# SWV
SWV is an American R&B vocal trio from New York whose name is an acronym for Sisters with Voices; the group consists of Cheryl "[Coko](https://www.edgepedia.org/coko)" Gamble, Tamara "Taj" Johnson (later [Tamara Johnson-George](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamara-johnson-george)), and Leanne "Lelee" Lyons.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) Formed in New York, NY, they scored a string of Top Ten R&B hits in the 1990s from their debut album *It's About Time*, disbanded after their third album, and reunited in 2005 for a second career of albums, television, and touring.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Members | Cheryl "Coko" Gamble (lead vocals), Tamara "Taj" Johnson, Leanne "Lelee" Lyons[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) |
| Formed | New York, NY; the members sang in church as children, where they learned to harmonize[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) |
| Debut album | *It's About Time* (RCA, 1992), double platinum within its first year; No. 2 on the Top R&B Albums chart and more than 2.5 million copies sold per SoundScan[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) • [2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1996/BB1996.pdf) |
| Signature hits | "Weak" (No. 1 pop and R&B), "Right Here/Human Nature" (No. 2 pop, No. 1 R&B), "I'm So Into You" (No. 2 R&B)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) |
| Grammy nominations | Three, with no wins: Best New Artist (1994), R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (1997), Best Traditional R&B Performance (2013)[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/swv-sisters-voices/10713/) |
| Hiatus and reunion | Disbanded after *Release Some Tension* (1997); reunited in 2005[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) • [4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) |
| Reunion output | *I Missed Us* (2012, debuted at No. 6 on the R&B chart), *Still* (2016), the WE TV reality series *SWV Reunited*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) |
| Career sales | More than 30 million records worldwide, per the Bravo profile for the SWV and Xscape limited series[5](https://www.bravotv.com/swv-xscape-the-queens-of-rb) |
## Formation and signing
All three vocalists sang in church as children, which is where they learned to harmonize.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) Coko and Johnson grew up in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood and sang in church choir together; Lyons joined after moving to the [South Bronx](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-bronx), and the trio took the name SWV in 1990.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv) An early version of the group had been called Female Edition, after [New Edition](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-edition), the boy band the young singers admired.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv)
A demo tape caught the attention of producer [Teddy Riley](https://www.edgepedia.org/teddy-riley), a member of Guy and the widely credited developer of new jack swing, who had previously helped establish the careers of Jodeci and [Mary J. Blige](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-j-blige).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) The group's manager secured a contract with RCA in 1992 after presenting the demo to Kenny Ortiz, an RCA A&R executive who had decided the label needed an act to enter the ongoing revival of female vocal groups.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv) Ortiz described SWV as a "female equivalent to Guy or Jodeci" with a "real soulful, nonbubblegum sound."[7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1993/BB-1993-04-03.pdf)
## It's About Time and the 1993 breakthrough
RCA released *It's About Time* at the end of October 1992.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv) The lead single "Right Here" reached number 13 on the R&B chart, but it was "I'm So Into You," a number two R&B hit in early 1993, that established the trio as a commercial force.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) Teddy Riley mentored the group and produced the remix of "Right Here," which sampled [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson)'s 1983 hit "Human Nature"; released as "Right Here/[Human Nature](https://www.edgepedia.org/human-nature-michael-jackson-song)," it became a number one R&B single and reached number two on the pop chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) • [4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/)
**The breakthrough single.** "Weak," written and produced by Brian Alexander Morgan, hit number one on both the pop and R&B charts.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) It displaced [Janet Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/janet-jackson)'s "That's the Way Love Goes" at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1993, ending that single's eight-week run at number one.[8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/swv-its-about-time/) The album's run also included "Downtown" and "You're Always On My Mind" among its top ten R&B hits.[4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) The debut received nominations for a Grammy (Best New Artist, 1994), an American Music Award, and a Source Award, won a Children's Choice Award and a BET "Best of Video Soul" Award, and earned 11 Billboard Music Award nominations.[4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) • [3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/swv-sisters-voices/10713/)
The group's image was deliberately street-level rather than glossy. Billboard described their "street-level imaging and aggressive, swing-style harmonies," placing them in what the trade press called the "ghetto soul" category.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv) Commentators grouped SWV among the "new jill swing" acts, the female counterpart to the hip-hop, pop, and R&B fusion of new jack swing, alongside [En Vogue](https://www.edgepedia.org/en-vogue), Jade, and Xscape.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/23/new-jill-swing-r-and-b-jack-hip-hop-pop-female) In the United Kingdom the group was one of the most successful US swingbeat acts to break through, with five [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) hits there.[10](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-04-30.pdf)
In the spring of 1994 SWV released a remix album, which went gold by the end of the year, and "Anything," their contribution to the *Above the Rim* soundtrack, became a Top Ten R&B hit.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography)
