''3LW'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

3LW 3LW (initialism of "3 Lil Women") was an American girl group formed in 1999 by Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Naturi Naughton. Jessica Benson later replaced Naughton after she left the group in 2002. 3LW was signed to the label Epic Recor ...

. It was released through

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

on December 5, 2000. The album contains their hit singles "

No More (Baby I'ma Do Right) "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)" is the debut single of American girl group 3LW from their self-titled debut album (2000). The single was released on August 22, 2000, in the United States reached number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song ...

" and "

Playas Gon' Play "Playas Gon' Play" is the second and final single from American girl group 3LW's self-titled debut album (2000). The single was released in April 2001. Although the song was a favorite among fans, it peaked at only number 81 on the ''Billboard ...

". ''3LW'' peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). To date it has sold 1.3 million copies in the US.

Background and production

In April 1999,

Kiely Williams Kiely Alexis Williams (born July 9, 1986) is an American singer, dancer and actress. She is known for her membership in the girl groups 3LW, The Cheetah Girls (group), the Cheetah Girls and BluPrint. Career 1999–2002: Career beginnings and 3 ...

Adrienne Bailon Adrienne Eliza Bailon-Houghton ( née Bailon () ; born October 24, 1983) is an American television personality, singer, and actress. She is a former member of the girl groups 3LW and The Cheetah Girls. From 2013 to 2022, Bailon was a co-host o ...

and

Naturi Naughton Naturi Cora Maria Naughton (born May 20, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Naughton is best known as one-third of the Contemporary R&B, R&B group 3LW and for her acting roles in the films ''Fame (2009 film), Fame'' and ''Notor ...

met each other at an audition. The following week later the trio went to a recording studio to record a 4-song demo tape. Eventually they caught the attention of

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

chairman/CEO

Tommy Mottola Thomas Daniel Mottola (born July 14, 1948) is an American music executive, producer and author. Mottola is currently the Chairman of Mottola Media Group and was previously the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columb ...

and after performing for him he signed them to his label. For nine months the girls recorded material for their debut album. Bailon discussed the developmental experience saying, "We've become like sisters. We sing, pray, and go to church as unit". She continued," We have bunk beds, and "the bond we share is unbreakable".

Release and promotion

Originally the album was scheduled to be released on November 14, but instead it was released on December 5, 2000. Beginning in May 2000, a marketing campaign was implemented to promote the group. During the summer-campaign 3LW cassette tape samplers and bounce-back postcards were distributed on the

'N Sync NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...

Sisqó Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known professionally as Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He is most prominently known for "Thong Song", his membership in Dru Hill, ...

and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

tours. For an entire month 3LW were a part of

Ed McMahon Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game sh ...

's mall and high school tour to introduce/promote his new internet venture, "Nextbigstar.com". They also had sponsored gigs with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

and Jump Magazine. After the album release, 3LW was expected to make several televised appearances on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

, ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

'' and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

. The group was also to be featured in teen-oriented magazines such as ''

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

'' and ''

Teen People ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

''. 3LW also went on a European promotional tour in support of the project.

Critical reception

Ed Hogan from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

praised the album for having a "fresh sound that deftly mixes hip-hop/R&B and pop." Overall, he felt that "The group's strong vocals and an overall adventurous vibe supplied by the album's producers and songwriters makes 3LW a pleasure." Michael Paoletta from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' felt the album was full of "radio-ready singles", and like their contemporaries the group is targeting their peers with their material in which they succeed at doing. Barry Walters from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' felt that the group radiate prefab vibes due to their "jerky beats" and the "kewpie-doll coo of their radio-friendly crooning". Ultimately, he declared 3LW "rise above the crassness behind their creation by laying low: no bombastic ballads, no embarrassing between-track skits, no strained displays of virtuoso technique and fake emotion".

Background and production

Release and promotion

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References