It was almost three years ago when TLC launched a Kickstarter to fund their fifth and final album. Fans basically threw money at them, including Katy Perry, who donated $5,000 to help T-Boz and Chilli out. But those same fans began to question whether or not they had been bamboozled when, a year later, they got nothing in return, even after the Kickstarter gained over $400,000. But now it finally seems as though the album is coming to fruition and will be released in June.
“I am thrilled to let you know that the album is tentatively scheduled to be released at the end of June. […] We are working out the official date in the next couple of weeks and once it is final we will notify you,” Bill Diggins, the group’s manager, wrote on Kickstarter. “This album could not have happened without your support, and your confidence in TLC has inspired us greatly to make the best album possible. We would have loved to have delivered this album sooner to you but we are confident that you will agree that it was worth the wait when you hear it. The pursuit of excellence is never an easy task and always takes longer than expected.”
The news was appropriately dropped on the 25th anniversary of TLC’s groundbreaking debut album, Ooooooohhh ... on the TLC Tip. The upcoming untitled album will be the first one that Left Eye doesn’t appear on. In 2002 the group dropped its 3D album just months after Left Eye was killed, and it featured the work she did before her death.
TLC will always be one of my favorite groups.