TLC Is Back, Baby Baby Baby

Happy TLC announcement to us! Happy TLC announcement to us! Happy TLC announcement dear everybody, happy TLC announcement to us! (I assume the legendary hip hop group's big news inspired you to break into song, too.) In a too awesome to handle interview with TIME, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas shares heaps of exciting deets about TLC’s final album, future tour plans (!!!), and why the group chose to create a Kickstarter. Yes, TLC has a Kickstarter. Monday morning, Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins launched a fundraising campaign for their fifth album. Slated to drop at the end of 2015, it will be the group's second full-length album since the tragic death of original member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.

TLC’s Kickstarter incentives are probably the greatest Kickstarter incentives in the history of Kickstarter. So many opportunities to hang out with Watkins and Thomas! It’s tough to pick the best incentive, but I gotta say, there is one that made me gasp and stare at my bank account for a good ten minutes: If you pledge $2,000, you get to go to a workout class led by Chilli. Can you even imagine?!?!?!?!?! I'd be sweating before the class began.

Anyway, Thomas's interview with TIME is fantastic, has me feeling all of the feelings, et cetera. And yes, there are specific excerpts that caused me to shriek with glee. I will share those specific excerpts now.

When asked if she's worried about what people might think about the group's decision to leave their label for Kickstarter:

Not at all. This is so TLC. It goes back to that thing I said: out of the box. That thing we did with MP3.com. It feels more natural to go this way, especially at this point in our career and the way everything is digitally, and how you’re able to connect with your fans a lot easier because of social media. It gives us almost 100% creative control, whereas we didn’t have that much [before]. We had creative control, but it was more constricting.

Say what you will about established artists using Kickstarter to fund projects, but I am all about it if it means the artists have more creative freedom.

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC sound:

What makes it the TLC sound is Tionne’s voice and my voice together. I think we could do any record in the world. I think we could do a country record. [Laughs.]

And:

We don’t want to box ourselves within any type of genre, you know? Whatever feels good, if it moves us and we like it, we get on it and make it our own. That’s what we do.

All of this is true. Thomas and Watkins are too great to be constrained by genre.

When asked if the Lady Gaga song will be on the album:

The song that we did with Dallas that Lady Gaga did originally is a great song. It turned out really good. I don’t know. We definitely won’t throw it away.

Oh, my god. Please please please please please be on the new album!

Wait wait wait. There's more Gaga magic:

She’s so amazing. We love her. It’s funny because when [Gaga] first met Tionne [T-Boz], she started crying, and Tionne’s daughter [Chase] was with her — you know, our kids are so used to us, we’re like moms. So when Chase saw Lady Gaga, who she loved so much, crying over her mom, she went, ‘Wow, my mom is really cool!’ [Laughs] That was such a neat moment.

This is the cutest thing I've ever read.

When asked about going on tour:

Yes, it’s a U.S. tour. This is our first big U.S. tour in a thousand years!

Oops, I passed out. But I'm back now. And I'm watching this on repeat:

Chills on chills on chills.

This may be their final album, but...

We always say, like the movie, ‘TLC is M.T.B. [Meant To Be].’ We’re gonna be here forever.

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes.

The Kickstarter's goal: $150,000 before Feb. 19. OK, fans. This is not a drill. A new TLC album is on the line, for creep's sake. LET'S DOOO THISSSSS!

Images: swedishfishrule, gif-reactions, sharmadness, noyoureoutoforder, ivejustmademyselfablogforgifs, londonlark/tumblr