By Marcus Scott
When their debut studio album It’s About Time dropped in 1992, only a year after being signed to RCA Records, SWV—Sisters With Voices—blew up and Coko, Lelee and Taj became household names. The album spawned four hit singles with the block party jump-off “I’m So Into You,” the majestic baby-maker “Weak,” the fairly known “Downtown,” and the now iconic Michael Jackson assisted “Right Here/Human Nature.” SWV became one of the biggest and most successful R&B groups of the ‘90s, selling over 15 million albums until they split in ’98 and as Lelee puts it: “And then everything just came tumbling down.”
Related: Top 10 R&B Songs From the ’90s
Now they are back in a long-awaited behind-the-scenes docu-series “SWV: Reunited” airing on We TV Thursday, January 16 at 10 p.m.
After tensions boiled over, the once cliquey trio were no longer in communication, only performing on stage when they absolutely needed to. Then they officially called it quits. Flirtatious and fun Lelee was living out of her car, spiraling into an all-time low where she became to contemplate suicide; Taj sold her home, changed her name and went off the grid after her contract with Ford Models ended; and Coko released an R&B record and two gospel records, but never matched the success of the band. Coming back together in 2011 to record their I Missed Us, their first in 15 years, they were nominated in the Best Traditional R&B Performance for the cover of Patti LaBelle’s “If Only You Knew.”
The ladies have done some growing up, but can old habits die-hard? Coko is still the “Diana Ross”-type, Taj is still as sensitive as seen in previous docu-series and Lelee is the same old “man freak.” But are they as tight as they used to be? The verdict is still out on that one: Cory Taylor may get ditched in favor of better management, and Coko doesn’t divulge info that she may or may not have breast cancer.
Check out the SWV Reunited UPTOWN Exclusive Sneak Preview here and the super tease below. And don’t forget to tune into We TV tonight at 10 p.m.
SWV Reunited SuperTease