Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins are looking to collaborate with a new voice, but the TLC stars insist they’re not trying to replace the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.
As previously reported, the pair announced they were launching a search to find a vocalist to perform with them in concert and for one track on TLC’s upcoming greatest hits project, a journey that will be the subject of a UPN reality show, “R U The Girl with T-Boz and Chilli.”
“Nothing has changed. We’re not replacing Lisa,” Thomas says. “We’re not looking for a new member.” Some fans were concerned that Thomas and Watkins were seeking to fill the shoes of Lopes, who died in a car crash in Honduras in 2002.
But the duo said they would never try to replace Lopes, perhaps the most dynamic member of the trio, with her colorful personality and energetic raps.
“We started out with our fans and it’s all about our greatest hits,” Thomas said. “Basically, we are trying to give back to our fans and find one girl and give her a chance of a lifetime, to do one last performance with TLC.”
“We kind of call it, like, fan appreciation,” said Watkins. “We started together and we want to end it together, and that’s something that Lisa would have been fond of.”
TLC is one of the best-selling girl groups in music history. Its last studio album was 2002’s “3D.”
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