Top 10 Famous Female Trio Bands Of All Time

Famous female singing trios are synonymous with TLC. This 90s girl group was the biggest example of the trope during that decade.

Initially, the group was thought up by Atlanta producer Ian Burke for Crystal Jones, one of his clients, as a female version of the New Edition spin-off Bell Biv DeVoe. In the beginning, the group was made up of Jones, Tionne Watkins, and Lisa Lopes, but Jones was eventually replaced by Rozonda Thomas.

In order to fit with the acronym, Rozonda started going as Chilli while Tionne went by T-Boz and Lisa as Left Eye. The group saw massive success with hits like Creep, Waterfalls, No Scrub, and Unpretty. 

Plus, four of their five albums have gone platinum. Since Lisa's passing in 2002, the group has been a duo.

Their entire discography consists of:

• Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip 
• CrazySexyCool
• FanMail
• 3D
• TLC

Destiny's Child is one of the best female singing groups with 3 members. The lineup featured Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams.

Originally a quartet made up of Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett, the latter two were replaced with Williams and Farrah Franklin in the early 2000s. However, Franklin quit soon after, and they became the trio they are known as today.

The group became very popular for feminist anthems like Independent Women and Survivor as well as for embracing their female sensuality with songs like Bootylicious. They also were nominated for 14 Grammy awards though only winning twice.

Despite not being active as a group since 2006, they have regrouped many times. The two most iconic ones were for Beyonce's 2013 Super Bowl halftime show and for Coachella in 2018.

The Andrews Sisters are among the first famous female trio singers. They were active in the Swing and boogie-woogie era of the 30s and 40s.

Made up of actual sisters, LaVerne Sophia, Maxene Anglyn, and Patricia "Patty" Marie, the three-piece sold over 80 million records and had a bevy of hit songs like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Bei Mir Dist Du Schon (Means That You're Grand), and Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel) to name a few.

Aside from massive success during their heyday, the three also inspired many artists, including some who are popular today, like Bette Midler, Christina Aguilera, Patti Page, and Pentatonix to name a few. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998, which is also when it opened, and in the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Chicks are another 90s girl bands with 3 members. This Country music three-piece originally went by The Dixie Chicks.

They went by that name during their most successful period, which was the late 90s and the early 2000s when they released multi-platinum albums starting with 1998's Wide Open Spaces, 1999's Fly, and 2002's Home. Many of their songs from this era like There's Your Trouble, Cowboy Take Me Away, and Without You peaked at the Billboard Country charts.

However, they started facing backlash after criticizing the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Over 17 years later, they removed the "Dixie" in their name due to its Racist history.

Despite their controversial career, the group has seen much success with over 13 Grammy Awards to their name. They are seen as pioneers in female-led Country and have sold over 33 million albums worldwide. 

Sugababes are one of the girl bands with 3 members from 2000s. The British group now consists of Siobhan Donaghy, Mutya Buena, and Keisha Buchanan.

Formed in 1998 by Ron Tom, the manager of another popular girl group, All Saints, Sugababes released their debut album One Touch in November 2000. Though the album only saw moderate success, it did contain the top-ten hit Overload, following which Donaghy was replaced with Heidi Range.

After Range's inclusion in 2001, the group released three back-to-back multi-platinum albums:

• Angels with Dirty Faces - 2002
• Three - 2003
• Taller in More Ways - 2005

Again, a member changed when Buena was replaced with Amelle Berrabah, and in 2009, another original member was switched when Buchanan was replaced by Jade Ewen.

However, the original three regained the name of Sugababes in 2019, and have been releasing music ever since. 

3LW is a famous girl band with three members. The group's name stands for 3 Lil Women. 

The most prominent lineup of the group consisted of Adrienne Bailon, Naturi Naughton, and Kiely Williams from 1999 to 2002 when Naughton left the group and was replaced by Jessica Benson. During the seven or so years of their existence, the group became well-known for many Hip-Hop and R&B-tinged singles like:

• No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)
• Playas Gon' Play
• I Do (Wanna Get Close to You)

Though the group never received much in terms of critical accolades, they were around for many historical moments like recording What More Can I Give  alongside many prominent singers like Michael Jackson, Usher, Beyonce, and Celine Dion, after the 9/11 attacks.

SWV is a R&B Vocal trio from New York City. Standing for Sisters With Voices, the group consists of Cheryl Gamble, Tamara Johnson, and Leanne Lyons.

Initially formed as a Gospel group in 1988, the trio gradually transformed to encapsulate more of an R&B sound as they shifted into the 90s and became one of the most successful groups of that time. They are best known for four of their hits which are:

• Weak
• Right Here (Human Nature Remix)
• I'm So Into You
• You're the One

Despite their massive success throughout the decade, they broke up in 1998 to pursue solo careers to varying degrees of success. However, they would reunite in 2005.

Overall, SWV have sold over 25 million records globally, and are counted amongst the best selling female groups of all time.

Atomic Kitten is a British female trio hailing from Liverpool. The group currently consists of Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost, and Natasha Hamilton.

The group was the brainchild of Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. They debuted in October 2000 with their album Right Now, that only saw moderate success. 

However, a steady stream of top-ten singles kept the group afloat, but despite that original member Kerry Katona quit. Replaced by Jenny Frost, the group re-recorded their debut album, and the new version topped the UK charts and sold over 600K copies.

Over the course of their career, they would have three #1 UK singles:

• Whole Again
• Eternal Flame
• Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)

In their entirety, the group has sold over 10 million records globally.

HAIM is a group of sisters that make up the three-piece band. Unlike many other members of this list, they are a legitimate band and play instruments.

The group consists of:

• Este Haim - Bassist and Backup Vocalist
• Danielle Haim - Lead Vocals, Guitars, and Drums
• Alana Haim - Guitars, Keyboards, and Vocals

Though formed in the late 2000s, they started gaining prominence in the mid-to-late 2010s for their indie and pop-rock sounds. They were nominated for Best New Artist at the 2015 Grammy Awards and received two more nominations at the 2023 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance.

The trio has also recently gained a lot of buzz for collaborating with Country-Pop artist Taylor Swift on her second-recent album, Evermore, on the track no body, no crime.

The Ronettes were one of the first female trios to gain fame. The most popular lineup consisted of Ronnie Spector, Estelle Bennett, and Nedra Talley.

Known for making a mixture of Pop, Soul, R&B, and Doo-Wop music, the group is best known for many hit songs, nine of which made it onto the Hot 100. Of the nine, six became Top 40 hits, with their biggest song being Be My Baby which reached all the way to #2.

In fact, during their heydey, the Rolling Stones, now known as one of the best-selling rock bands of all time opened for them in concert. Though they only released one album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, their influence is so great that they were added to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004 and then the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

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