Floetry
Photo: Dreamworks

Neo-soul duo Floetry have certainly made an impact on American R&B audiences despite the fact the two ladies were born in England. Floetry earned top honors when the 9th annual Lady of Soul Awards nominations were announced Thursday in Los Angeles.

The pair led the pack with four nominations, including a nod for R&B/Soul Album of the Year for their debut effort, Floetic, and R&B/Soul Single of the Year for "Say Yes."

Erykah Badu, a past winner at the Lady of Soul Awards, was nominated three times for her single "Love of My Life," the soft-spoken song from the "Brown Sugar" soundtrack. And there's one award Badu will definitely win this year: the honorary achievement Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year.

Other nominees for this year's Awards include Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Heather Headley, Vivian Green, 702 and TLC.

The Lady of Soul Awards will be broadcast live from Pasadena, California, on August 23. Arsenio Hall, Aisha Tyler, Tyrese and Heather Headley will host.

• Floetry
• Erykah Badu
• Missy Elliott
• Heather Headley
• Vivian Green

702
Photo: Motown

What happens to girl groups after they break up? Well, if you're a member of 702, you just take some time out to regroup — then it's back to business as usual.

Three years after they virtually disappeared from the music scene, the Las Vegas trio of LeMisha, Irish and Kameelah are reunited and hoping to regain their urban pop prominence with a new album, Star, and a sexier, all-grown-up image.

The first single, also titled "Star," brings 702 back with a party-ready track by the Neptunes and a guest appearance by the Clipse. A video shoot for "Star" is planned for next week at a Los Angeles roller-skating rink with director Diane Martel (Justin Timberlake, N.E.R.D.).

LeMisha (now 24), Irish (22) and Kameelah (24) will release Star through Motown Records on December 10. The album, which features production and songwriting input from Mario Winans, Faith Evans, Mike City and the groupmembers themselves, will show off the ladies' new maturity with songs such as "Let Your Hair Down" and "Certified Ho."

In 1996, the girls released their first album, No Doubt, and a breakout Missy Elliott-penned single, "Steelo." But after the release of their second, self-titled album — which spawned the hit "Where My Girls At?" — Kameelah left to pursue a solo career, eventually enlisting singer Faith Evans and her husband, Todd Russaw, as her managers. Meanwhile, the remaining members tried to fill Kameelah's shoes with new members, but the new 702 lineups never gelled.

702 reappeared last year performing "Pootie Tangin'," the "Pootie Tang" theme, in the movie and on the soundtrack (see "Where My 702 At? Girls Back With 'Pootie Tangin'").

For a feature on R&B girl group lineup changes, including interviews with members of 702, check out "Girl Groups: Why They Can't Keep It Together".

• 702

• Destiny's Child
• 3LW
• 702
• Dream
• SWV

702's Irish & Lemisha
Photo: Hollywood

NEW YORK — Two years ago, it looked as though 702 were right at the point where a burgeoning act blossoms into superstars. While TLC were dissing scrubs and holding on to their crowns as the baddest female-singers collective in the land, you could see the potential in both Destiny's Child and 702 to take the reins and run when it was time for a change. Both had equally hot girl-power anthems, DC with "Bills, Bills, Bills" and the trio of Kameelah and sisters Irish and Lemisha with "Where My Girls At?" Destiny's Child lived up to their potential, delivering a string of even bigger hits and selling more than 10 million albums in the United States, while 702 have been — well, nobody really knows where the girls have been at. "We disappeared after 'Where My Girls At?'" Irish conceded with a smile. "We went through a whole lot of changes. It took us like a year and a half to get back on our feet. But we're back now." She isn't exaggerating those changes. 702 left Motown Records, changed management, and lead vocalist Kameelah ankled to pursue a solo career.

"We grew apart," Lemisha said of Kameelah's defection. "Everybody wanted different things for the group." "I talked to Meelah like three weekends ago," continued Irish. "She called me for my birthday. We still love each other, but we got to a point where all our directions were different, and she wanted to go solo." The siblings didn't have to look far to find a new member. Irish simply called a Las Vegas homie, 22-year-old Cree Lamore.

"When Meelah decided to go solo," Irish recalled, "I wanted to find a friend, somebody I'm close with already. Cree was perfect for the group." It doesn't hurt that she can sing, too. The girls, who are shopping for a new record deal, said that unlike the first two 702 albums, crooning duties would be equally distributed on their next record.

"This time around, we'll all sing, which is a major difference," said Irish, who mainly sang backup with her sister. "The biggest problem we had when Meelah left the group is that people didn't believe my sister and I could sing. We had to come back and prove ourselves." "These girls can saaang," confirmed Cree.

