Floetry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Floetry | |
---|---|
Origin | London, England |
Genre(s) | R&B, soul, neo soul, hip hop, spoken word soul |
Years active | 2002–present |
Label(s) | DreamWorks, Geffen |
Website | www.floetry.net |
Members | |
Marsha Ambrosius, Natalie Stewart temporary Amanda Diva |
Floetry are an English R&B, soul, neo soul, and hip hop duo. The members of the group are singer/songwriter Marsha Ambrosius("the Songstress") and Natalie Stewart("The Floacist").
Contents |
[edit] Group History
Original members Marsha and Natalie met through their love of basketball and formed a friendship. Ambrosius attended the Brit School for Performing Arts & Technology and studied business and finance. Stewart experimented with acting and directing. For college, Ambrosius planned to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia on a basketball scholarship but could not due to an injury. Stewart attended Middlesex University in London and later transferred to North London University. During these years, both women continued to keep in touch. She was part of a girl group named 3 Plus 1. After the split of the group, she and Ambrosius decided to concentrate on a group together.
They began their career as songwriters in 1997. They have written for Jill Scott, Jazz of Dru Hill, Glenn Lewis, Bilal, and Michael Jackson, for whom they penned the hit 2002 single "Butterflies".
[edit] Group Success
In 2000, the duo moved to the United States to further pursue their music career. After frequenting spoken word/poetry spots in Atlanta, GA such as Yin Yang Poets' Cafe (to rave reviews), they moved on to Philadelphia. There they met J. Erving, son of basketball player Julius Erving. He became the manager of the group and introduced them to DJ Jazzy Jeff. In 2002, they signed with DreamWorks Records and released their debut album Floetic, which featured the singles "Floetic", "Say Yes", and "Getting Late". The album was also released in the UK with additional tracks, one of which features British singer/songwriter and producer Sebastian Rogers.
Floetry released a live album titled Floacism in 2003. The two-disc set consisted of a CD and DVD and included the single "Wanna B Where U R (Thisizzaluvsong)" featuring rapper Mos Def.
Their third album Flo'Ology was released in November 2005 and included the single "Supastar" featuring rapper Common.
[edit] Group Break-Up
Ambrosius has been featured on several songs including Styles P's "I'm Black"; The Game's "Start from Scratch" and "Why You Hate The Game" (also featuring Nas); Busta Rhymes' "Get You Some" and "Cocaina"; Nas' "Hustlers" (also featuring The Game(rapper)); and Hi-Tek's "Music for Life". The group has also collaborated with Earth, Wind & Fire on their most recent album, Illumination, on the track "Elevated".
Ambrosius is currently signed to Dr. Dre's record label, Aftermath Entertainment, as a solo musician.
- "I have waited a long time for this, so the last thing I want to do after waiting all these years, is to rush the album and be disappointed. I am aiming to release the album this summer. I am focusing on making this a classic album, that will stay relevant across time. I have been doing some stuff with Scott Storch, Dre & Vidal, Cool and Dre... I'm a music maker, I love to create so I'm reaching for the best out of different situations. The creative relationship between Dre, the Aftermath in-house production team and myself has become so strong that it may not be necessary to use any other producers. But why not?! If I gotta call Just Blaze, Neptunes, Kanye, whoever, I just want the music to be right".
[edit] Member Changes
After Ambrosius's solo ventures, it was announced that Amanda Diva (VJ for MTV2, would replace Stewart. Reasons haven't been disclosed as of yet, but on upcoming tours, Diva's lyrics will replace Stewart's in popular Floetry songs.
Natalie Stewart, one half of group Floetry, signed with Geffen Records to release her solo album “Freedom.”
Early this year, Natalie was replaced in the group by personality/radio hostess Amanda Diva for the ‘The Floetry Remixed Tour.’ Since the tour, original group members Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart have reconciled and have planned an upcoming release of a new Floetry album.
For now, Natalie is looking forward to the release of the first single “Come Over” on her solo album, which is expected to be released in 2008.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Singles
Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | |||
2002 | "Floetic" | - | #29 | Floetic |
2003 | "Say Yes" | #24 | #8 | |
"Getting Late" | - | #31 | ||
"Wanna B Where U R (Thisizzaluvsong)" (featuring Mos Def) | - | - | Floacism | |
2005 | "I'm Black" (Styles P featuring (Floetry) | - | #94 | Time is Money |
"Supastar" (featuring Common) | - | #55 | Flo'Ology | |
"Lay Down" | - | #102 |
[edit] Grammy Awards
Career stats
- Career wins: 0
- Career nominations: 5
Year | Category | Genre | Title | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Best Contemporary R&B Album | R&B | "Floetic" | Nominated |
2003 | Best R&B Song | R&B | "Floetic" | Nominated |
2003 | Best Urban/Alternative Performance | R&B | "Floetic" | Nominated |
2004 | Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal | R&B | "Say Yes" | Nominated |
2006 | Best Urban/Alternative Performance | R&B | "Supastar" | Nominated |