Allure is an American
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
-based
R&B 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 ...
that formed in the 1990s as a
quartet
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
. Now a trio, they are best known for their hit single "
All Cried Out" with
112 112 may refer to:
*112 (number), the natural number following 111 and preceding 113
*112 (band), an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia
**112 (album), ''112'' (album), album from the band of the same name
*112 (emergency telephone number), t ...
, which reached #4 on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
. Original members were Alia Gray (née Davis), Hem-Lee (aka Linnie Belcher), Lalisha Sanders, and Akissa Mendez.
Career
Allure is an R&B girl group from
Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
that originally consisted of Alia Davis, Akissa Mendez, Lalisha McClean and Linnie Belcher. Alia, Akissa, and Lalisha were attending the
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia, is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Ce ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
when they decided to become a girl group. They added Linnie Belcher, who was attending the
Julia Richman High School
The Julia Richman Education Complex (JREC) is an educational multiplex located in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after the district superintendent of schools, Julia Richman, it houses six autonomous small sc ...
at the time. For the next two years, the girls rehearsed and found management connections which brought them to the attention of Poke (from production team Track Masters). Poke worked with the girls and signed them to Track Masters under the name “Allure” and helped them sign with
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
’s record label
Crave Records
Crave Records was a record label under Sony Music Entertainment founded by Mariah Carey in February 1997, and shut down in July 1998. Groups signed to the label included DJ Company, female R&B quartet Allure, who released a self-titled album fe ...
in 1997.
Their debut single "
Head Over Heels" (featuring
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
) was released in February, becoming a hit and peaking at #35 on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and #20 on the US Rhythmic Top 40. It was soon followed by the single "No Question" featuring
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...
which gained some airplay, ahead of the release of their self-titled debut album ''
Allure'' on May 6, 1997. Their next single, a cover of "
All Cried Out" featuring
112 112 may refer to:
*112 (number), the natural number following 111 and preceding 113
*112 (band), an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia
**112 (album), ''112'' (album), album from the band of the same name
*112 (emergency telephone number), t ...
was released in August, and became their biggest hit to date, peaking at #4 on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and #9 on the R&B chart. With the success of the single, their album was certified gold by the
RIAA
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 ...
, and a fourth single ("Last Chance", which was co-written by Carey) followed.
In 1998, they appeared on the soundtrack album with
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
for the song “Let it be” for the movie ‘‘
Woo
Woo, WoO, WOO, W.O.O. and variants may refer to:
People
Woo or Wu, romanization of several East Asian names:
* Hu (surname): 胡, 瓠, 護, 戶, 扈, 虎, 呼, 忽, 斛
* Wu (surname): 吳, 伍, 武, 仵, 烏, 鄔, 巫
* Ng (name): 吳, 伍
* Woo ...
’’.
In 1999, they released the single "You're the Only One For Me" from the hit 1999 film ''
Runaway Bride''.
After the dissolution of Crave Records, Allure signed with
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
in 2000, issuing the single "Enjoy Yourself" which peaked at #50 on the Billboard R&B chart. Their sophomore album ''
Sunny Days'' followed on September 25, 2001 and opened at #68 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. A second single "Kool Wit Me" was pushed to radio, yet did not receive much support from the label. Soon after, member Hem-Lee (aka Linnie Belcher) left the group and the group remained as a trio.
In 2002, they appeared in the
Tom Jones' ''
Mr. Jones'' album, in the song "The Letter." The album was produced by
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
,
Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis
Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born 9 August 1975) is a Haitian music producer, film score composer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His first major success was as a producer for the Fugees' 1996 album '' The Score''. He also played the bass guitar w ...
and Jones himself.
In 2004, they signed with
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
Ron Artest Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...
's newly formed label, Tru Warier Records, distributed by
Lightyear Entertainment
Lightyear Entertainment, headquartered in Studio City, California, is a distributor of independent motion pictures in theaters, on DVD, Blu-ray, Video On Demand, as well as a distributor of music and music videos on CD, DVD, and digital distribut ...
. Their third album ''
Chapter III'', in reference to their lineup change and being their third album, was released on November 23, 2004. It went unnoticed by the general public, although it did receive considerable press due to
Ron Artest's suspension from the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
that year. Two singles were released, 2004's "Uh Oh" featuring
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
artist
Elephant Man
Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then wen ...
, and 2005's "I Think I'm In Love" featuring
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
Joe Budden
Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...
. The album was subsequently released in the UK the following year, including a new track ("You Are The Man") and a remix of the single "Hate 2 Luv U".
In 2008, Allure formed their own label, A.L.A. Recordings, and released their first EP, ''Patiently Waiting'' on November 1, 2008. Their fourth album, ''Time's Up'', followed on February 10, 2010.
The next year, Allure signed with
MC Shan
Shawn Moltke (born September 6, 1965) better known by his stage name MC Shan, is an American hip hop and R&B recording artist.
He is best known for his song "The Bridge" produced by Marley Marl, and for collaborating with Snow on "Informer" ...
's label Bridge Works, which has digital distribution with Interscope Records. In 2014, the group released a new single "Butterflies" featuring
MC Shan
Shawn Moltke (born September 6, 1965) better known by his stage name MC Shan, is an American hip hop and R&B recording artist.
He is best known for his song "The Bridge" produced by Marley Marl, and for collaborating with Snow on "Informer" ...
.
In 2018, the group announced work on a new album. The first single from the project, "I Do" was announced with a talent search for a female rapper to be included on the song. The single, now titled "Like I Do" and featuring rapper Dejha B was released in November. The song was written by Shanell Red Irving and Jonathan “JJ” Jennings and produced by Brook Brovaz. The music video premiered on November 12.
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
References
{{Authority control
African-American musical groups
American girl groups
American contemporary R&B musical groups
Crave Records artists
Musical groups established in 1996
Musical groups from New York City