Farrah, Neosha, and twins Felisha and Fallon, collectively known as Cherish, are the newest addition to Jazze Pha’s Sho’Nuff Recordings label. Their hit single, “Do It To It” is the first hit from their debut album, Unappreciated. With critics already citing them as an extension to their successful label mate Ciara, Cherish promises to bring elements of sophistication and sensuality that challenge the comparison.
Originally signed to Warner Brothers in 2003, the group failed to release their original debut album. Now, with a second chance at stardom, the girls recently talked to us about their new deal, style, and overall growth as artists.
AllHipHop.com Alternatives: You first hit the scene in 2003 under the wing of Jermaine Dupri. What happen with that situation?
Farrah: We released a single under him called “Ms. Pimp.” We never got a chance to release an album. Based on some different political views, we just decided to go our separate ways.
AHHA: How did you guys hook up with Jazze Pha and sign to Sho’Nuff/Capitol?
Fallon: We have known Jazze for a long time. Actually, Noonie, who is the President of Sho’Nuff, actually heard our song, “Do It To It,” and he fell in love with us. He called Jazze and told him that they had to sign us. That’s how we ended up with Sho’Nuff.
AHHA: Your style of music is parallel to Ciara. How do you differentiate yourself as a group from her? What can your group offer to fans that Ciara doesn’t already?
Felicia: Well, first of all, we are all sisters and I definitely have to say, if you listen to our album, you will see our vocal ability. I think we have an aura about us because we’re sisters, and we have been doing this for so long. We have our own style of music and we actually get ourselves into the music.
Fallon: I think that our music sounds similar to Cece’s because we are all from Atlanta. We have all known each other for a long time. And of course, everyone will automatically think that because we are all signed to Sho’Nuff. But we brought ourselves into this project, and we don’t think we can be compared.
AHHA: What can fans expect from the album?
Fallon: Oh my God! Expect realness from this album.
Farrah: I think you can expect some old school type singing on this record. We are trying to bring back R&B on this album. We wrote the entire record so you are definitely going to get a female’s point of view.
Felicia: You can definitely expect realness because this time around, we wrote the entire album. We titled it Unappreciated because we didn’t feel like the first time around we got the recognition that we felt we deserved. But, this time, you can expect us to be on the record. Our different personalities joined together.
AHHA: How is it working with Jazze Pha?
Felicia: He is amazing. He is one of the best producers that we have worked with. I can speak for all of us on that. He is the best.
AHHA: Who are some of the artists that have inspired you guys?
Fallon: I would have to say EnVogue. They inspired us a lot. That is actually how we got started as a group. Also, Michael Jackson. I am an old school freak.
Felicia: I have to say that one of the groups that inspired us is Destiny’s Child. I just appreciate their hustle. It is similar to ours. They had a record deal before they had the other one. They have been through a lot. We look at where they are today because of their faith. They stuck together with each other. So, I have to say Destiny’s Child, Earth Wind and Fire, and a lot of old school artists.
AHHA: A lot of artists are into collaborations. Who are some artists that you have not worked with that you look forward to working with in the future?
Felicia: I definitely want to do some stuff with Mariah Carey and Kanye West. Ne-Yo as well. I think that would be a good collaboration because we are songwriters just as he is.
Fallon: I like people that appreciate music. I like people that we can also write with – I love people who can write their own music. I am all for it.
AHHA: Is the album based on your personal experiences growing up?
Neosha: They are real life experiences. We talk about the different guys that we like. One of my favorite songs on the album is “Moment in Time.” It is the only acappella record on the album. It talks about being away from home, but wanting him to still be there.
AHHA: How is the group different from your debut in 2003?
Together: We are adults now.
Farrah: We are definitely a lot more grown up. I think the first time around it was real childish, and we were not able to really state our point of views. Now, like we said earlier, we wrote the record so all of our personal experiences and things we want to experience are put into this album.
AHHA: At what age did you all realize that you wanted to sing as a group? Did you grow up singing?
Fallon: Yes. We have been doing this forever, since we were seven, nine, and eleven years old. That’s when we started singing professionally as a group.
AHHA: How would you describe yourself?
Fallon: We are unique.
Felicia. We are real. I know we keep saying it, but every song on our album came from an experience, whether we had it, our friends, or family. We are real, and you can expect that.
AHHA: Tell us about the single, “Unappreciated.”
Felicia: It is our female song. It was produced by Jazze Pha. It’s for the ladies. I think the lyrics were cleverly written. It basically talks about how you feel unappreciated when your guy is around or when he comes home, he doesn’t treat you like he needs to. He takes advantage of you.
AHHA: What goals do you wish to accomplish and achieve as a group within the music industry?
Fallon: [Girl groups] have a standard of not sticking together. We are sisters and we are going to stay together. We are going to work this thing out. We have longevity. We are definitely going to produce the next album. We are also going to get into acting soon so please look out for that.
AHHA: You talk about representing the ATL. Does the movie ATL really depict the life of teenagers growing up in Atlanta back in the day?
Farrah: Yes. Skating was huge back in the ‘90s. The realness of Eddie’s Gold grills! That’s Atlanta. But it actually doesn’t tell everything about it because you can’t tell everything about Atlanta in one movie. One thing about Atlanta, it is about grinding and hustling. You have to be on the grind.
AHHA: How do you think Atlanta has come up within the music industry?
Fallon: Atlanta is doing it really big right now. People know Atlanta for being crunk though. When we first got on the scene, it was all about the rappers, but we are trying to bring R&B back. A lot of people don’t understand that Atlanta is diverse. Lil Jon started selling CD’s out of his trunk making crunk music. But there is R&B too. I can say as an Atlanta artist that we do stick together. If we are beefing, it is legitimate beef. We are like brothers and sisters to each other.
AHHA: Is there anything else that you would like to say to your fans?
Farrah: We just basically want to thank the fans for supporting us, and we are getting a lot of love this time and we are blessed this time around. We feel like we are with the perfect company. I am blessed to be doing this with my sisters, because I know I could not be doing this without them.
Fallon: I want everybody to know that we can really sing and we have wonderful harmony. We want to bring something to the music scene besides crunkness. When all that fades away, we want you to know that we are real.