Demo tapes and Perrier: how SWV talked their way into a record deal

SWV stands for Sisters with Voices, a trio from New York City made up of Cheryl “Coko” Gamble, Tamara “Taj” George and Leanne “Lelee” Lyons. They formed in 1988 as a gospel group. Gamble and Lyons started it, Gamble recruited Taj, and a fourth member named Samantha eventually left for unknown reasons. Their manager Maureen Singleton sent demo tapes to record executives across America along with bottles of Perrier, because, as Taj put it, they could not afford champagne.

It worked. In 1991, after singing live for RCA executives, SWV signed an eight-album deal. Their debut, It's About Time, arrived on October 27, 1992, and was certified multi-platinum. “Right Here” reached No. 13 on the R&B chart, “I'm So into You” went to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Weak” hit No. 1 on both the R&B and Hot 100 charts.

Then came the remix. “Right Here/Human Nature” blended their first single with samples of Michael Jackson's “Human Nature”, reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, and sat at the top of the R&B chart for seven weeks. A UK version of “Right Here” even carried a small rap solo from Pharrell Williams. A film soundtrack single, “Anything”, followed in 1994, and in 1996 New Beginning gave them “You're the One”, which peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart. “Use Your Heart” marked the debut of the producers The Neptunes.

The third album, Release Some Tension, arrived in 1997 with guests including Missy Elliott, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Puff Daddy, and “Rain” sampled Jaco Pastorius. The group disbanded in 1998 to pursue solo projects and reunited in 2005. As of 2023 they had sold more than 5.4 million albums worldwide and a further 6.5 million singles in the United States, which is the weight behind a smooth remix like “Right Here (Human Nature Radio Mix)”.