The year 1995 truly had it all for TLC. The trio of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Rozanda “Chili” Thomas and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes had become stars with their 1992 album Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip, but in late 1994, the release of sophomore set CrazySexyCool had taken them to the next level — a winning streak that would last through all of ’95 for the R&B group. But even in the midst of multiple era-defining No. 1 hits, VMAs-dominating music videos and unprecedented millions in album sales, the group had to fight through countless setbacks — medical, legal and (particularly) financial.
On this week’s Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by NYU professor, longtime music industry exec and social media legend Naima Cochrane to remember a year that essentially serves as the midpoint for all of ’90s pop stardom. We recall just what made TLC so exceptionally sensational — even during an absolute golden age for R&B girl groups — and talk about all the factors that would make such a year of pop stardom near-impossible 30 years later.
Along the way, we of course ask all the most important questions about the Greatest Pop Stars of 1995: What made CrazySexyCool such a great leap forward for an already A-list group? Did you really have to have one or multiple sets of silk pajamas to be fly in the mid-’90s? How differently would we talk about Left Eye’s toxic relationship with Andre Rison in 2025? Is “Waterfalls” a timeless classic or a dated message song? Was TLC secretly the model for HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters (and every other girl group of the last 30 years)? And perhaps most importantly: What would it take for us to really get girl groups back in the mainstream in the 2020s?
Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most important moments from TLC’s 1995, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:
Transgender Law Center
Trans Lifeline
Destination Tomorrow
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
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