FLO | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | R&B |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Website | flolikethis |
Flo (commonly stylised in alluppercase) are a Britishgirl group formed and signed withIsland Records. TheLondon-based group is composed of three members: Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma, and Renée Downer. The trio gained prominence for their debut song "Cardboard Box" (2022) after achievingviral popularity throughout social media, and received a silver certification by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI).
The song preceded the release of the group's debutextended play (EP),The Lead (2022), and was met with positive reception despite failing to chart. Flo later surprise-released their second EP titled3 of Us (2023), while performing theirfirst concert tour. The group released their debut studio albumAccess All Areas (2024), which spawned a collaboration with American rapperGloRilla for "In My Bag". The album peaked at number three on theUK Albums Chart and saw moderate success on theBillboard 200. It also received a nomination forBest Progressive R&B Album at the68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Flo are a recipient of several accolades, including the annual surveyBBC Sound of... and theBrit Award for Rising Star. They were also nominated for Best Group and Best New Artist atthe 23rd BET Awards.
I saw the girls and we screamed across the room. I knew from that moment we were about to start something big.
Stella Quaresma was born 28 November 2001 inKingston upon Thames, and at four weeks old, she moved toMozambique. She moved back to the British countryside at the age of five, before returning to London, where she began attending theSylvia Young Theatre School, where she met bandmate Renée Downer.[2] Quaresma was a year above Downer. She grew up listening to African musical artists and her mother later introduced her toEtta James and British artists likeAmy Winehouse. Prior to being in the group, she worked as a waitress.[3]
Jorja Douglas was born 2 January 2002 in Eastern Germany, before moving toHertfordshire at eight months old.[1] She grew up listening to R&B music introduced to her by her mother.[3] She is the daughter of former sprinterStephi Douglas, and in 2017, she competed in and won the second series of theCBBC competition seriesGot What It Takes?.[4][5] Prior to being in the group, Douglas worked for an accountancy firm.[3]
Julian "Renée" Downer was born 23 September 2002 and raised inNorth London. She attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she met bandmate Stella Quaresma, who was a year above Downer. She grew up listening to R&B, house and church gospel. Prior to being in the group, she worked atH&M onRegent Street.[3]
The British girl group formed in 2019. Quaresma and Downer knew each other having met studying at Sylvia Young Theatre School and discovered Douglas from her singing videos onInstagram.[6] After spending two years in writing music, the trio recorded their debut song with producerMNEK. "Cardboard Box" was first released on 24 March 2022, after they signed toIsland Records.[7] The song performed well throughout social media with established artistsSZA andVictoria Monét praising the song.[8] An accompanying music video published in April,[9] with an acoustic version being released the following month.[10]
| Performing for VevoDSCVR | |
|---|---|
 "Cardboard Box" by Flo onYouTube | |
| "Immature" by Flo onYouTube |
Flo later released their second song "Immature" on 6 July 2022 with a music video uploaded the same week.[11] During the promotion of the song, the trio announced and released their debutextended play (EP)The Lead on 8 July 2022. Many music critics named the EP an "essential listen" while displaying the confidence and authority of the trio.[12] Flo later performed their first two songs onYouTube forVevoDSCVR in August.[13] The trio re-released their project with an additional song "Not My Job" which served as a deluxe EP on 14 September 2022.[14]
The trio made their television debut for late-night talk programsJimmy Kimmel Live! andLater... with Jools Holland on October.[15][16] The next month, Flo performed "Feature Me" and "Not My Job" on the YouTube channel as they were included in VevoDSCVR's Artists to Watch 2023.[17] The three were nominated at the25th MOBO Awards and did their firstmedley performance.[18] In December, they also became the first female group to top the annual surveyBBC Sound of... and win theBrit Rising Star in the same year.[19][20]
Flo were featured on a remix for British rapperStormzy's song "Hide & Seek" in January 2023.[21] Interviewed on radio programRocket Hour, singer and pianistElton John questioned the group about their debut album with Downer responding, "There sure is. It's going to be amazing."[22] The trio were later announced to perform at various summer festivals such asBig Weekend,Isle of Wight,Longitude,Summer Sonic, andWireless Festival.[23][24]
Throughout social media, the girl group teased several snippets of an upcoming song featuring American rapperMissy Elliott.[25] "Fly Girl" was officially released on 23 March 2023 and interpolates Elliott's hip-hop song "Work It" (2002), plus a new rap verse from herself.[26] Seven days later, the trio embarked on their first sold-out concert tour,Flo Live in North America and Europe.[27] Prior to their next show in Chicago, Flo made their third television appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and performed "Fly Girl".[28]
