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In the 90s, America was booming with R&B groups like En Vogue, who sang sexy songs in satin gloves about mighty good men. The US had arguably set the template for the girlband in the 1960s, with groups like The Shirelles, The Supremes and The Chantelles singing harmonies with manicured hair and matching outfits.

But TLC, from Atlanta, arrived to rip up the rulebook. The trio had three distinct personalities, who were blending R&B and rap.

The band is known not just for their incredible music but also for the untimely death of rapper Lisa Left Eye Lopes and for being the biggest girlband on the planet, while going bankrupt. And, as you’ll hear, there were other scandals besides…

But these renegades were way ahead of their time: they preached safe sex, female pleasure, self love and other important topics with their timely lyrics; they started style trends that can be seen everywhere today; they presented a complex, relatable vision of black femininity; and they were among the first pop bands to take on internet culture in their songs.

Along with the Spice Girls, TLC set the stage to help the girlband flourish into the 2000s. They’re still going strong today and their legacy can be felt through the generations.

In this episode we hear from: Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins from TLC, journalist Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, musician Dawn Richard, author Emily Sieu Liebowitz and Janet Planet from Confidence Man.

Presenter: Mollie King
Producer: Kate Hutchinson
Written by Kate Hutchinson
Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters
Additional production: Holly Fisher
Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O’Connell
Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles
Executive Producer: Joe Haddow
Commissioning producers: Jonathan O’Sullivan, Sarah Gosling
Commissioner for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music: Will Wilkin