3LW (

initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of "3 Lil Women") was an American

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 ...

formed in 1999 by

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 ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

. Jessica Benson later replaced Naughton after she left the group in 2002. 3LW was signed to the label

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 ...

, and later moved to

So So Def So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music. So So Def has managed artists such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, TL ...

. They are best known for their 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 ...

", "

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 ...

" and "

I Do (Wanna Get Close to You) "I Do (Wanna Get Close to You)" is the first single from 3LW's second album '' A Girl Can Mack'' and featured P. Diddy and Loon. The single peaked at number 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 during 2002. It achieved greater success in New Zealand, ...

History

1999–2001: ''3LW''

In 1999, the group 3LW was formed by sisters Michelle & Tse Williams. Michelle's daughter & Tse's younger sister/niece

was the first member into the lineup and the group would soon be rounded out by

, with both Michelle and Tse as head of the group's management. Their debut single, "

", was released in the fall of 2000. "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)" was a chart success, and was followed by "

" in early 2001. The group's self-titled debut album, ''

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 ...

'' was released on December 5, 2000. The album went on to be certified platinum 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 ...

, selling 1.3 million copies in the US. In the summer of 2001, the group embarked on the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Total Request Live Tour The Total Request Live Tour (also known as MTV's TRL Tour) was a co-headlining tour featuring American groups, 3LW, Destiny's Child, Dream, St. Lunatics and American artists Eve and Nelly. Jessica Simpson joined the tour for select dates before ...

along with

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

, and

Jessica Simpson Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' Swe ...

. In 2001, 3LW recorded "

What More Can I Give "What More Can I Give" (also "Todo Para Ti" in Spanish) is a song written by American singer Michael Jackson and recorded in 2001 by Jackson and a supergroup of singers following the September 11 attacks. The inspiration for the song had initial ...

" as part of a

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

of various artists including

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

, Usher,

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

, and

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 ...

in response to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

. In late 2001 they collaborated with

Lil' Romeo Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...

and

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...

for "Parents Just Don't Understand" on the '' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' soundtrack. 3LW spent the first half of 2002 in the studio, recording an album tentatively titled ''Same Game, Different Rules''. The album and its intended lead single "Uh Oh" were presented to the label, who felt it did not have enough

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

radio appeal. The tracks from ''Same Game, Different Rules'' were leaked to the Internet in MP3 format, and Epic considered dropping the girls. A fan support campaign for 3LW named 'Never Let Go Of 3LW' (after their song "Never Let Go") gained traction, and the act was retained.

2002–2003: ''A Girl Can Mack'' and Naughton departure

Recording a new set of tracks, the group returned in the summer of 2002 with the

P. Diddy Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

-produced single "

I Do (Wanna Get Close To You) "I Do (Wanna Get Close to You)" is the first single from 3LW's second album '' A Girl Can Mack'' and featured P. Diddy and Loon. The single peaked at number 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 during 2002. It achieved greater success in New Zealand, ...

", featuring

Loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gavi ...

. That same summer, the group performed a concert special on

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 ...

titled ''Live on Sunset''. By August, the group was set to release its newest LP, '' A Girl Can Mack'', when member Naughton left the group. In an interview on

Wendy Williams Wendy Williams Hunter ( Wendy Joan Williams; born July 18, 1964) is an American broadcaster and writer. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show ''The Wendy Williams Show.'' Prior to television, Williams ...

' radio show, Naughton alleged that she had a number of conflicts with Bailon, Williams, and their management, which led to an August 2002 altercation involving a plate of food from

KFC KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

. Naughton later claimed that she was forced out of the group. Williams and Bailon continued as a duo while using the "3LW" name, causing the press to jokingly refer to them as "2LW". The departure of Naughton greatly affected the group's popularity and album sales. According to a cover story for the October 2002 issue of ''Sister 2 Sister'' magazine, Williams and Bailon said they received death threats. ''A Girl Can Macks release date was pushed back a month and debuted at No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 53,000 copies sold in the first week. After the second single released from the album, "

Neva Get Enuf "Neva Get Enuf" is the second single released from 3LW's second album ''A Girl Can Mack'' and features Lil Wayne, it heavily samples Teddy Pendergrass's "Close the Door (Teddy Pendergrass song), Close the Door". The song is a trio but the video w ...

