Meet members of the viral sensation, BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2023 and the BRIT Rising Star of 2023, FLO. The R&B supergroup share their story and PIXTAPE selections – the music that soundtracks their lives and inspires their sound.
PIXTAPE is a sonic tale. The Blues Project invites select artists to take us on a journey into their musical mind-frame. A playlist of the music they gravitate to, that shapes them, the music that soundtracks their lives. Fast iconic UK R&B trio, FLO share their picks featuring Jazmine Sullivan, Ari Lennox, Beyoncé & more…
Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renée Downer are FLO are the long awaited R&B trio the music industry has been in need of. These three women are authentic in their lyrics and relatable in their experiences with lovable personalities to match. However, compatible girl groups in both vocals and personality had felt like a concept that paused soon after the 90s. So much so, girl group legend Kelly Rowland felt the need to create docu-series ‘Chasing Destiny’ in order to find one, and now, along with Jazmine Sullivan, SZA, Brandy, Kehlani and more, the pop legend herself has shown interest in this talented group.
It was their breakout single ‘Cardboard Box’ that successfully caught the attention of R&B connoisseurs. As their YouTube views grew to an impressive 3 million alongside 7 million streams on Spotify, the impressive queries of ‘who are they!?’ soon became enthusiastic statements of ‘have you heard of FLO?’
FLO have now made history and become the first ever group to win BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2023 and BRIT Rising Star 2023. They have over 100 million global streams. Their rise has been meteoric and they are no doubt the world’s most exciting group out.
FLO take ‘The Lead’ with their EP
Their latest EP ‘The Lead’ was executive produced by MNEK, and according to FLO those early sessions included a lot of crying. ‘He’s just such a welcoming person you feel like you can offload your problems onto him and through whatever was going on at the time he just found a way to interpret it.’ It’s clear that each track has been thoughtfully created to capture different moods and moments of relationships and situationships. Lead single ‘Cardboard Box’ is uplifting and playful, it’s that break up song you sing in harmony with your girls in the car. In this ongoing(ish) heatwave, track ‘Summer’ is the song of blue skies, fresh nails and perfectly laid baby-hairs. Then for those of you who thrive off summer romances (Afronation 2019 lovers, ya’ll still good?) ‘Feature Me’ is for you.
The need for girl groups
The beauty of a girl group is that as they sing about all of these experiences, the harmonies on the track and the friendship displayed in their music videos empathise that in those each of these moments your friends are there. They’re telling that ex to pack up their ‘ish and go and they’re waiting by the phone for the post-date de-brief. Girl groups remind us of the importance of friendship throughout it all.
Having been together for three years, but knowing one another before the conception of FLO, you can feel the truth in their lyrics and the genuine fun had whilst weaving it all together. When you listen to their EP, FLO said they want you to feel hype, to feel yourself, to ‘feel like their problems have been spoken about, their problems have been heard.’
Nows the time to get to know them better via their PIXTAPE below, a women led, R&B heavy playlist filled with the artists who have clearly inspired the nostalgic, playful sounds we hear on their EP ‘The Lead’. Which you can listen to here.
Pick to sing in the shower: ‘Feature Me’ – FLO
‘I listen to our EP in every shower.’
‘Feature Me in the shower, it’s just magical.’
Pick to get ready to: ‘Naughty Girl’ – Beyoncé
‘I feel like it’s gotta be a Megan Thee Stallion track, or Naughty Girl Beyoncé.’
Pick to set the vibe at a party: ‘Last Last’ – Burna Boy
‘Burna Boy’s new track! Last, Last.’
Pick to iconic girl group pick: ‘No Scrubs’ – TLC
‘Bootylicious and Bug-a-boo, any Destiny’s Child song. No Scrubs! I need to get my phone out… Ooh some SWV.’
Pick to play when no one else is around: ‘The Worst’ -Jhené Aiko
‘When no one else is around I just be in my feelings, I’ll be playing Jhené Aiko, Sonder, the really sad songs.’
Pick for you hair routine: ‘Masterpiece’ – Jazmine Sullivan
‘A bit of Jazmine Sullivan, Masterpiece. In the reality when I’m in the shower washing my hair I’m still listening to the EP!’
Pick for self-care: ‘Shea Butter Baby’ – Ari Lennox
‘I immediately thought of Ari Lennox, Shea Butter Baby.’
Pick to sing to save your life: ‘Headlines’ – Drake
‘Headlines by Drake!’
‘Super Bass by Nicki Minaj’
‘Cardboard Box’
