Hot off winning their first Mobo for best R&B/Soul act, girl group Flo are back to business. The London-based trio tell BBC Newsbeat they've got no time for celebrations and it's "on to the next one". "We're right back into it because we've got more to achieve," the group say.
The girl band - consisting of Jorja Douglas, Renée Downer and Stella Quaresma - are already making waves this year with their latest hit, Leak It. The infectious track about owning your own power has been climbing up in streams and popping up on social media feeds thanks to its dance trend. The theatrical music video, which sees the trio stage photoshoots for the paparazzi and features the high-energy dance routine, has already amassed more than eight million views on YouTube since it was released about three weeks ago.
It's growing so quickly," Downer tells Newsbeat. "We've never seen such an internet frenzy towards one of our music videos and songs, so it's really nice." Quaresma says the message of the song is encouraging others to be confident in themselves "in any sense". "If you look good, if you feel good, as you should queen." She says they have been experimenting with various types of music of late, but "this confidence and feeling good is definitely a theme".
"I've got a new word, it's bombastic," Quaresma says. "Bombastic, confident, strong." The girl band first made a mark with their 2022 debut single, Cardboard Box, which showcased their smooth group harmonies and sassy lyricism. It helped them win the BBC's Sound Of 2023 title and become the first band to win the Brits Rising Star award.
They later broke into the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart with Fly Girl, which featured a rare guest appearance from US rapper Missy Elliot. Fans then had to wait more than a year and a half for their 2024 debut album, Access All Areas, to drop as they reworked material during the recording process on the advice of a music management company in the hope of producing their best work. But it appeared the wait was worth it as the record shot to number three in the UK Album Charts, making them the highest-charting British R&B girl group in 23 years.
It also picked up a Grammy nomination for best progressive R&B album, which made them the first British girl group to get one in two decades. However, the singles they have released since haven't cut through in the charts so they were determined to return with a bang. We had to come this time," says Quaresma.
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