Flo (group)
Flo (stylised in uppercase) are a British girl group from London, consisting of members Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma, and Renée Downer. They formed in 2019 and signed with Island Records. The group gained popularity on social media with their debut single "Cardboard Box". They released their debut EP, The Lead, in 2022. They topped the BBC's Sound of 2023 poll and won the 2023 Brit Award for Rising Star.[3][4]
Members edit
I saw the girls and we screamed across the room. I knew from that moment we were about to start something big.
— Douglas on when the members met for the first time[5]
Stella Quaresma was born in Kingston upon Thames, and at four weeks old, she moved to Mozambique. She moved back to the British countryside at the age of five, before returning to London, where she began attending the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she met bandmate Renée Downer.[6] Quaresma was a year above Downer. She grew up listening to African musical artists and her mother later introduced her to Etta James and British artists like Amy Winehouse. Prior to being in the group, she worked as a waitress.[7]
Jorja Douglas was born in Eastern Germany, before moving to Hertfordshire at eight months old.[5] She grew up listening to R&B music introduced to her by her mother.[7] She is the daughter of former sprinter Stephi Douglas, and in 2017, she competed in and won the second series of the CBBC competition series Got What It Takes?.[8][9] Prior to being in the group, Douglas worked for an accountancy firm.[7]
Renée Downer was born and raised in North London. She attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she met bandmate Stella Quaresma, who was a year above Downer. She grew up listening to R&B, house and church gospel. Prior to being in the group, she worked at H&M on Regent Street.[7]
Career edit
2019–2022: Cardboard Box and The Lead edit
Flo formed in 2019.[10] Quaresma and Downer knew each other having met studying at Sylvia Young Theatre School and discovered Douglas from her singing videos on Instagram.[7] Their debut single, "Cardboard Box", was produced by British record producer MNEK and was released on 24 March 2022, after they signed to Island Records.[11] The song performed well on social media,[12] and weeks later, an accompanying music video followed in April 2022, which amassed 900 thousand views in a few days.[13][14] An acoustic version of the song was released the following month.[15] Also produced by MNEK, their second single "Immature" and its accompanying music video was released in July 2022,[16] ahead of their debut extended play The Lead on 8 July 2022.[17][18] A music video for "Summertime", also produced by MNEK, was released.[19] Flo re-released The Lead in September 2022 along with a promotional single, "Not My Job".[20]
Flo performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the first time on 6 October 2022, which was their television debut.[21] They made their UK television debut on Later... with Jools Holland the following month.[22] On 1 November 2022, they were included in Vevo DSCVR's Artists to Watch 2023.[23] They performed their songs "Feature Me" and "Not My Job" on the channel.[24] The same month, they took to social media to announce their upcoming concert tour in North America and Europe during spring 2023.[25][26]
Flo then made their first award show performance at the 2022 MOBO Awards with a medley of the songs "Immature" and "Cardboard Box".[27][28] In December 2022, Flo became the first female group to top the BBC's Annual Sound of... poll and win the Brit Rising Star at the Brit Awards in the same year.[3][4]
2023–present: 3 of Us and Walk Like This edit
In early January 2023, Flo were featured on "Hide & Seek" by British rapper Stormzy. The song is from the latter's third studio album, This Is What I Mean (2022).[29] In an Apple Music promotional interview with Elton John, Flo revealed that their debut album is expected to be released in 2023, adding that "There sure is. It's going to be amazing".[30]
In late January 2023, Flo joins the line-up of a number of Summer 2023 festivals including: Big Weekend, Isle of Wight, Longitude, Park Life, TRNSMT, Wireless Festival, and the 2023 Summer Sonic Festival in Osaka, Japan.[31][32] On 23 March 2023, Flo released the single "Fly Girl", featuring American rapper, singer, songwriter Missy Elliott. The song interpolates Elliott's 2002 single "Work It", plus a new rap from her.[33][34]
On 30 March 2023, Flo embarked on the "Flo Live" tour, which sold out all tickets in North America and Europe.[35] Prior to their next show in Chicago, Flo made an appearance on The Tonight Show, performing "Fly Girl" for the first time on television.[36]
On 11 June 2023, Flo performed at Capital's Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium in London, in front of 80,000 people.[37] On 23 June 2023, they played at the Woodsies stage at Glastonbury, Britain's biggest Festival.[38] In the same month, they received their first three nominations at the 2023 BET Awards, including Best Group, which they lost to Drake and 21 Savage.[39][40]