## New Beginning and Release Some Tension
*New Beginning*, the group's second album of new material, arrived on RCA in 1996, preceded by the number one R&B hit "You're the One," which also reached the Hot 100 top ten, and "Use Your Heart," produced by the Neptunes.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) • [4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) • [11](https://enmarketarena.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SWV-Bio-1.pdf) The album went platinum, and [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) reported that the trio was trading its baseball caps and jerseys image for a "sexier, more mature approach" in the music.[4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) • [2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1996/BB1996.pdf)
*Release Some Tension* followed in 1997, produced on a fast turnaround of about a year after its predecessor, and spawned several top ten hits: "Someone" featuring Sean "Puffy" Combs as artist and producer, the duet with rapper Redman "Lose My Cool," the Brian Alexander Morgan torch ballad "Rain," and the Timbaland-produced "Can We" featuring [Missy Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/missy-elliott), from the *Booty Call* soundtrack.[4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) In 1997 SWV also appeared on the all-star single "Slow Jams" with Babyface, Tamia, Portrait, and [Barry White](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-white), which brought a Grammy nomination for R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/swv-sisters-voices/10713/)
## Breakup and reunion
The group disbanded shortly after *Release Some Tension*; SWV's own biography places the breakup in 1998, while the Baker's Biographical Dictionary entry on Encyclopedia.com gives 1999, citing personal differences and the desire to pursue solo careers.[4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv) A greatest-hits collection followed, along with Coko's solo album *Hot Coko*.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv)
**Reunion.** SWV got back together in 2005 with plans to record, but nothing materialized until they signed with Mass Appeal and issued *I Missed Us* in 2012, which debuted at number six on the R&B chart and led to *SWV Reunited*, a reality television series that lasted two seasons on WE TV.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) Their album *Still* followed in 2016.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) The group has continued to perform since; its own site states that after reuniting in 2005 the members have "hit the stage non-stop."[4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/)
The 2013 nomination for "If Only You Knew," in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category, gave SWV a third Grammy nomination across three decades of activity.[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/swv-sisters-voices/10713/)
## Rivalry with Xscape and later visibility
SWV and [Xscape](https://www.edgepedia.org/xscape-group), the Atlanta hip-hop soul quartet, are the two 1990s R&B girl groups most often compared; their careers ran in parallel rather than in direct collaboration.[12](https://ir.mountaintopuniversity.edu.ng/article/swv-and-xscape-how-the-r-b-groups-connect-compare-and-diverged) On May 8, 2021 the two groups competed in a Verzuz battle live-streamed from Atlanta, with DJs Spinderella and The DJ AONE, an event widely treated as a referendum on each group's catalog.[13](https://djrobblog.com/archives/13556) The partnership extended to the Bravo limited series *SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B*, a six-part show that followed the groups preparing for a joint one-night-only concert.[5](https://www.bravotv.com/swv-xscape-the-queens-of-rb)
## Style and standing
SWV's sound combined 1960s girl-group-style harmonizing with the hip-hop-infused R&B of the new jack swing era, carried by Coko's lead voice, described in reference profiles as alternating between sweet and gritty.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv) Brian Alexander Morgan, who wrote and produced "Weak," "I'm So Into You," and "Rain," was central to shaping the group's sound, which a later Pitchfork retrospective credited with uniting hip-hop and soul, an allegiance to the remix, and a distinctively New York assertiveness.[4](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/) • [8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/swv-its-about-time/) AllMusic's biography counts five Top Ten pop hits for the group during the 1990s, and the Bravo profile credits the trio with more than 30 million records sold worldwide; a third-party source gives a lower figure of over 25 million.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography) • [5](https://www.bravotv.com/swv-xscape-the-queens-of-rb) • [14](https://jazzapedia.com/artists/swv)
## References
1. [SWV Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swv-mn0000498987/biography)
2. [SWV Weaves 'New Beginning,' Billboard (1996)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1996/BB1996.pdf)
3. [SWV (Sisters With Voices) Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/swv-sisters-voices/10713/)
4. [Bio, SWV Official Website](https://www.swvmusic.com/bio/)
5. [SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B, Bravo](https://www.bravotv.com/swv-xscape-the-queens-of-rb)
6. [SWV, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/swv)
7. [R&B Women Clear 'Historical Hurdle,' Billboard (April 3, 1993)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1993/BB-1993-04-03.pdf)
8. [SWV: It's About Time Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/swv-its-about-time/)
9. [The power and pain of R&B's 'new jill swing' era, The Guardian (2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/23/new-jill-swing-r-and-b-jack-hip-hop-pop-female)
10. [Case Study: SWV, Music Week (April 30, 1994)](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-04-30.pdf)
11. [SWV Bio, Enmarket Arena](https://enmarketarena.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SWV-Bio-1.pdf)
12. [SWV and Xscape: How the R&B Groups Connect, Compare, and Diverged](https://ir.mountaintopuniversity.edu.ng/article/swv-and-xscape-how-the-r-b-groups-connect-compare-and-diverged)
13. [About last night's Verzuz: Xscape vs. SWV, DJRobBlog](https://djrobblog.com/archives/13556)
14. [SWV, Jazzapedia](https://jazzapedia.com/artists/swv)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Choirs and vocal groups › Gospel, barbershop, and popular vocal groups › Soul, R&B, and Motown vocal groups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license