It has been too long since we’ve seen a girl group who could create music that has revives the soulfulness of 90’s R&B, while effortlessly giving it a modern twist. Io, Maddie, and Chloe embody just that in their astounding girl group, 303.
From production, to fashion, to music, these young English ladies have brought the old school aesthetics to 2019. They showcase their honeyed vocals through the harmonies in every song they sing.
After the release of their latest fanciful single “Dreamin’” we got to chat with the girls about the beginnings of their group, the importance of women empowerment, and what we can expect from 303 in the new year.
CM: When did you first discover you had a passion for singing and when did you decide that you wanted to pursue a music career?
Io: I’ve been singing since I was really young and I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in performance.
Chloe: When I was young, I would always try different sports and hobbies, but I would always sing ‘round the house and I was really into my music. My mum bought me singing lessons for Christmas and it was kinda like: oh okay you can actually sing!
Maddie: I was that annoying kid at primary school who always wanted to volunteer and sing with the teachers. And when I was a little older I loved performing on stage and I loved tv shows with singing and dancing groups.
CM: Your voices are so soothing together – was there a specific song that you guys rehearsed when you realized that your voices just clicked perfectly?
303: The first time we rehearsed together we sang Jade’s “Don’t Walk Away” and it just worked. We all have different vocal ranges but they just seemed to slot together really well! We still sing that song before shows and recordings to get in the grove.
CM: It is refreshing to see a group of young talented women breathe new life into the 90’s/early 2000s style of music. Aaliyah is an iconic artist from that time and happens to be one of your biggest musical inspirations. How did you discover her music? What is your favorite song by her?
303: We all grew up listening to the R&B classics so we were introduced to the likes of Aaliyah, TLC, and Brandy at young ages – that is definitely where our love for the genre comes from! Our favorite Aaliyah song would have to be “Are You That Somebody”.
CM: While filming your first music video for “Whisper” you had a crew full of all women – it is empowering to see women support women and work together to create something beautiful! What tips or advice would you give to young women who aspire to make it in the industry?
303: Fortunately women empowerment is becoming such a big thing in the music industry, one tip would definitely be to stand strong with what your vision is and just focus on what you want. Another is work alongside other strong women to always encourage and inspire you.
CM: If you could add a male artist to your group, who would it be and why?
303: Usher because of those ridiculous riffs.
CM: He does have amazing riffs! Now, your latest sultry single “Dreamin’” is fantastic. What is the story behind writing this track?
303: The day we wrote “Dreamin'” we were all sitting in the studio discussing our weird dreams from the night before. When we heard some of the production it just sounded so dreamy, we thought we would just roll with the dreamin’ wave! The song describes someone who you can’t have in the real world but you can enjoy time together in each others dreams.
CM: That is such an intriguing concept for a song. When you are writing, do you come up with instrumentals first or lyrics first?
303: It’s a bit of a combination, we usually find the production we like, think of what the subject of the song should be and brainstorm lyrical ideas. But overall we’d say the melody comes first. Our voice notes on our phones are full of little rough ideas.
CM: What is the hardest thing about working together as a group?
303: You’d think it would be agreeing on what should go into a song but this seems easy for us as we love writing as a group. The hardest thing is probably agreeing on a 303 photo we all like aha.
CM: As the year is coming to an end, what are some goals that you want to achieve as a girl group in 2020? Can we expect an album or tour dates?
303: We would love to do as many shows as possible and some festivals in the summer. We have an EP release near the start of 2020 and hopefully a finished album before the end of 2020. There’s no plan for a tour just yet but we can’t wait for that to happen!
CM: We can’t wait either! Thank you so much for your time – we wish you nothing but success and happiness in 2020.
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