On 3 July 2023, Flo released the surprise extended play titled 3 of Us, including the tracks "Control Freak" and "Change".[41][42] These songs had already been performed during their previous "Flo Live" tour. The surprise release was a decision made by them while finishing their debut album. On social media, they called it "a gift to the FLO Lifers who have been waiting so patiently for new music."[43][44] Their performance of "Losing You" on the MTV's Push series in June 2023 has been nominated for Push Performance of the Year at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.[45][46]
On 1 November 2023, Flo received 3 nominations to the 36th Soul Train Awards: themselves for Best Group and Best New Artist, and Best Collaboration for "Fly Girl" with Missy Elliott.[47] They were part of the line-up for the 23nd Coachella Festival and The Governors Ball in the summer of 2024.[48][49]
On 8 March 2024, Flo released "Walk Like This", the lead single from their upcoming first studio album.[50][51] The music video for the song was released on March 14.[52][53]
Artistry edit
Musical style edit
Flo's style distinctly draws upon classic R&B and hip-hop, particularly from the 1990s and early 2000s. The visuals for their debut music video "Cardboard Box" invited comparisons to that of TLC's "Unpretty" (1999) and the Sugababes' "Overload" (2000). In addition to the likes of Destiny's Child and the Spice Girls, H.E.R. was named as a more contemporary influence.[14]
Influences edit
All three girls described being shaped by the music they grew up listening to; Downer's mother would play Aaliyah and Ciara in the car, and Douglas' mother was into "old school R&B". Quaresma heard African music from her father, while her mother would play Amy Winehouse and Etta James.[54]
Achievements edit
Flo has received numerous awards and nominations throughout their career, including a Brit Awards, Global Awards, Sound of..., in addition to being nominated for a two MTV VMAs, one NAACP Image Awards and three Soul Train Awards nominations.[45][55] In December 2022, Flo won the Brit Awards and was nominated for the 25th MOBO Awards.[3][56] In March 2023, they received the Rising Star Award at the Global Awards.[57] On 26 June 2023, they were nominated for three categories, including Best New Artist, at the 2023 BET Awards, making them the group with the most nominations for the 2023 awards edition.[40]
On January 6, 2023, Flo was placed on the NME100 annual list of Essential Emerging Artists. They also appeared on the physical cover of one of the issues.[58] In March 2023, they were named as one of Rolling Stone's 25 artists of the future.[59] The same month, Flo was named Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month.[60] In April 2024, they was listed on the Europe's Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2024 in the Entertainment category.[61]
Discography edit
Extended plays edit
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Home Session: FLO |
|
| The Lead | |
| The Lead (Apple Music Edition) |
|
| 3 of Us |
|
Singles edit
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [66] | JPN Over. [67] | NZ Hot [68] | |||
| "Cardboard Box" | 2022 | 76 | 17 | 19 | The Lead |
| "Immature"[69] | — | — | — | ||
| "Summertime" | — | — | — | ||
| "Losing You" | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Fly Girl" (featuring Missy Elliott) | 2023 | 38 | 7 | 20 | |
| "Walk Like This"[70] | 2024 | — | — | 32 | TBA |
| "—" denotes a recording that failed to chart, was ineligible for the chart, or was not released. | |||||
Guest appearances edit
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Hide & Seek" (Remix)[71] | 2023 | Stormzy | Non-album remix |
Promotional singles edit
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Not My Job" | 2022 | The Lead |
Videography edit
Music videos edit
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Director(s) | Length | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As lead artist | |||||
| "Cardboard Box" | 2022 | — | LOOSE | 2:47 | [72] |
| "Cardboard Box (Acoustic)" | Saorla Houston | 2:55 | [73] | ||
| "Immature" | Avesta Keshtmand | 2:55 | [74] | ||
| "Summertime" | Saorla Houston | 3:58 | [75] | ||
| "Losing You" | Meeks and Frost | 3:45 | [76] | ||
| "Fly Girl" | 2023 | Missy Elliott | Tajana Tokyo | 3:32 | [77] |
| "Walk Like This" | 2024 | — | Sahra Zadat | 3:26 | [78] |
Filmography edit
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Themselves (musical guest) | Episode dated 6 October 2022 | [21] |
| Later... with Jools Holland | Themselves (musical guest) | Episode dated 29 October 2022 | [22] | |
| 2023 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Themselves (musical guest) | Episode dated 20 April 2023 | [36] |
Tours edit
References edit
