At 28, TLC's T-Boz & Chilli Hit The Jackpot

What keeps hip-hop group TLC going strong despite scandal, heartbreak, and betrayal that threatened to dismantle the group in the ’90s? Sisterhood.

Although TLC lost their rapper, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, in a fatal car crash in 2002, the friendship that defined the trio’s success still radiates through Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. A new production — CrazySexyCool — The TLC Musical — translates that unbreakable bond into live theater, with hits including “Creep,” “Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs,” and “Unpretty” as the backdrop to the mostly true tale of one of America’s best-selling girl groups, spanning Chilli’s audition to join the band to finding the strength to perform again after Left Eye’s death. It premiered in Washington, D.C., last month and runs through Aug. 9.

TLC released FanMail, their futuristic-sounding third album that was one of the first to reference email, in 1999, when T-Boz was 28 and her bandmates were 27. The Grammy-winning Best R&B Album served as a love letter to fans who supported the group while the women bounced back from an unfavorable record deal that forced them into bankruptcy. It also led to “The Challenge” — Left Eye’s unsuccessful call for each member to release a solo album during a brief period of tension.

Below, T-Boz and Chilli reflect on their new show, their biggest professional wins, and the advice they wish they could give their past selves.

What aspect of your life was essential to have included in the musical?

T-Boz: I have sickle cell [anemia], but it doesn’t make me who I am. It’s just what I have. I had a brain tumor, and I’ve had many death scares, but I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I also choreographed for TLC, and I wrote songs. Seven songs I wrote are in the play. When I learned they added “Perfect Girls” and “Dear Lie,” I was so excited.

Chilli: We’re still making tweaks, but me having my son Tron [Austin] has to go back in there. That was a huge, life-changing point in my life. And my faith for sure.

How did you ensure Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ story was represented well onstage?

Chilli: It was very important to us, because there are things that only Tionne and I can share to make sure the story is told correctly. It’s funny because the actresses who play us hang out and do all the things we did when Lisa was alive and that Tionne and I still do. I think it definitely helps the dynamic for them when they’re onstage.

When you two weren’t touring, what did a typical Friday night look like as 28-year-olds?

T-Boz: I am so boring. I loved having a movie night at home. Being on the road so much, I was living out of bags and hotels. Home was the one sacred place I could go to. Or going to the movies with friends. I loved AMC because they had those good mozzarella sticks, nachos, and hot dogs. I was in heaven. Now I carry my iPad everywhere. I can’t leave home without it.

Chilli: Tron was 2. I was at home, probably watching A Bug’s Life over and over. He wanted to see it every night. I always wanted to be a mom, ever since I was a kid. I’m very nurturing, which is how I got the nickname “Grandma” when our group first got together. (Tionne was “Sister,” and Lisa was “Auntie.”)

What did you love about your personal style at 28?

T-Boz: [When we were first starting out,] I would go to New Jersey to get the material to dress us. I cut the clothes, and Lisa would spray-paint. We made a great team. But then one day, I’m walking up the street with my friend [Julieanne Mijares], and I go, “Julie, why aren’t you dressing us?” That’s where all the fly clothes came from, starting with “Waterfalls”: the black-and-white MTV Music Awards outfits, the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards clothes with the holes, the leather — even the iridescent looks we had [at the Soul Train Awards]. They were tailor-made for us.

You each went through a lot personally and professionally before you turned 28. What did success look like to you that year?

T-Boz: 28 is the age the doctor diagnosed me correctly. When you know what you’re dealing with, then you can learn to fight it. I was like, “We’re about to kill it now!” I can go on tour and start working on myself. As far as TLC, I felt like I was going to be unstoppable.

Chilli: I wanted us to achieve being the biggest-selling girl group. And we did. We reached that [the year] I was 28. From that point, the goal was to make it as hard as we could make it for somebody else to beat us.

What was something you worried about that, in retrospect, you didn’t need to?

T-Boz: 28 was two years before I got married and had my daughter. I was maturing and looking at life differently. I no longer cared what people thought. People often complimented my eyes, but I hated how I’d get dark circles and bags, especially when I was tired or sick. I was really self-conscious because I was teased for it as a child. But at 28, I didn’t care. I was more confident.

Chilli: It was really important to me to make sure that Tron knew I was always there. I was like an eagle, watching everything Tron and any other kids I had over [did]. I always put Tron first. He knows that, and he thanks me for being there. It means the world to me. [But] looking back, I could’ve briefly stepped away more.

What advice would you give to your 28-year-old self?

Chilli: We would just be talking for hours. I would encourage my 28-year-old self to read the Bible sooner than I started. I’ve always been a believer, always loved the Lord since I was a child. But reading the Word is another level of understanding the Father that we pray to.

T-Boz: Everything happens for a reason. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I learned from my mistakes, and I grew from them. So I wouldn’t change a thing.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.