RD, also known as Ruff Diamondz, were a British girl group from
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
comprising Julie "Chronz" Norton, Martika Lecointe-Akore, and Troy Hudson.
The group were formed in 2009 when a manager introduced the members to each other via
Myspace. They subsequently spent six months training in fitness, choreography, singing and styling before they performed live for the first time.
In September 2010, Ruff Diamondz released a mixtape titled ''The Intro of RD aka Ruff Diamondz'',
followed by their debut single "Do It Like Me" in November 2010 via
Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
. They were profiled in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as the newspaper's "New Band of the Week" in October 2010.
Also during 2010, Ruff Diamondz toured the United Kingdom with
JLS
JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company Ne ...
on
their arena tour and
N-Dubz
N-Dubz are an English hip hop trio from Camden Town, London, consisting of cousins Dappy and Tulisa, and Fazer. After winning a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer in 2007, N-Dubz briefly signed to Polydor Records before joining All Around the Wor ...
on the
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Af ...
tour.
By 2011, the group had officially changed their name to RD due to copyright issues.
They released their second single "Got Me Burnin'", co-written by
Katy B
Kathleen Anne Brien (born 8 May 1989), better known as Katy B, is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut studio album, ''On a Mission (Katy B album), On a Mission'', in 2011, which spawned two top five hits, "Katy on a Mission ...
and produced by Geeneus of
Rinse FM
Rinse FM is a London-based community radio station, licensed for "young people living and/or working within the central, east and south London areas". It plays garage, grime, dubstep, house, jungle, UK funky and other dance music genres popula ...
, in October 2011.
The single was playlisted on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
and received favourable reviews from the ''
Daily Star'', ''
Mixmag
''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights.
History
The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...
'', ''MuuMuse'',
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for ''NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cra ...
, and
''The Singles Jukebox''.
Polydor dropped the group the same month, and in November 2011 they announced they had split up after Hudson decided to leave the group.
Lecointe-Akore embarked on a solo career under the name Martika LA, releasing the single "Give Me Your Love" in 2012.
Discography
*''The Intro of RD aka Ruff Diamondz'' (2010)
*"Do It Like Me" (2010)
*"Got Me Burnin'" (2011)
References
{{authority control
English electronic music groups
English girl groups
English pop music groups
British contemporary R&B musical groups
British musical trios
English vocal groups
Musical groups established in 2009
Musical groups disestablished in 2011
Musical groups from London
Polydor Records artists
Vocal trios