- ^ Samuel, Ruth Etiesit (26 October 2022). "Girl Group FLO Is Ushering In A New Era Of R&B". HuffPost. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ Phillip, Riann (21 September 2022). "FLO just can't stop making hits: 'We've always held ourselves to a high standard'". gal-dem. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Savage, Mark (8 December 2022). "Girl band Flo win the Brits rising star award". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ a b Savage, Mark (5 January 2023). "Girl group Flo win the BBC Sound Of 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b Ackroyd, Stephen (24 March 2022). "Brand new London-based trio FLO have shared their debut single, 'Cardboard Box'". Dork. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Wickes, Jade (12 May 2022). "Could FLO be Britain's next great girl group?". The Face. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Up Next: FLO" (Podcast). Apple Music. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ Stevenson, Amelia (19 June 2017). "Interview with Jorja Douglas at Big Weekend". TresA Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Got What It Takes? - The Winner's Story". BBC. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ Coffey, Cailean (24 March 2022). "London's newest girl band FLO kick cheating partners to the curb on debut single "Cardboard Box"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ Keith, James (4 April 2022). "UK R&B Trio FLO Step Out With MNEK-Produced "Cardboard Box"". Complex. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Ackroyd, Stephen (1 April 2022). "New London three piece FLO have shared a video for their debut single, 'Cardboard Box'". Dork. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ Murray, Robin (5 April 2022). "UK Girl Group FLO Share 'Cardboard Box' Video". Clash. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ a b Gordon, Lauren (20 April 2022). "FLO: radiant London trio leading the next generation of girl groups". NME. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Kelly, Amelia (8 May 2022). "FLO share acoustic version of their debut "Cardboard Box"". GRM Daily. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ June, Sophia (6 July 2022). "Your Next Favorite Girl Group FLO Is About to Debut Their EP". Nylon. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ Olaoya, Ezra (8 July 2022). "R&B Trio FLO's Debut Project, 'The Lead', Is An Essential Listen". Complex. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (8 July 2022). "FLO Is the R&B Girl Group We Never Knew We Needed". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ Keith, James (17 August 2022). "FLO Take Us On A "Summertime" Trip To Greece In New Video". Complex UK. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ O'Connor, Siobhain (21 September 2022). "FLO share new single 'Not My Job'". Dork. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ a b Richards, Will (12 October 2022). "Watch FLO make TV debut, bringing 'Cardboard Box' to 'Kimmel'". NME. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ a b Holden, Finlay (31 October 2022). "British trio FLO have appeared on 'Later… with Jools Holland' with a live performance of 'Cardboard Box'". Dork. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Vevo announces DSCVR Artists to Watch for 2023". Frontline. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ Regina, Cho (29 November 2022). "FLO shares new live rendition of "Not My Job"". Yahoo. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ @flolikethis (4 November 2022). "The secret's out, and it's just the beginning…" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 March 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ @flolikethis (25 November 2022). "Selling out our show in less than a minute made us realise we need another date 🤩" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 March 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Keith, James (17 November 2022). "Kojey Radical, Tion Wayne, Fireboy DML, Cat Burns & FLO To Perform At This Year's MOBO Awards". Complex. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, Leah (1 December 2022). "MOBO Awards 2022: Little Simz, Mahalia and more win top prizes". Stylist. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ Shutler, Ali (6 January 2023). "Stormzy shares brilliant FLO remix of 'Hide & Seek'". NME. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (23 January 2023). "FLO confirmed to Elton John on his Apple Music 1 show Rocket Hour that their debut album is due to arrive this year". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ Mamo, Heran (25 January 2023). "Travis Scott, Playboi Carti & D-Block Europe to Headline 2023 Wireless Festival". Billboard. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ Raza-Sheikh, Zoya (28 February 2023). "Mighty Hoopla 2023 announces incredible full Sunday line-up". Gay Times. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (23 March 2023). "Flo and Missy Elliott Share Video for New Song "Fly Girl": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ Williams, Sophie (23 March 2023). "FLO team up with Missy Elliott on new single 'Fly Girl'". NME. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ Lisa, Wright (31 March 2023). "FLO at Outernet review: this knockout gig felt like an intimate stop on their road to superstardom". Standard. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ a b Kyra, Alessandrini (21 April 2023). "FLO Delivers Fiery Performance On Jimmy Fallon Amid Successful, Sold-Out Tour". Blavity. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ "Capital's Summertime Ball 2023 Line-Up: Niall Horan, FLO, Anne-Marie & More". Capital. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ Tabberer, Jamie (24 June 2023). "Flo at Glastonbury review: 'Impossibly polished'". Attitude. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Rouhani, Neena (8 June 2023). "GloRilla & Drake Lead 2023 BET Awards Nominations". Billboard. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ a b Aswad, Jem (26 June 2023). "Beyonce, SZA, Busta Rhymes Win Big at Painfully Long BET Awards". Variety. