We love discovering new music and particularly new music produced by wxmen. Which is why, we couldn't wait any longer to introduce you to Flo. This British girl group from London is made up of three members: Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma, and Renée Downer, and though they signed to Island Records back in 2019 (the same label as Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas and many, many others), they released their debut single, Cardboard Box, earlier this year, before putting out their extended play, The Lead, in early July. Which also led to an appearance on none other than Jimmy Kimmel Live…
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And, just yesterday (Thursday 3 November), a segment on Capital Xtra…
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So who are the women behind the songs and why do you need to know about them? Read on to find out..
Stella was born in Kingston upon Thames, moved to Mozambique at just a month old and then headed back to the UK at the age of five. She met bandmate Renée Downer when she moved to London to attend Sylvia Young Theatre School (a very prestigious preforming arts academy, for anyone who doesn't know!), after which she worked as a waitress before joining the band.
Her own musical influences include African artists, who she grew up listening to, and her mum introduced her to Etta James and British artists like Amy Winehouse.
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“I am in shambles.”
If the name ‘Douglas’ sounds familiar to you, that's probably because Jorja is the daughter of esteemed former sprinter Stephi Douglas, and actually first made her TV debut way before Jimmy Kimmel Live, back in 2017 when she took part in the CBBC series, Got What It Takes? The series sees contestants compete against each other in challenges such as writing songs, performing for celebrity guests and learning choreography, and Jorja won the second series, earning her the chance to perform at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.
Before all of that though, Jorja was born in Eastern Germany, before moving to Hertfordshire at eight-years-old, where she grew up listening to R&B music, introduced to her by her mum. Ahead of joining Flo, she worked for an accountancy firm.
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Born and bred in North London, Renée Downer might be last on our list, but she's certainly not least. As we mentioned above (we hope you've been paying attention!), she attended Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she met bandmate Stella Quaresma. Just like Jorja, she grew up listening to R&B music, as well as house and church music.
Before becoming a member of Flo, Renée worked in H&M on Regent Street (arguably the best H&M store in the capital).
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Flo, we're BIG fans, and can't wait to see (and hear) what you do next.
From haircare and fashion to education and social justice.
