Nowadays, everybody and his mama have been using Kickstarter to fund their next big idea. Not only is it the average Joe hocking his wares on Kickstarter, but plenty of celebrities have re-emerged thanks to the generosity of strangers. Kickstarter has become the Internet’s version of panhandling. Many Kickstarters have been successful, but so many others have fizzled. Now ’90s R&B group TLC is hoping to have some success on the crowdfunding site.
TLC recently announced that they’re working on their fifth and final studio album and want their fans to fund it. The pledges start at $5, and the rewards include everything from TLC voicemail, signed paraphernalia and clothing from their old videos.
In an interview with Billboard, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas explained why they’re looking to be funded by the public.
“It’s a combination of things. Our manager talked to us about Kickstarter long ago, and maybe he was just planting the seeds back then. Also, I got on Twitter later than most. I already had fans asking, ‘When are you coming back? We need more music!’ Then once our biopic came out, the requests were just overwhelming. Fans have even been sending ideas for what they want a new album cover to look like— they get so creative. They have so much love for us, and we thought, ‘We gotta do this, and we have to involve the fans,’” Thomas said.
After the death of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, there was a noticeable void in the group, but Thomas said that they don’t see it being filled on the new album. Although Lil Mama recently stepped in during a handful of concerts after her role in the VH1 biopic, Thomas also said they’re not sure if she’ll be included on the album.
So far the group has collected more than $35,000 of their $150,000 goal. In the grand scheme of things, $150,000 isn’t that much nowadays, when some campaigns have collected millions of dollars. If you’re not a scrub and have a few extra dollars hanging around, head over to Kickstarter to learn more about the rewards and more information about the final album.