rose from X Issue favorites to one of many best-selling lady teams of all time – earlier than Nelson introduced her departure in 2020, and the remaining members introduced Little Combine’s hiatus two years later.
Followers mourned the lack of yet one more beloved U.Okay. lady group that got here and left their mark — whereas behind the scenes, three ladies of their late teenagers had been simply beginning to discover their circulate… actually. Rob Harrison, the Island Information A&R and founding father of unbiased document label Hear Generously who presently manages FLO, was on a mission to find the subsequent huge lady group. When Downer arrived at UMG’s workplace to fulfill with Harrison, she bumped into Douglas, whom she had found on social media after the then-14-year-old Douglas gained the British singing competitors sequence, Obtained What It Takes?, with a canopy of Adele’s “When We Have been Younger.”
“The following step was to attempt completely different mixtures of ladies. So Jorja and Stella had been along with two different ladies for a day, and I used to be with two ladies for a day,” Downer recalled. “We had been simply attending to know one another, singing collectively, seeing how we linked and it was not a vibe in any respect. However Jorja and Stella gravitated in the direction of one another, after which the subsequent mixture was us three …. And the remainder is historical past.”
Over the subsequent three years, Douglas, Quaresma and Downer labored with British super-producer MNEK on harnessing the nostalgia of the noughties and the last decade prior whereas nonetheless sounding recent. On March 24, 2022, FLO launched its debut single, “Cardboard Field,” a tasty kiss-off anthem that dusts off the “to the left, to the left” sentiments of Beyoncé’s 2006 smash “Irreplaceable” and repackages ’00’s R&B for in the present day’s consumption. Whereas FLO’s songs have since generated 162.1 million on-demand official streams globally, based on Luminate, “Cardboard Field” accounts for 61.5 million of these streams (by means of March 2).
“Cardboard Field” arrived forward of their debut EP The Lead, which additional cemented their place as the brand new basic R&B ladies, due to how carefully they’ve studied the sport. FLO’s second single, “Immature,” implements a wailing child pattern that sounds straight out of Timbaland’s playbook (to not point out, the “Say you need my physique, physique” refrain line hints at yet one more Bey monitor, her 2006 B’Day lower “Kitty Kat”). In the meantime, the slinky, but soulful promotional single “Not My Job” shuts down dudes with little-to-no recreation à la TLC’s “No Scrubs.” Even their newest single launched Thursday (March 23), “Fly Woman” that includes Missy Elliott, reworks the O.G. rapper’s 2002 smash “Work It” into their very own empowering anthem for the women.
In the case of FLO’s job, says Downer, “We wouldn’t [want] to have some other profession.”
Billboard spoke with March’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month about how FLO knew they had been the suitable match, what it means to hold the legacy of lady teams they grew up, and whether or not they’ll be opening for Queen Bey’s Renaissance Tour.
Who did you develop up listening to?
Douglas: I grew up listening to quite a lot of late-‘90s R&B, early-2000s R&B — simply a great deal of old-school R&B like Usher, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Whitney [Houston] … all the greats. These are my greatest influences.
Quaresma: Related vibes.
Downer: Related vibes – individuals like Ciara, Rihanna, these kind of girls.
Stella and Renée, you attended Sylvia Younger Theatre Faculty collectively. What’s it about that faculty that allowed you two, but in addition your well-known predecessors, to achieve the music business?
Quaresma: I really feel prefer it was the value ethic you needed to have. They only form of drilled that into you – being skilled, being locations on time.
Downer: Yeah, they undoubtedly did. They taught you concerning the business, in order that was nailed into us for years on the right way to conduct your self and the right way to work with completely different individuals.
Jorja, you gained the British singing competitors present, Obtained What It Takes?, whenever you had been simply 14. Trying again at that second, the place did you imagine your profession was going to go?
Douglas: I don’t know. It was only a little bit of enjoyable for me. After which I gained, which was simply additional enjoyable. That form of helped me put myself on the market a bit extra. Following that, I knew being in a lady group was, like, one of the best factor to do. There was no lady group. So I noticed a possibility, and I took it. [Laughs.]
What’s everybody’s particular ingredient that they carry to the desk? Outdoors of the music, what’s your favourite persona trait about each other?
Douglas, Downer and Quaresma [in unison]: Hmmmm.
Douglas: When it comes to music, we simply bounce off of one another. And since all of us have those self same influences, all of us take pleasure in the identical R&B melody, so we’re simply fairly in sync with one another. After which personality-wise, we’re like the identical, however in several fonts.
Downer and Quaresma: Yeah. Yeah.
How did you’re employed with MNEK on crafting your signature sound?
