When British R&B group FLO were told they’d won the 2023 Brits Rising Star Award in December – the first non-solo act to do so since the award was created 15 years ago – their manager brought some balloons and Krispy Kreme doughnuts to the studio, and they live-streamed the moment for fans on TikTok. It’s natural that the trio – Renée Downer, Stella Quaresma and Jorja Douglas – would want to share the news online.
After all, it was the internet that powered the success of their debut single, ‘Cardboard Box’, back in March last year. Produced by MNEK (who has spawned hits for Dua Lipa, Beyoncé and Little Mix), the track dripped with Noughties nostalgia and quickly stormed up the streaming charts, surpassing more than 40 million global streams and over a billion views on TikTok. So well-received was the single Stateside that it led to their debut US performance on Jimmy Kimmel back in October, which they described as a daunting but fun experience.
Fans praised the group for filling the girl-band-shaped hole left in the music sphere by Sugababes, Little Mix or even (whisper it) Destiny’s Child. And comparisons naturally mounted, with hit singles ‘Summertime’ and ‘Immature’, garnering a slew of A-list followers, from SZA to Missy Elliott and even Kelly Rowland (who the band met while recording in LA). ‘It’s a full-circle moment; all the people that continue to show us love have inspired us at one point or another,’ says Quaresma. As for the comparisons to female R&B groups that have come before, 21-year-old Douglas adds: ‘It’s flattering and amazing. We’re at the beginning of our journey, and we want to follow the path our predecessors set up by adding something new.’
Those are big shoes to fill for the three London-based musicians who were raised by their single mothers on a diet of smooth Nineties love songs. The trio met when they were teenagers. Downer, raised in north London, and Quaresma, born in Kingston upon Thames, both studied at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marble Arch (which Adele and Amy Winehouse also attended) and later forged a relationship online with Douglas, who grew up in Hertfordshire. They’re quick to explain the roles they all play within the band. ‘I’m the pessimist, Renée’s the optimist and Stella is the realist,’ Douglas says. What unites them is a determination to write tracks that speak to women’s agency and a chemistry that ‘allows them to balance each other out’, Douglas chimes in.
Next up, their single ‘Losing You’ is a standalone, soulful track in which they softly croon about cutting ties with a toxic partner. It’s an ode to sisterhood and, musically, a departure from the bouncier sound the group have become known for. ‘We discuss what we’ve all been experiencing and, usually, a theme will stick out,’ says Downer, 20, about the songwriting process. ‘There’s pressure to create a catchy chorus when you’re penning a faster song. Working on a slower-paced track felt a bit easier.’
Things are only set to get bigger for the band. They won BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2023, joining previous acts PinkPantheress, Jorja Smith and Celeste. They also sold out two headline gigs in London and Manchester within minutes – and bagged a Mobo nomination for Best Newcomer. ‘It’s good that we’re all experiencing the same thing, so we’re able to support and relate to one another,’ says Quaresma, 21, of their ascent. As for the album fans have been patiently awaiting, they confirm it’s coming this year. Quaresma reels off a wish-list of collaborators: ‘Megan Thee Stallion, Missy Elliott, Destin Conrad, Kehlani...’ And they’re just getting started. ‘There’s no rest for FLO,’ she says.
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