The members of the legendary R&B group Sisters With Voices include: Cheryl “Coko” Clemons, LeAnne “Lelee” Lyons, and Tamara “Taj” George. We spoke with George about the the group’s WE tv reality show, “SWV Reunited” and their new album, Still.
Well, first things first, coming off of last season’s “SWV Reunited,’ things were still up in the air a bit with the group and the direction you all were heading in; of course, you, Taj, had your health scares and concerns, Coko was still somewhat reluctant about performing certain hit songs at shows, there were major disagreements regarding management and label, and Lelee was kind of looking to go solo. Now that all of that dust has cleared and settled, there’s a brand-new single, “Ain’t No Man,” that viewers got to witness firsthand in regard to the whole creative studio process, and instead of Max Gousse, you all are now teamed up with New Edition maverick, Brooke Payne — that being said, how in the world did you all wind up exactly where you are now? And, are you finally happy with the situation at hand?
With most reality shows, it’s virtually impossible to put everything in a one hour show. With that being said, the audience is really getting part of the whole story. Clearly, we’ve worked everything out. My health is great, Coko loves performing “Downtown” and Lelee is still with the group. We know the SWV foundation is our safe haven. Max Gousse didn’t work out the way we thought he would have. No hard feelings. Now we’re with the legendary Brooke Payne. We’ve never had a problem singing. One of our weaknesses has always been our stage show. Brooke has come in and cleaned up everything. There’s order in place from the smallest detail to the biggest. We’re excited to see where we’re going.
Speaking of the recently unveiled “Ain’t No Man,” after all the drama with the producers, how did it even come to fruition?
Again, the audience was only allowed to see a snippet of what actually happened. Before the end of the day everything was worked out, but a happy ending doesn’t make great TV. Now it’s out and the song is a amazing.
“Ain’t No Man,” comes courtesy of your upcoming fifth studio collection Still. Conceptually, what does that title represent both to and for you all?
“Still” sums up everything about SWV. After all of the ups, downs, break ups, years, babies, boyfriends, illnesses, you name it, we’re still here making great music.
How does Still either differ or compare to previous SWV efforts?
I don’t think I can compare any of our albums against each other. I love them all. They’re all my favorite. My favorite is always the one that’s out at the time.
To what do you attribute your longevity?
I think our longevity is strongly due to our strong music catalog. We are still able to tour all over the world, hear our records on radio stations, and still collect royalty checks because of the quality of our songs. Great songs equal longevity every time.
Do you all have any other outside or additional aspiration, maybe even completely away from entertainment?
Lelee loves dead people. She likes working in her family funeral home. Coko is into shoes. She owns C&T Shoe Bar. I love writing. I’ve written two books Player hateHER: How To Avoid The Beatdown And Live In A Drama Free World and Married For Real: Building A Loving, Powerful Life Together. I’m currently working on Player hateHER 2.0.
On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of R&B? And, as an extension to this question, where do you all “fit in” when it comes to today’s current/trending soundscape?
The current state of R&B is much different from the ’90’s. Some of it is amazing and some of it has to grow on you. Overall, music is universal so there’s no way to ever “not” be happy with it. I believe that with artists like Mary J. Blige, Usher, Tyrese, Anthony Hamilton and R.Kelly still putting out great music, SWV fits in perfectly.
That said, how have you all changed and/or evolved since your whole inception into music?
We haven’t changed drastically. We’ve grown older and have matured along with our sound, but the core is still there. The R&B/Hip Hop essence that we started with is still there.
To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s)?
To date, SWV’s biggest career moment has probably been the day the single “Weak” went No. 1. That’s when we knew we had something special. “Right Here” and “I’m So Into You” we’re top 20 and top 10, but “Weak” took that It’s About Time album over the top. It was the first of many big career moments for SWV.
As for the immediate future, what’s next for SWV?
We’ve just released our video for the first single “Ain’t No Man.” We’re gearing up to release our fifth studio album in January. Our minds are completely focused on making Still a complete success.
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