TLC ANNOUNCES DATES FOR FIRST EVER HEADLINING TOUR ‘UNPRETTY’ SINGLE FROM QUADRUPLE PLATINUM ‘FANMAIL’ CD HIT #1

FROM: TODD BRODGINSKI/MITCH SCHNEIDER/AMANDA CAGAN

TLC ANNOUNCE DATES FOR FIRST-EVER HEADLINING TOUR;
`UNPRETTY’ SINGLE FROM QUADRUPLE PLATINUM
`FANMAIL’ CD HIT #1 POSITION;
DEBUT SINGLE `NO SCRUBS’ ALSO HIT #1 SPOT;
MP3.COM-SPONSORED TOUR TO BENEFIT NATIONAL AND LOCAL
CHARITIES

The best-selling female trio of all time–TLC–have announced dates for their first-ever arena headlining tour, beginning October 22 in Toronto. The trek is getting underway as “Unpretty”–the second single from the group’s new four million-selling FANMAIL CD–hit #1 on the Billboard pop singles chart (it’s currently #3). The CD’s debut single “No Scrubs” spent four weeks also at the #1 spot, heralding the return of the group–TIONNE “T-BOZ” WATKINS, LISA “LEFT EYE” LOPES and ROZANDA “CHILLI” THOMAS–that achieved massive crossover success with the 10 million-selling 1994 CRAZYSEXYCOOL CD. “No Scrubs” marks TLC‘s ninth gold single, an honor that lands them in the top five of groups with the most gold singles. The FANMAIL tour–which will include Destiny’s Child and another to-be-announced act–will be a multi-dimensional sonic and visual extravaganza, featuring state of the art lighting and video. The set was designed by John McGraw, who’s done the same honors for artists including Prince and Madonna.

In a press conference held recently in Atlanta, the group announced that MP3.COM would be sponsoring the FANMAIL tour. The group also announced that they will be donating money to various local and national charities along the tour route, including the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation and the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America.

TLC has only toured sporadically throughout their eight-year career, most notably a co-headlining trek with Boyz II Men in `94. The group’s absence from the music scene left some wondering if they could come back with the success they had previously enjoyed. But reaction to FANMAIL has been overwhelmingly positive, as proven by record sales, radio success and critical reaction:

“Fanmail proves the time TLC took coming back was clearly time well spent. Peppered with a Y2K clang and bang, the album is, to use another overused phrase, music of the millennium: alternately cool and hot.”
THE SOURCE

“TLC has pulled off another trick: after a long layoff, it has delivered another strong, feisty album.”
TIME

“…the record is both edgy and a bit outlandish–and distinctly TLC.”
USA TODAY (*** 1/2 out of four)

“In fact, FanMail is crammed with potential hit singles–and sources of controversy. On `Silly Ho’ and especially `I’m Good At Being Bad,’ the girls crank up the raunch level…”
VIBE

“Like other songs on the album, the percolating track [`No Scrubs’] reveals a sassy, no-nonsense take on relationships. While TLC has always put forth a strong-woman vibe, its new material puts more emphasis than ever on autonomy and independence–values that the group members–who are all in their late 20s–have come to appreciate as a result of both personal and professional experience.”
LOS ANGELES TIMES

The accolades and success of the FANMAIL CD continues what TLC has done since their 1992 debut CD OOOH…ON THE TLC TIP. That release spawned two platinum and one gold singles (“Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg,” “Baby Baby Baby” and “What About Your Friends,” respectively) and set the group up for their next release, 1994’s CRAZYSEXYCOOL. The CRAZYSEXYCOOL CD spawned two gold (“Diggin’ On You” and “Red Light Special”) and two platinum (“Creep” and “Waterfalls”) singles. The OOOH…ON THE TLC TIP CD went on to sell over four million copies, with CRAZYSEXYCOOL claiming the honor of the best-selling female R&B trio CD of all time, with sales of over 11 million. FANMAIL has sold over seven million worldwide since its April release. The group has also received the 1999 Soul Train “Lady Of Soul” awards for “Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year,” “Best R&B/Soul Single,” “Best Group” for “No Scrubs” and the Aretha Franklin Award for “Entertainer of the Year.” The also took home the 1999 Teen Choice Award for “Favorite Group.”Check out the TLC website–www.tlcfanmail.com–for tour updates. Tour dates are as follows:

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