Downer: The beauty of MNEK is he grew up round our influences, and when that kind of music was a factor. He discovered about it so early on, and he actually crafted that and labored on it. We’re younger ladies who can be taught a lot from him. He truthfully is aware of like every part. He’s a type of crazy-talented individuals. He took time to get to know us and know our influences, and we simply linked on that vibe.
I noticed you met Kelly Rowland whilst you had been recording in an LA studio with MNEK. How memorable was that for all of you?
Douglas: With Kelly Rowland, I imply…
Quaresma: … I imply, it’s identical to …
Douglas: … Surreal.
Downer: Too surprised to talk.
Quaresma: It’s simply loopy that they’re truly actual individuals. And in addition, it’s good as a result of she’s lived the same state of affairs that we’re going by means of, and she or he’s nonetheless alive! She’s nonetheless right here! [Laughs.]
Is there anybody else you’re dying to fulfill or collaborate with?
Downer: Victoria Monét. I’m actually excited for after we get within the studio together with her. We will be taught loads [about] songwriting as properly.
What shocked you most concerning the success of “Cardboard Field?”
Quaresma: I really feel like we knew it could do fairly properly. We pushed for that tune to come back out first. We knew to place our greatest foot ahead. Nevertheless it was a extremely wonderful shock how properly it did. It simply labored!
I’ve learn in a few of your interviews that you just satisfied your label to make “Cardboard Field” your debut single, and also you made a presentation about how concerned you needed to be within the rollout to your debut EP The Lead. What recommendation do you’ve got for different artists, particularly younger Black feminine artists, who additionally need to advocate for themselves to their groups?
Quaresma: Nobody is aware of your music and your craft higher than you. Simply keep in mind that. No person can try to form it to be one thing that’s not real. It’s simply not going to be pretty much as good, so simply belief that what you’re about is sweet sufficient.
You made historical past by changing into the primary group to win the BRIT Awards’ Rising Star award, and also you additionally gained Radio 1’s BBC Sound of 2023. Each honors are determined by separate panels made up of music business leaders. How does it really feel that the U.Okay. music enterprise is rooting for you so early in your profession?
Douglas: We’re very, very grateful, as a result of we simply really feel like we’re being put in a extremely good place. It makes us really feel actually empowered — like, the stage we’re in, we really feel actually in charge of what we need to do and the course we need to go in. And we really feel like, as a result of we’re being given these awards, they’re making us extra … what’s the phrase, like when [what] we’re saying has precise weight to it now?
Quaresma: Credibility.
Douglas: Yeah, precisely!
How has the legacy of British lady teams impacted you three because the U.Okay.’s latest version, and what does it imply for you three to be carrying the torch?
Downer: It means loads to be carrying the torch, as a result of lady teams are so highly effective — and to have the those who we grew up watching acknowledge us and be like, ”You guys have gotten this. You may go the place we’ve gone and additional,” is the most important accomplishment ever. It’s simply so deep to us.
Stormzy tapped you for one of many “Cover & Search” remixes from his newest album, This Is What I Imply. What did recording with a U.Okay. celebrity like him imply for you three?
Downer: He simply requested us if we needed to do it. And we had been like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” However we didn’t get within the studio with him. It was a bit completely different, as a result of we’ve by no means been featured on any person else’s monitor — so we actually needed to get into a special vibe and suppose how we are able to add to that tune. It was a pleasant vibe to experiment with.
Describe the method of prepping to your first North American tour, which begins this April. How do you know was the suitable time so that you can embark in your first tour within the States?
Quaresma: Effectively, we acquired advised that is what we’re doing. [Laughs.]
Douglas: Most of all, it made sense, as a result of most of our followers are in America. And clearly, R&B is simply a lot extra appreciated in America as properly. So it’s like: Go the place you’re needed, don’t try to drive it. Clearly, there’s nonetheless a love for R&B right here, however it’s simply one thing fully completely different in America. Majority of our followers on Twitter, they’re American. We might have been abused if we didn’t go. They’d’ve stubborn us out!
Talking of tour, there have been some studies going round that you could possibly be opening for Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. Are you able to affirm or deny at the moment?
Quaresma: Actually, I want we knew.
Douglas: I feel it is likely to be Doechii.
Downer: Oh! Think about if it’s Doechii! That will be wonderful.
Douglas: [Beyoncé] is aware of who we’re. However that was only a rumor.
What are you able to inform me your upcoming debut album, and when can followers anticipate it to come back out?
Downer: I don’t suppose we are able to say but…
Douglas: …as a result of we don’t have the reply.
Downer: We’re nonetheless figuring it out.
Quaresma: Simply extra elevated, completely different. We’re simply rising up, mainly, so our music’s simply rising with us.