The trio performed in front of 80,000 people for Capital'sSummertime Ball atWembley Stadium on 11 June,[29] and atGlastonbury Festival on 23 June.[30] The same month, Flo received their first three nominations at the23rd BET Awards which includesBest Group.[31] The next month, the threesurprise-released their second EP titled3 of Us where two songs were already performed on their concert tour.[32] Flo explained on social media that this release is a "gift" for fans who are "patiently for new music."[33] The girl group were nominated for Push Performance of the Year at the2023 MTV Video Music Awards in August.[34] They received three nominations at36th Soul Train Awards in November for Best Group,Best New Artist, andBest Collaboration for "Fly Girl" with Missy Elliott.[35]
Flo unveiled their debut single "Walk Like This" ahead of their highly anticipated album on 8 March 2024, with a music video released on 14 March.[36] They later performed atCoachella 2024.[37] Another song titled "Caught Up" was released on 24 May with amusic visualizer.[38] A month later, the trio played atthe Governors Ball.[39] Flo continued to build momentum with the release of their third single "Check" on 2 August with an accompanying music video. American singerKehlani revealed the tracklist for her fourth mixtapeWhile We Wait 2 (2024) and Flo appears for the song titled "8".[40] The group also were announced to open for Kehlani'sCrash World Tour; it commenced on 4 September and concluded on 2 November.[41] Next the group premiered two promotional songs "Bending My Rules" accompanied by a captivating live performance on Vevo Studios and their album title track "AAA" with an accompanying music video.
The girl group revealed the title of their debut albumAccess All Areas earlier in August,[42] and was later released on 15 November 2024.[43] The album featured collaborations with British actressCynthia Erivo and American rapperGloRilla, and later featured various other artists in the unlocked version.[44]
Flo's style distinctly draws upon classicR&B,hip-hop andsoul music, particularly from the 1990s and early 2000s. The group often covered R&B songs from that era at the beginning of their career onTikTok, particularly songs byJazmine Sullivan andLauryn Hill.[45][46] The visuals for their debut music video "Cardboard Box" invited comparisons to that ofTLC's "Unpretty" (1999) and theSugababes' "Overload" (2000). In addition to the likes ofDestiny's Child and theSpice Girls,H.E.R. was named as a more contemporary influence.[47]
All three girls described being shaped by the music they grew up listening to; Downer's mother would playAaliyah andCiara in the car, and Douglas' mother was into "old school R&B". Quaresma heard African music from her father, while her mother would playAmy Winehouse andEtta James.[48]
Flo has received numerous awards and nominations throughout their career, including aBrit Awards,Global Awards,Sound of..., in addition to being nominated for twoMTV VMAs, oneNAACP Image Awards and threeSoul Train Awards nominations.[49][50] In December 2022, Flo won theBrit Awards and were nominated for the25th MOBO Awards.[51][52] In March 2023, they received the Rising Star Award at theGlobal Awards.[53] On 26 June 2023, they were nominated for three categories, includingBest New Artist, at the2023 BET Awards, making them the group with the most nominations for the 2023 awards edition.[54]
On 6 January 2023 Flo was placed on theNME 100 annual list of Essential Emerging Artists. They also appeared on the physical cover of one of the issues.[55] In March 2023, they were named as one ofRolling Stone's 25 artists of the future.[56] The same month, Flo was namedBillboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month.[57] In April 2024, they were listed on the Europe'sForbes 30 under 30 list for 2024 in the Entertainment category.[58]
In July 2025, their formerstylist, Lee Trigg revealed that Flo owed her over£50,000 in unpaid fees and expenses for styling work. The dispute became public after fans discussed Flo's fashion online, leading Trigg to claim she had been trying to resolve the matter privately for a year, with lawyers involved, but only received online shade from Flo member Jorja Douglas.[59]
Studio albums
Extended plays
| Year | Title | Role | Channel | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Themselves (musical guest) | ABC | Episode dated 6 October 2022 | [60] |
| Later... with Jools Holland | Themselves (musical guest) | BBC Two | Episode dated 29 October 2022 | [61] | |
| 2023 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Themselves (musical guest) | NBC | Episode dated 20 April 2023 | [62] |
| 2024 | The Graham Norton Show | Themselves (musical guest) | BBC One | Episode dated 13 December 2024 | [63] |
| 2025 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Themselves (musical guest) | CBS | Episode dated 29 January 2025 | [64] |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Extended plays | |
| Singles | |
| Concert tours | |
| Related | |
