Cherish: Sisterly Saviors

By: Alexis Jeffries

September 25, 2006

After the departure of groups like Destiny’s Child, 3LW, TG4 and the like, the music world seemed to be craving the return of talented, sexy, fun-loving girl groups to bring back a sense of femininity and spunk. And just when it seemed like female R&B groups might have dissipated forever, Atlanta’s sisterly-songbirds Cherish arrived on the scene with beauty, talent, and wild personalities to match.

The four sisters (Farrah, 22; Neosha, 20; Fallon and Felisha, 18) captivated audiences with their snap music hit “Do It To It”, all while remaining friendly, kind-hearted and ready for greater international attention. With their debut album, Unappreciated, making a showing at #4 on the Billboard Charts, these young singing-sisters - who wrote every song on their album, by the way - have come to reignite a fire in the music industry that only they can bring.

Vibe.com caught up with the sisters while touring with Ne-yo and Chris Brown to find out what it's like being sisters in a group, why they can’t seem to get enough of Beyonce and Usher, and how they really feel about being a part of Atlanta’s tidal wave of music success. Music lovers take note: Cherish has come to “Do It To It”….in the music game, that is.

Vibe.com: How did you get into the industry?

Fallon: Of course we’re sisters, so we’ve been doing this since we were 2, 4 and 6 years old, and professionally since we were 7, 9 and 11. So, it’s definitely been a long journey, especially with my mother and father. Our mother and father used to sing together, so it’s definitely a family affair. We’ve been singing ever since.

Why did you choose to call yourselves Cherish?

Neosha: My dad actually came up with the name. He asked us if we cherished what we were doing, and of course we said we did, so we decided to call ourselves Cherish.

When did you all realize you had talent and wanted to go into music?

Fallon: Since we were 2, 4 and 6 years old, our older sister had us in the room singing En Vogue, and my father saw us and he saw that we actually had some talent, so he decided to work with us.

What’s the dynamic like being sisters in the group? How does that help you or hurt you when you’re on the road?

Neosha:“It definitely helps because we can have debates and arguments and still get on that stage and love each other and perform. Everything is really cool because we are sisters.

How would you describe your music?

Felisha: It’s traditional because we’ve been influenced by a lot of old school, so we try to mix in the old school with the new school. We wrote every single song on the album, so it’s definitely personal and real and fun. It’s got a mixture of that old school and new school feel.

Why did you call the album Unappreciated?

Felisha: Well, it’s a really broad statement, so we thought it would catch everybody’s attention, and it’s our second single on the album. The feeling of being unappreciated is something we felt everybody could relate to.

What’s each of your favorite songs on the album?

Neosha: I would definitely have to say ‘Moment In Time’ because it really showcases our singing capabilities.

Fallon: I would have to say a song called ‘Chevy’ because it’s definitely broader, and that’s the type of music I like.

Felisha: I’d have to say ‘Do It To It’ because I like to party!

Now, you said you wrote all of your songs, and you’ve been writing songs for a while now. Where does your inspiration come from?

Fallon: Well, I think we all have had inspiration to write because we’re very creative people. As sisters, we have a lot to write about and a lot to talk about. So, with that, we wanted our music to reflect our tales and not come through anyone else’s tales.

How do you manage to fit all four of your personalities into your music?

Fallon: It’s a great thing because we all have an opinion on it. When you have four people in a group collaborating on a song, that’s when you come up with a hit.

What do you want people to get out of the album?

Neosha:“We really just wanted everybody to know that we’re true singers and that there’s a lot of soulful singing on the album. There are a lot of issues we discuss, and we just want people to know that we’re doing it and we’re real.

Is there anyone you really look up to in the industry?

Fallon: I would have to say I admire Ne-Yo as a writer because he wrote all his own songs, just like we did.

Neosha: I would have to say Usher and Chris Brown because of their work ethic and their performances are amazing. Performing is not an easy job, so just seeing them perform is amazing.

Felisha: I’m going to say Beyonce because by the time I’m her age, I want to be exactly where she is right now. I like the fact that she can be so humble and have so much respect.

How do you feel about the southern/Atlanta movement? Are you happy that it’s come when you entered the industry?

Fallon: Oh yes, definitely. We’re very excited because we came at the right moment, even though it wasn’t planned. When we came up with ‘Do It To It,’ it just sort of happened. So, we’re happy to have become a part of this big movement.

What have you learned from your experiences so far?

Felisha: We’ve learned not to take anything for granted, even when people might make you upset. You’ve got to work as hard as you can, and everybody would love to be in the position we’re in right now. So, we definitely don’t take anything for granted.

So, what’s been the best part about reaching success? Be honest!

Neosha: Oh, it’s definitely the fans. They’ve shown us so much love. We’re not successful until all of the fans are in support of us, so I’d definitely have to say the fans are the best part.

What sort of legacy do you want to leave on the industry?

Neosha: We want everybody to remember the times of the 1960s and 70s when there was real music, and I want people to think about us now in 2006 the same way they thought about those times and those artists. Not about Crunk music, but when it comes to Cherish, I want them to remember that those girls could really sing and they were actually real and they did it all because they did their own music.

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