Blaque facts for kids

Blaque was a popular American girl group that made music from 1999 to 2004. Outside the United States, they were also known as Blaque Ivory. Their first album, called Blaque, sold over 1 million copies. This means it was certified Platinum, which is a big achievement in music.

The group's first album featured hit songs like "808", "I Do", and the worldwide pop hit "Bring It All to Me". In 1999, Billboard magazine named Blaque one of the top new artists of the year. Their song "Bring It All to Me" was also very successful.

Blaque worked on two more albums in the mid-2000s, but these were not released at the time. The group later broke up in 2008. They tried to get back together in 2012, but this plan ended when one of the members, Natina Reed, sadly passed away. In 2019, Blaque's third album, Torch, was finally released.

How Blaque Started

Natina Reed and Shamari Fears both moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and met while they were in high school. Natina started the group Blaque. Shamari was in another group called Intrigue, which won a record deal.

Shamari later met Brandi Williams at a talent show. Shamari then left Intrigue to join Natina in Blaque, and Brandi joined them soon after. Natina also met Ronald Lopes, who introduced her to his sister, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes from the famous group TLC. Lisa Lopes signed Blaque to her own music company.

The group Blaque has shared that their name stands for "Believing in Life and Achieving a Quest for Unity in Everything."

Blaque's Music Journey

1997–2000: First Big Hits

In 1997, the group appeared in a music video for Lil' Kim's song "Not Tonight (Remix)".

Their first album, Blaque, was very popular. It reached number 23 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart and number 53 on the main Billboard 200 chart. The album was certified platinum, meaning it sold over a million copies.

The first song from the album, "808", was a big success in the U.S. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and was certified Gold. The next song, "I Do", did not do as well, but its music video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. The last song, "Bring It All To Me", which featured JC Chasez, was a huge hit. It reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was number one on the Rhythmic charts for six weeks.

In 1999, Blaque went on tour as an opening act for the boy band 'N Sync. They also opened for TLC on their FanMail Tour later that year.

In 2000, the group acted as cheerleaders in the movie Bring It On. They also recorded the song "As If" for the movie's soundtrack. A remixed version of their song "Bring It All To Me" also appeared in the film, with new rapping by 50 Cent.

2001–2002: Blaque Out Album

Even though their first album was a big success, their second album, Blaque Out, was not released in 2001 as planned. The group left Columbia Records around this time. The music video for their first song from this album, "Can't Get It Back", was never released. The album later became available online.

After Lisa Lopes passed away in a car accident in Honduras in April 2002, Blaque signed with Elektra Records. They started working on their third album. An early version of Blaque Out was briefly released on iTunes in 2007, and then officially released again in December 2011.

2005–2012: Getting Back Together and a Sad Loss

In 2005, Shamari Fears signed with Darkchild Records, and Brandi Williams also signed a new record deal to work on her own music. She also sang on Nelly's song "Grillz".

In 2005, Blaque reunited to record a new album called Private Show. They worked on it for several years. They also planned a TV show called Blaque In the House, but it was never aired. The album was not released at that time. Blaque shared some new songs like "Cut You Off" and "Blue Jeans" on YouTube before they decided to break up again.

On July 28, 2012, Blaque performed together at the Left Eye Music Festival in Decatur, Georgia. They sang their hit song "808". After this, the group started working on a new album and a reality TV show.

However, on October 26, 2012, Natina Reed died after being hit by a car near Atlanta, Georgia. The group broke up again shortly after her death. A song meant for their new album, "Cut You Off", was released online two days later.

2003–2019: Torch Album Released

Blaque's third album, Torch, was planned to feature artists like Missy Elliott and producer Rodney Jerkins. The song "I'm Good" from this album was included on the soundtrack for the 2003 movie Honey.

Torch was supposed to be released on iTunes in 2008, but this was canceled. The rights to the albums Torch and Blaque Out are owned by Mathew Knowles.

Finally, on May 31, 2019, Blaque released their album Torch.

Other Projects

Besides their music, Natina, Shamari, and Brandi appeared in the 2000 movie Bring It On. They played members of the East Compton Clovers cheerleading team, led by Gabrielle Union. Brandi Williams also had a small role in the 2001 movie On the Line.

Blaque also sang on Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes's solo album, Supernova, on a song called "Head to the Sky". This song was only released outside the U.S. In 2005, some of Shamari Fears's solo songs were shared online.

Music Albums

Albums

Singles

Compilations

• 2007: Blaque by Popular Demand

Other Songs

Concert Tours

• NSYNC in Concert (1999)
• TLC: FanMail Tour (1999)

Awards and Nominations

MTV Video Music Awards

BET Awards

Soul Train Lady Of Soul Awards

Billboard Video Awards

Movies and TV Shows

Films

• 1999: Soul Train (cameo)
• 1999: Motown Live (cameo)
• 2000: Bring It On
• 2000: All That (cameo)
• 2000: Disney's 2 Hour Tour (cameo)
• 2002: V.I.P. (cameo)
• 2003: Honey (cameo)
• 2020: Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta (cameo)