BET brings together nine of the most memorable solo artists and girl groups from the 1990s and 2000s to form the ultimate R&B supergroup in the new original series, “BET Presents The Encore.”
Shamari DeVoe, Irish Grinstead, LeMisha Grinstead, Nivea Nash, Felisha King, Fallon King, Pamela Long, Aubrey O’ Day and Kiely William‘s have signed on to the one-of-a-kind music experiment to become the next big musical sensation.
With nothing to lose and everything to gain, these talented singers turned wives, moms, and entrepreneurs, will move in together, write new music, learn choreography, record an album, and put on a live performance. The catch? The songstresses must achieve this in only 30 days, with none of them knowing who their bandmates will be ahead of time.
Shamari DeVoe (Blaque) – Known for hit singles “808”, “Bring It All to Me,” and “I Do,” Shamari is the lead vocalist of platinum-selling group Blaque and also appeared in the cult classic film “Bring It On” alongside Gabrielle Union. Shamari was recently part of the hit show “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” next to her husband, Ronnie DeVoe (of New Edition).
Irish Grinstead & LeMisha Grinstead (702) – Sisters Irish and LeMisha were part of the R&B girl group, 702, named after the area code of their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. They released their debut single “Steelo” with great success along with the chart-topping ladies anthem “Where My Girls At?”
Nivea Nash– The only solo artist in the cast, Nivea, is known most for her Grammy-nominated hit “Don’t Mess with My Man” as well as “Laundromat” and “Okay.” She was recently featured in the popular BET Digital series “Finding,” where she got candid about her professional and personal journey, including her relationships with Lil’ Wayne and The-Dream.
Fallon King (Cherish) – “Do It to It” and “Unappreciated” are two of Cherish’s singles that were met with critical and commercial success. Twin sisters Fallon and Felisha are also successful songwriters and producers. Fallon wrote and produced the 2 x RIAA® Platinum Certified single “Easy” ft. Chris Brown for DaniLeigh. She also frequently writes for TV and Film and wrote over 30 songs during the last two seasons of FOX’s hit TV show EMPIRE.
Felisha King (Cherish) – “Do It to It” and “Unappreciated” are two of Cherish’s singles that were met with critical and commercial success. Felisha King Harvey wrote and produced over 30 songs for EMPIRE. She co-wrote Sevyn Streeter’s “Before I Do,” which went to #1 on Billboards R&B Charts. Her latest success is co-writing Justin Bieber’s “Peaches.” It debuted at the #1 spot on Billboard HOT 100 songs chart and simultaneously on the Billboard 200 albums charts.
Pamela Long (Total) – Pamela was a member of Bad Boy Records’ first girl group, Total. Hailing from Edison, New Jersey, the girl group deliver top hits such as “Kissin’ You,” “Can’t You See,” featuring The Notorious B.I.G., “What About Us?” and “Trippin’.” Her sultry voice will forever be engraved in music history for being on one of the biggest Grammy Award-winning songs, “Hynoptize.”
Aubrey O’ Day (Danity Kane) – Singer, songwriter, producer, creative director, editor, and reality television personality, Aubrey is best known for being a member of the Double Platinum girl group Danity Kane created on the reality show “Making the Band” formed by hip hop icon Sean “Diddy” Combs. With top hits that include “Damaged,” “Show Stopper,” & “Ride for You,” the band became the first female group in Billboard history to debut their first two albums at the top of the charts. Beyond her solo projects, Aubrey also created pop duo Dumblonde, which went #1 on the charts and was named in the Top 20 best independent albums of the year by Rolling Stone Magazine. She also starred on Broadway in Hairspray, Peep Show, and her own TVshow “All About Aubrey” as well as many others, including “Celebrity Apprentice,” “Famously Single,” “Ex on the Beach,” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”
Kiely Williams (3LW/The Cheetah Girls) – With over 14 million record sales, singer, dancer, actress, and songwriter, Kiely, is known for being a former member of girl groups 3LW and The Cheetah Girls with chart-topping singles “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right),” and “Playas Gon’ Play.” She has also starred in popular films “The Cheetah Girls” 1-3 and “The House Bunny” starring Anna Farris and Emma Stone. Kiely has also developed music acts for Epic, Sony Red, and Mary J. Blige.
Faced with fun twists and unforeseen constraints, the ladies will need to stretch beyond their musical and personal comfort zones to succeed as a team. An esteemed roster of music industry experts will drop in each week to prepare them for their big debut and deliver a chart-topping record, including music producer Kosine, choreographer Aliya Janell, songwriter Elijah Blake, and vocal coach Cynnamyn.
Will their artistic differences or egos get in the way of forming a group? Or will these powerhouse women show the world that they still have what it takes to make a major comeback? Only time, and the music, will tell.
“BET Presents The Encore” is executive produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment with Carlos King, Scott Jeffress, Alicia Martino, Brent Nisbett and Scott Shatsky serving as Executive Producers.