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Yalcinkaya, Günseli (7 July 2023). "New Music Friday: 6 albums to stream this week". Dazed. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ Lejarde, Arielle Lana (3 July 2023). "FLO share surprise three-track EP 3 of Us". The Fader. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ Duran, Anagricel (5 July 2023). "FLO surprise release new EP '3 Of Us'". NME. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ Murray, Robin (3 July 2023). "FLO Drop Surprise EP '3 Of Us'". Clash. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ a b Blistein, Jon (8 August 2023). "Taylor Swift, SZA, Doja Cat Lead 2023 MTV VMAs nominations". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Corcoran, Nina (8 August 2023). "MTV VMAs 2023 Nominees Announced: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Grein, Paul (1 November 2023). "SZA, Usher & Summer Walker Lead 2023 Soul Train Awards Nominations: Full List". Billboard. from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
- ^ Chelosky, Danielle (16 January 2024). "Coachella 2024 Lineup Has No Doubt, Sublime, & Blur". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (16 January 2023). "SZA, Post Malone, the Killers to Headline 2024 Governors Ball Festival". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Keith, James (8 March 2024). "FLO Push Towards Debut Album With New Single "Walk Like This"". Complex UK. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "FLO Is Ready to Show You How to 'Walk Like This' for Their First Single of 2024". Billboard. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Sam (14 March 2024). "Flo have fun in their new video for 'Walk Like This'". Dork. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "FLO Gets a 'Bit Naughty' and Sensual in 'Walk Like This' Video". Rollingstone. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ White, Brooklyn (2 June 2022). "FLO Is Your New Favorite Girl Group". Essence. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Pierre, Mekishana (26 November 2023). "2023 Soul Train Awards: The Complete Winners List". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Ahluwalia, Navi (30 November 2022). "These are the Winners of the 2022 MOBO Awards". Hypebae. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ Collins, Riyah (14 December 2023). "Mobo Awards: Little Simz and Stormzy dominate nominations". BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "The NME 100: essential emerging artists for 2023". NME. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Meet Music's Future 25". Rolling Stone. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Mamo, Heran (23 March 2023). "Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month for March: Flo". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ Jones, Dean. "30 Under 30 2024". Forbes.com.
- ^ "Apple Music Home Session: FLO". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Folk, Antwane (8 July 2022). "R&B Trio Flo Releases Debut EP The Lead". Rated R&B. from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "The Lead (Apple Music Edition) - EP". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (3 July 2023). "FLO Celebrates the '3 of Us' With Surprise EP Release: 'Made With Love'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "Flo | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ Peaks on the Billboard Japan Hot Overseas chart:
- "Cardboard Box": "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of January 18, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- "Fly Girl": "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of April 19, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 22 August 2022. from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- "Fly Girl": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- "Walk Like This": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Haile, Heven (7 July 2022). "FLO: "Immature" Track Review". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Deville, Chris (8 March 2024). "FLO share new single "Walk Like This": listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Hide & Seek (FLO Remix) [feat. FLO] - Single by Stormzy". Apple Music. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ "FLO - Cardboard Box (Official Video)" (Music Video). FLO. Retrieved 1 April 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "FLO - Cardboard Box (Acoustic)" (Music Video). FLO. Retrieved 6 May 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "FLO - Immature (Official Video)" (Music video). FLO. Retrieved 8 July 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "FLO - Summertime (Official Video)" (Music Video). FLO. Retrieved 12 August 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "FLO - Losing You (Official Video)" (Music video). FLO. Retrieved 15 December 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "FLO - Fly Girl ft. Missy Elliott (Official Video)" (Music video). FLO. Retrieved 23 March 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "FLO - Walk Like Thais (Official Video)" (Music video). FLO. Retrieved 14 March 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Heran, Mamo (31 January 2023). "FLO Announces First North American Headlining Tour: Here Are the Dates". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2023.