", underperformed, the group released a Christmas-themed LP '' Naughty or Nice'', which failed to appear on any major ''Billboard'' charts. After nationwide auditions for a new third member, fifteen year old Jessica 'J' Benson was selected as the third member and made her first appearance with the group in March 2003.

2003–2006: Canceled third album and breakup

In the midst of 3LW's public drama, Bailon and Williams signed on to star in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

original movie '' The Cheetah Girls'' in 2003, alongside

Raven-Symoné Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday () (née Pearman; born December 10, 1985), also known mononymously as Raven, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has received several accolades, including five NAACP Image Awards, two Kids ...

and

Sabrina Bryan Reba Sabrina Hinojos (born September 16, 1984), known professionally as Sabrina Bryan, is an American dancer, choreographer, actress and singer. She was best known as a member of the girl group The Cheetah Girls, and starred in the Disney Channe ...

. Due to the group's success, Disney decided to turn the project into a real girl band. As the Cheetah Girls project grew, with albums released and world tours, 3LW was on 3 years of hiatus. The progress on 3LW's third studio album, titled ''Point of No Return'', became a background for Bailon and Williams and was delayed several times. Only on August 15, 2006, after four years, the group released their new single, " Feelin' You". Despite this, ''Point of No Return'' was shelved and Bailon and Williams continued working on The Cheetah Girls. On January 7, 2008, Bailon confirmed in an interview with

BlogTalkRadio BlogTalkRadio is a web-based platform that allows podcasters and radio sites and talk show hosts to create live and on-demand talk format content for distribution on the web and podcast distribution channels. Its claim to fame is a web-based 'st ...

that 3LW officially disbanded in 2007, after the release of "Feelin' You". In 2022, three previously unreleased songs recorded in 2003-2005 – Trouble", "After This" and "How U Gonna Act" – were released on iTunes.

In popular culture

* 3LW are featured as bonus characters in the 2001 video game ''

NBA Street ''NBA Street'' is a basketball video game developed by NuFX and EA Canada. It was released in 2001 by EA Sports BIG for the PlayStation 2 and in 2002 for the GameCube. It combines the talent and big names of the National Basketball Association ...

''. * In January 2001, 3LW appeared in an episode of the

series '' Taina'' as a fictional girl group (along with the same name of this episode) called ''Blue Mascara'' where the main character (

Christina Vidal Christina Vidal is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in films such as '' Life with Mikey'', ''Brink!'', ''Freaky Friday'', '' See No Evil'' and for her role in Nickelodeon sitcom '' Taina'', in which she played the ...

) is overjoyed to become a member of the popular all-female singing group at school until they tell her that she must get rid of Renee (Khaliah Adams). * In October 2001, 3LW appeared on the

series ''

The Jersey ''The Jersey'' is an American comedy television series based on the '' Monday Night Football Club'' books by Gordon Korman. The series aired on Disney Channel from January 30, 1999, to March 23, 2004. Premise Nick Lighter, Morgan Hudson, Colem ...

'' in the episode "Speaking of Coleman" where after freaking out at a debate competition, Coleman Galloway (

Jermaine Williams Jermaine Charles Williams is an American actor, producer, and dancer. He dances for the Norwood Kids Foundation. He is from Rialto, California. He is best known for his role as Mush Mouth in ''Fat Albert'' and Noel in ''Stomp the Yard''. He a ...

) gets a lesson in handling stage fright by jumping into the body of one of the three members of the group which in general was

. * In November 2002, 3LW appeared in an episode of the

sketch comedy series ''

All That ''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins P ...

''.

Past members

(1999–2007) *

(1999–2002) * Jessica Benson (2003–2007)

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (2000) * '' A Girl Can Mack'' (2002) * '' Naughty or Nice'' (2002) * ''Point of No Return'' (shelved)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

3LW
on MySpace {{DEFAULTSORT:3lw Musical groups established in 2000 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 So So Def Recordings artists Epic Records artists American contemporary R&B musical groups American pop girl groups American girl groups Teen pop groups 1999 establishments in New Jersey