It’s official! T-Boz and Chilli will release a final TLC album after raising their goal of $150,000 on Kickstarter.
“We want to do one last TLC album,” T-Boz, 44, said to fans in a video. “We want to do an album but we want to do it on our own.”
“We want to be able to be creative, think outside the box, and just be free to do what we really want to do,” Chilli, 43, added. “We want to give you guys the quality of work that we have always given you.”
Now the duo can make that dream come true after raising over $182,290 on Kickstarter, over $30,000 past their initial goal.
One surprise donator was international superstar Katy Perry who donated $5,000 to the fundraiser.
“A BIG Special THANK YOU 2 @katyperry for her pledge to our #Kickstarter Campaign!” T-Boz tweeted Tuesday, Jan. 20. “Your awesome!”
The duo’s upcoming project will be the first studio album since founding member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died in a car crash in April 2002, shortly prior to the release of the group’s last album 3D.
Original Article
It has been twelve years since TLC released their last album 3D, but now the two surviving members of the group are planning to head back to the studio to record their fifth and final album with the help of their fans.
TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Tenese Watkins and Rozonda Ocelean “Chilli” Thomas are looking to have their final album funded via Kickstarter.
The group sent out a tweet on Monday with the announcement:
It’s OFFICIAL. We are making a FINAL ALBUM. We need YOU to make it happen on @kickstarter!!!! http://t.co/uj0JedPpmD pic.twitter.com/igCpUKqLJG
— TLC (@OfficialTLC) January 19, 2015
Currently, over $128,000 has been pledged of the $150,000 goal with 28 days left to go of their campaign.
Some of the rewards include a TLC dance moves video tutorial for $50, a digital TLC scrapbook for $75, a signed TLC vinyl record for $100, a phone call from TLC for $350, and sleepovers with T-Boz and Chilli for $5,000.
The new record will also be TLC’s first album without founding member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, who passed away in 2002 in a car accident.
“This final album will be the first studio album by the two of us. Of course, Lisa’s spirit will always be present in our music. That will never change,” the group wrote on their Kickstarter page. “We have already enlisted many key members from our original team (we’re looking at you KANDI BURRUSS!), plus many more! We will be announcing more members of the team and other news in the days to come here on Kickstarter.”
Some celebrities have contributed to the campaign. New Kids on the Block, who will be touring with TLC and Nelly this summer, donated $20,000. It has also been reported that Katy Perry donated $5,000.
The group also explained why they chose to use Kickstarter to fund the album.
“While major labels offer artists multimillion dollar recording and marketing budgets, they don’t often give artists complete control of their own music,” they wrote. “It is ESSENTIAL that we create our final album completely on our own terms, without any restrictions, with YOU.”
