FLO

The London trio FLO has cultivated a luminous strain of contemporary R&B laced with pop sensibilities, situating the act alongside British vocal ensembles Eternal and Sugababes as well as the American precedents set by Destiny's Child and 3LW. Vocalists Renée Downer, Stella Quaresma, and Jorja Douglas, who together compose most of the group's songs, reached the charts in 2022 via their first release, the buoyant breakup track "Cardboard Box." Their subsequent partnership with Missy Elliott on "Fly Girl" secured a U.K. Top 40 placement the following year, and "Cardboard Box" had already received BRIT Certified Silver status when the debut album Access All Areas entered at number three.

Formed in London during 2019, the project began when Downer and Quaresma connected at Sylvia Young Theatre School and later attended East London Arts and Music together. Social media introduced them to Douglas, who had claimed victory in series two of the British competition Got What It Takes? in 2017, and the three finally convened at an audition. They quickly solidified as a unit, spent several years shaping songs, and signed with Island Records. Working under producer MNEK, the members launched their career in March 2022 with "Cardboard Box," co-written alongside Savannah Jade. "Immature," issued four months afterward and credited to MNEK and Jamal Woon, followed, with both cuts featured on the six-track EP The Lead that September; the project also introduced the third single, "Not My Job."

Momentum built further in 2023 through the number 38 single "Fly Girl" featuring Missy Elliott and the release of the three-song EP 3 of Us. Preview tracks for the full-length project commenced in March of the next year with the MNEK-produced "Walk Like This." Following support dates for Kehlani across the United States in September and October 2024, FLO delivered Access All Areas, which debuted at number three upon its November arrival.