3LW (short for "3 Little Women") is an American pop/R&B singing girl group that enjoyed a number of hits during the early 2000s. Its founding members, Naturi Naughton (born May 20, 1984 in East Orange, New Jersey), Adrienne Bailon (born October 24, 1983 in Manhattan, New York), and Kiely Williams (born July 9, 1986 in Alexandria, Virginia), signed with Epic Records, with Kiely's mother Michele Williams serving as manager.
3LW spent the first half of 2002 in the studio, recording an album tentatively titled Same Game, Different Rules. The album and its intended lead single "Uh Oh" were presented to the label, who felt it didn't have enough urban radio appeal. The tracks from Same Game, Different Rules were leaked to the Internet in MP3 format, and Epic considered dropping the girls. A fan support campaign for 3LW named 'Never Let Go Of 3LW' after their song 'Never Let Go' spread to the radio, and the act was retained on the label.
Recording a new set of tracks, 3LW returned in late summer of 2002 with the P. Diddy-produced single "I Do (Wanna Get Close To You)", featuring Loon. By August, the group was set to release its newest LP, A Girl Can Mack, when Naturi Naughton announced that she was no longer a member of the group. Naughton alleged that the other two girls and their manager forced her out of the group and that she left in the aftermath of a heated food fight between her and Kiely Williams.
Williams and Bailon continued as a duo, though still using the "3LW" name, leading the press to jokingly refer to them as "2LW". The ousting of Naturi would affect the group's popularity greatly. According to a cover story for the October 2002 issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine, Kiely & Adrienne said they would even receive death threats and that they would have to beef up security. The group departure of Naturi would affect album sales as well. A Girl Can Mack debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 with a disappointing 53,000 copies sold in the first week. After the second single released off the album, "Neva Get Enuf" underperformed, auditions were held across the country for a new third member. Jessica Benson made the cut and officially joined 3LW in March of 2003.
In fall 2003, 3LW departed from Epic, signing with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label. The group's latest album, Phoenix Rising, was originally slated for release later that same year;the album, now titled Point Of No Return, is now due on August 15, 2006.
Besides their singing work, 3LW has appeared as guest stars on Christina Vidal's Nickelodeon show Taina and in the film The Cheetah Girls, as well as Adrienne co-starring in the MTV straight to video/television movie All You've Got beside fellow R&B singer Ciara in 2006, and a small appearance in the movie Coach Carter in 2005.
Recently the Feelin' You video premired on yahoo videos and is #9 on the top 100 videos. The single goes for adds at radio stations on July 11. The Album Point Of No Return was pushed back to a September release.
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | UK Singles | |||
| 2000 | No More (Baby I'ma Do Right) | #23 | #22 | #6 | 3LW |
| 2001 | Playas Gon' Play | #81 | #56 | #21 | 3LW |
| 2002 | I Do (Wanna Get Close To You) | (feat. P.Diddy & Loon)— | — | — | A Girl Can Mack |
| 2002 | Neva Get Enuf (feat. Lil' Wayne) | — | — | — | A Girl Can Mack |
| 2006 | Feelin' You (feat. Jermaine Dupri) | TC | TC | TC | Point Of No Return |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Parents Just Don't Understand with Lil' Romeo & Nick Cannon |
| 2001 | "Get Up & Get It" with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony & Felecia |
| 2002 | "Feels Good (Don't Worry Bout A Thing)" with Naughty By Nature |
| 2004 | "Act Like You Know" with Raz-B |
| 2005 | The One with Frankie J |
| 2005 | No Me Digas Que No with Enemigo |
| 2006 | Bout It with Yung Joc |
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BET | TRL | ||
| 2000 | No More (Baby I'ma Do Right) | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | Parents Just Don't Understand (With Lil' Romeo & Nick Cannon) | ||
| 2001 | Playas Gon' Play | 7 | 1 |
| 2002 | Feels Good (Don't Worry Bout A Thing) (With Naughty By Nature) | 4 | 8 |
| 2002 | I Do (Wanna Get Close To You) | (feat. P.Diddy & Loon)4 | 1 |
| 2002 | Neva Get Enuf (feat. Lil' Wayne) | ||
| 2006 | Feelin' You (feat. Jermaine Dupri) |
Adrienne and Kiely also filmed the sequel to The Cheetah Girls movie in spring 2006 in Spain. The Disney Channel premiere is set for August.
Rhythm and blues musical groups | American musical groups | Rhythmic Top 40 acts | Triracial girl groups | Girl groups