The British are coming … the British are coming. Listen, they have already come and are tearing it up. They are showing the creators of R&B/Soul, Americans, that they can do it too. Maybe we lost our way or stopped focusing on the most important things. But it was a group by the name of Floetry that helped ushered in this British Wave. Many British R&B/Soul singers seem to find some sort of inspiration from this dynamic duo. However, with a messy break-up it seems this group may have forgot why we loved them so much. Fans will always support both individuals because they are extremely talented, but it was the union of the voice, Marsha Ambrosius, and word, Natalie Stewart, that we adored.
Natalie had a few words about the breakup.
“This is the first Floetry album, after a six year split, and Marsha has been doing a lot of excessive talking during that time, all of which has gone unanswered by myself. My silence could have been confusing to the fans, so I wanted to address the split, at the right time, in the correct medium,” explains The Floacist on her brand new track “Soul.”
She continues: “It was important for me to comment truthfully on the main issue…Marsha left Floetry, after so much joint success and foundation building, to join Aftermath Records, with no assurance of an album release. Ultimately, holding Floetry to ransom, to pursue a possibility of ‘mainstream’ success and all that was gained, was whatever they would’ve put into her pocket, and a mixtape release entitled ‘Neo Soul is Dead’. This to me is the perfect example of someone selling out, or selling their soul.”
Floetry started on the poetry stage. They were unique because they blended sweet vocals, extraordinary poetry and powerful lyrics. Their music set the mood and forced you to believe and feel everything they sang and said. They were simply magical together. Floetry recorded two studio albums (Floetic & Flo’Ology), one live album (Floacism) and went on to sell over 1,500,000 records. Below are five reasons why we miss this dope group. (Why do our R&B groups break up? Where’s the LOVE!)
Musical Chemistry â The spontaneous reaction of two people to each other, especially a mutual sense of attraction or understanding is important when creating music. You can almost feel it. It’s funny to see that a group that sounded so great together can’t see eye to eye. When it came to making music everything made sense. It’s “Getting Late” shows how their energy just worked to make a cohesive sound that forced the world to listen to these two women out of England.
Unique â No one made it sound like they did. The spoken word and song was just a melodic mix that was fresh, but was so familiar. When they hit the scene, the British had been absent for years maybe even decades. New artists need to follow their daring effort to go against the grain.
Lyrics – They have written for artists such as Jill Scott, Michael Jackson, Bilal, Jazz of Dru Hill and more. They have collectively put together words that have resonated with us as fans because they talk about real situations and moments in time. “Butterflies” is a classic song that will always embody the essence of who Michael Jackson was, but more so how Floetry was able to bring him into the new generation.
Mood â “Say Yes” is a perfect example of a song that sets the mood for a night of pure bliss. The sounds and moans make you feel like you are suppose to be taking your clothes off and saying, “Yessss”.
Soul Survivers â The soul is human’s manifestation of consciousness, thought, feeling, and will, regarded as distinct from the physical body. Floetry helped the Neo-Soul movement by giving it a soul. You can tell they meant every word and you could feel it. I guess today that is what we are missing …the FEELING … the SOUL.
We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. We don’t know what groups and musicians have to go through. It must be hard to take what you feel and share it with the world. It’s intimate and real. It must be even harder to work with someone on that calling, mission or whatever you want to call it. But as fans, we hope one day comes, where Floetry as a group will share with us new memories, emotions and feelings. May they be of hurt, sorrow, love or lust.
Until then….Enjoy the photo memories below!