Their first chance to silence doubters comes courtesy of Pootie Tang. The trio have the first single, "Pootie Tangin'," from the soundtrack (due July 17) to the upcoming film based on the character popularized on "The Chris Rock Show." "It's a club song," Misha said. "A guy is pootie tangin' when he's doing his thing, when he's macking. Pootie Tang is a ladies' man. The men hate him but the women love him." 702 apparently could have used Pootie's charms to calm them down in the studio while they recorded his theme.

"Let me tell you," Irish vented. "We found out we were doing this song for the soundtrack like four days before we had to shoot the video. We hadn't even written the song, much less recorded it. We were in the studio from like nine in the morning until noon the next day. We went through every hormonal change." "We screamed," Misha added. "We were like, 'We can't take this anymore!'" The atmosphere is much more relaxed as they work on their next album with the Co-Stars production team, the girls said. Misha has become their main songwriter, and fans can look forward to hearing them personify "ghetto fabulousness" on the project.

"Even though we took a long break, we still have something to give the public," Irish concluded.

Pootie Tang track list, according to Hollywood Records:

• 702 - "Pootie Tangin'"
• Magic featuring Master P - "Dirty Dee"
• E-40 and Suga T. - "Comin' Up on Somp'n"
• Bell Biv Devoe - "Poison"
• Master P - "Make 'Em Say Ugh"
• Erykah Badu featuring Rahzel - "Southern Girl"
• Ideal - "I Should've Told You"
• Zapp & Roger - "I Want to Be Your Man"
• K.K. - "A Woman Needs to Be Loved"
• Shaquille O'Neal - "You Know How We Do"
• Lil' J - "You Know What"
• Roscoe and Nate Dogg - "Yesterday"
• Karl Clanton -"Why Pootie Why?"
• Tara Jeffers, Qiana Drew and Lorria Richards - "Ode to Pootie"

• 702

After teaming up with Missy Elliott in the studio late last year to remix their single "Gotta Leave," the ladies of 702 have now shot a video for the revamped version of the track.

• 2/14 - New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre
• 2/17 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theatre
• 2/18 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 2/20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
• 2/25 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 2/28 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
• 3/1 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kingsbury Hall
• 3/2 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
• 3/4 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
• 3/5 - St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theater
• 3/6 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Centre
• 3/7 - Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
• 3/9 - Orlando, FL @ Bob Carr Per. Arts Ctr.
• 3/10 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
• 3/11 - Miami, FL @ James L. Knight Center
• 3/12 - Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theatre
• 3/16 - Louisville, KY @ Palace Theatre
• 3/18 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
• 3/19 - Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre
• 3/21 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
• 3/22 - Buffalo, NY @ Shea's Buffalo Theatre
• 3/23 - Boston, MA @ Wang Center

• Missy Elliott
• 702

Soulful crooner Brian McKnight plans to kick off a tour to support his recent album, "Back At One," on February 3 in Cleveland, and he'll rotate Eric Benét and 702 as opening acts for the eight-week outing.

• 2/3 - Cleveland, OH @ Allen Theatre (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/5 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Tower (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/7 - New York, NY @ Private Event
• 2/9 - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/10 - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/11 - Richmond, VA @ Landmark Theatre (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/13 - Atlanta, GA @ Civic Center (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/16 - New Orleans, LA @ Saenger (w/ 702)
• 2/17 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theatre (w/ 702)
• 2/18 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl (w/ 702)
• 2/20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity (w/ 702)
• 2/22 - Las Vegas, NM @ Mandalay Bay (w/ TBA)
• 2/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ Universal (w/ Eric Benét & 702)
• 2/26 - Oakland, CA @ Paramount (w/ Eric Benét)
• 2/28 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount (w/ 702)
• 3/1 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kingsbury Hall (w/ 702)
• 3/2 - Denver, CO @ Paramount (w/ 702)
• 3/4 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum (w/ 702)
• 3/5 - St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/6 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/7 - Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/9 - Orlando, FL @ Bob Carr Auditorium (w/ 702)
• 3/10 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall (w/ 702)
• 3/11 - Miami, FL @ Knight Center (w/ 702)
• 3/12 - Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/15 - Memphis, TN @ Sam's Town
• 3/16 - Louisville, KY @ Palace Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/17 - TBA
• 3/18 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/19 - Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/21 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall (w/ 702)
• 3/22 - Buffalo, NY @ Shea's Theatre (w/ 702)
• 3/23 - Boston, MA @ Wang Center (w/ 702)
• 3/24 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Theatre (w/ TBA)

-- David Basham

• Eric Benét
• Brian McKnight
• 702

The ladies of 702 launched a brief European tour over the weekend, but not before logging some studio time with Missy Elliott.

-- John Gill

• Missy Elliott
• 702

Between modeling contracts, TV appearances, and hit singles, things have been going well for the ladies of 702 lately.