FLO's "Caught Up" Reminds Listeners That Artist Development Still Exists And It's Successful
If you haven’t been paying attention to FLO, get on the train babes because they are making waves and they haven’t even launched their debut album. FLO, consisting of Jorja, Stella, and Renee, are a U.K girl group who started as indie artists when they went viral on TikTok in March 2022 for their hit single “Cardboard Box.” The virality was off of the nostalgia of girl groups back in the day that many have been missed by the general music public for years. Shortly after they went viral, they were signed to Island Records UK and went to work.
The journey of FLO has been amazing to watch unfold as they accomplish milestones and feats. They’ve released two EPs, embarked on their first mini-tour in the US last year, scored multiple award nominations and landed brand deals from Calvin Klein to Topicals just to name a few. They’ve collaborated with artists such as Missy Elliott and Stormzy. Their biggest feat is landing on the line-up for Coachella 2024 to perform both weekends. To land on spot on one of the biggest festival stages, both nationally and internationally, is something that many of the OGs couldn’t even to do in their early years and FLO and their team made this happen year 2 into their mainstream reign.
Listing out these accomplishments is to show how artist development is still an effective process for artists starting out, especially those who start out online. Many internet sensations don’t last beyond four years since their discovery. The few that do were able to do so because they had a team with a strategy for them and knew how to use pacing alongside momentum. In the case of FLO, their team has been developing their performance and stage presence on small stages over the last eight-teen months. You can see the progression of improvement in both vocals and choreography in every girl and we see them working together in cohesion rather than three separate energies that counter each other’s flow.
Their recent single “Caught Up” released last week could not at dropped at a more perfect time. Their music was just put back on TikTok after the UMG Purge ended after three months the week prior (Island Records UK is under the UMG umbrella). They didn’t make their fans wait for the single like Walk Like This. They teased the song on Sunday, announced the song and release date the following Monday, and dropped the single and video that Friday.
During the week, the girls kept the group promotion going. They were featured in Teen Vogue during their Girl Group Week spotlight to discuss their upcoming single and album. They also returned to Genius to do a lyric breakdown of “Walk Like This” that dropped the Wednesday before “Caught Up” released.
Getting into the single, Caught Up was a stripped-down palette for FLO to display their sonic capabilities. The story of the song is the classic warning call to a man trying to do you dirty. “Say you don’t know that girl, so boy I’ll take your word. Hope she don’t get you caught, get you caught up, get you caught up.” Two of the writers is Sevyn Streeter and Jay Versace, two industry vets who have impeccable production credits as song writers. Every girl gets their moment to shine vocally on the song and they, of course, sound heavenly doing it.
The structure of the song is that classic set up for almost four-minute songs: 1st verse, chorus, 2nd verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro. Many songs these days have completely cut out the bridge and third chorus, making the songs shorter. FLO’s singles have maintained consistency of the basic song structure when many of their Gen-Z musical peers have abandoned such. The addition of the guitar combined with the mid-tempo beat that has the listener entranced to their voices. I also spotted a little interpolation of “Heartbreak Hotel” from Whitney Houston, Faith Evans, and Kelly Price in the 1st verse. It may be my musical ear picking up on a vocal key but either way, the beginning captivated ears.
There’s an unspoken music video theme for pop girl music videos: the classic desert backdrop. Many have shot the videos for some of their biggest hits in the desert. Missy Elliot with Lose Control, Mya with Case of the Ex, and even Tinashe recently with Nasty. The girls filming the video in the desert, during what could’ve been a break in between their weekend set performance during Coachella, is the perfect backdrop for the song. Adding on to the nostalgia, the simplicity makes the viewer focus solely on the song.
What I hope to see from FLO next year: A soundtrack appearance for an upcoming movie and TV show, a VMA nomination and win for best group/duo, a morning show performance on either Good Morning America or Today Show, a nationwide commercial with a major sponsor. These are just the things I hope to see but I know the girl have far more planned ahead for this year that we can’t even predict.
The girls of FLO are not a flash in the pan. They are a force to be reckoned with and have been making moves straight from the pop girl bible. The girl group genre is alive and well with these ladies and they are carrying the mantle.