Friday, March 29, 2024

“Where My Girls At?… 702 Reflect on ‘Bittersweet’ Career for TV One’s ‘Unsung’ [EUR Exclusive]

*Sunday night’s episode of TV One’s “UNSUNG” features legendary group 702.

Hailing from the city of Las Vegas, 702 shot to stardom in the mid-1990’s with a handful of top ten hits and platinum album success. Originally signed as a quartet, the group’s record label decided to re-debut 702 as a trio on 1996, teaming original members Misha and Irish Grinstead with new addition Meelah Williams.

Under the production of Missy Elliott, 702 went on to earn gold certification in 1996 with the hip-hop infused single “Steelo,” followed by platinum success on a female empowerment anthem titled “Where My Girls At” in 1999. However, as 702’s music was bonding women around the world, the band was plagued by infighting, ultimately leading to their disbanding in 2003.

After years of silence, the members of 702 share their long and winding journey with “Unsung,” which they described to EUR/Electronic Urban Report as “surreal” and “bittersweet.”

“It’s a blessing but it’s also a little intimidating because you have to put all of your stuff out there and rehash old things and open old wounds,” Meelah tells us of the “Unsung” episode. “You hope and pray that things don’t resurface that get you back in those places that you were at that led to the demise. So it’s those kinds of things that concern you that make you a little reluctant in the beginning, but overall, I’m happy. Of course, we’ll never feel like every part of the story was told.”

Get into the rest of our Q&A with Misha, Irish and Meelah below.

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Court Orders Actor Darius McCrary to pay $29 Monthly Child Support

Talk about the sisterhood that’s formed when you’re a member of an iconic R&B girl group.

Misha: It’s great to be able to look upon your sisters. It’s not just a girl power thing, it’s a bond between three girls that grew up singing in high school together. It’s amazing to watch ourselves grow and mature into women and also in our career. The sisterhood, the bond, and the friendship have always been great.

Irish: We share so much — things that nobody else will get except for us. So it’s good to go through it and cry, laugh, scream altogether. It’s our story and we know what we’re each going through.

We learn from “Unsung” just how much influence Michael Bivens had on the early years of your career, even changing the group’s name to 702.

Meelah: He wanted to change the name because initially it was Sweeter Than Sugar and I think he wanted to explain who we are in the music and the Sweeter Than Sugar name wasn’t one that would carry us into adulthood. So our name had to be reinvented. And when we were going over concepts, Mike was dialing our number and actually dialed the area code and that’s how he decided that was the right name for the group. 702 was the best way to describe who we were because we’re three girls coming from Vegas and who wouldn’t want to hear about that?

 

When you reflect on your career, is there a particular moment together, planned or not, that always gives you a laugh or big smile when you think of it?

Irish: There’s one moment we always shared before we got on stage. We always knew that if one of us had to pee, it was going to be a good show. We weren’t avid soda drinkers but we actually made ourselves believe that if we had a drink of a soda then it would make our voices come out better. So I love reliving those types of moments. That part I miss so much about my sisters.

Misha: My favorite thing to recall is our old hairdresser John Godden. He would actually go on the road with us so we have all sorts of fond memories John Gooden. But one that stands out is when he called himself writing us a song, and he had us practicing this song. John Gooden was good at hairdos but I don’t think he knew how to write songs that well. So if John Gooden is reading this, we miss you and we love you. To this day, we still laugh at that and still know the words to the song that he wrote us.

Meelah: If I had to recall a moment that sticks out the most it’s when we were on tour and we were on our tour bus and we were running late and we were the openers for the New Edition tour. I think there was a traffic jam or something but we got off the bus while it was still on the highway and we could see the venue from where we were and we didn’t have time to wait so we get off the bus and run on the side of the highway.

Irish: I remember that, Meelah! And it was raining and we made it work.

Meelah: We made it to that stage.

What’s your favorite 702 song?

Irish: “I Still Love You,” only because it’s the one that was slept on the most but it was the one that was so solid and it just had a pulse to it. It had a heartbeat and I love music like that. Music that’s going to get you on your feet. I love that record. Thank you, Pharrell (Williams). I love him for that.

Meelah: I love “I Still Love You” but since Irish already said it I’m going to go with “Finding My Way,” which was on our first album. It wasn’t a single. It’s a beautiful record and I can listen to that to this day. It doesn’t sound dated. You could play it today and it would sound new and fresh. I really love that record because it had a really good vibe.

Misha: My favorite song is “Get It Together,” but during the process of recording that song it was hell because it took us three days to complete the song because of how meticulous Donnell Jones was in getting the record to sound the way he wanted it sound. But the reason I love that song the most is because of the back meaning behind it. My husband is in that video with me and we’ve been together for 25 years. So to have him in the video is an experience itself and I guess that’s why it stands out as one of my favorite songs because it’s actually when we really dedicated ourselves fully to one another and from then on it’s been us ever since.

And your work with Missy Elliot is classic…

Irish: None of us brought up a favorite Missy song because that’s too hard. You can’t think of 702 without thinking of Missy. She was the beginning of us. When we started recording in Las Vegas, she flew out here. She didn’t have money, we didn’t have money – we’re all in the studio broke and we made it work with Missy. Her artistry is so honest and she’s so funny. You will never work with Missy and not laugh. I enjoyed being in the studio with her and she’ll always be like that big sister to me. She is a living legend… way before her time. Missy is almost like a member of the group because she was so much a part of 702. We didn’t go to the studio without her.

Meelah: For the third album we weren’t able to work with her but the songs we did together are quite memorable and have contributed to our musical legacy. So we’re grateful for that.

Lastly, are rumors, speculation or myths about 702 that you’d to clear up?

Meelah: I would love to clear up the fact that I never left the group seeking a solo deal. I never got a solo deal from Motown, or anyone, until now… 20 years later. And the only time I was paid more was to rejoin the group for the third time, which was something that I negotiated with my attorney and was not anything that was secret but more so just a business move on my behalf. So, unfortunately, “Unsung” is a short episode and you’re not able to get all of the logistics because it’s three women telling their story but I just wanted to clarify that. I never left 702 based on having the motive to go solo. That was never my short or longterm objective. It just played out that way because of some other things that got in the way. But thankfully, we found our way back to each other.

Misha: Back in the past, me being as vocal as I was could be misconstrued as being bossy or mean but I was very strong-minded, as I am to this day, and very vocal about how I felt in each situation. I just want to clear that up ‘cause a lot of times that made me look like I was the bad guy when overall I was always looking out for the best interests of all three of us.

“UNSUNG” airs Sunday, June 17 at 9/8PM central.

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING