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Black Girls Rock! 2016 - Arrivals

In the music business, there’s the familiar tale of an artist starting out in a group and upon disbandment, they either become the Diana Ross and Beyoncé – or they become the others. Naturi Naughton‘s story is a little different.

The 32-year-old singer/actress started out as one-third of the hit girl group 3LW, along with Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams. After the group split, Adrienne continued on as a Cheetah Girl and reality star, and fans wondered what happened to Naturi and Kiely. Today, Naturi is one of the most sought after actresses on the small and silver screen.

From slaying her role as Lil Kim in Notorious, to showing off her bad bitch persona in the hit Starz show Power, check out the birthday girl’s rise from girl group to total TV domination.

3LW

Naughton joined 3LW back in 1999. The group saw much success with a platinum debut album and even went on the MTV TRL tour in the summer of 2001 with Destiny’s Child, Dream, Nelly, Eve, and Jessica Simpson. In 2002, Naughton announced that she was no longer in the group after rumors surfaced that she and Kiely fought and Kiely threw a hot plate full of KFC food at her. Epic Records then ended their relationship with both 3LW and Naturi.

Hairspray

Naturi Haughton

In 2005, Naughton took a break from singing to focus on her acting career. From 2005-2008, she starred as Little Inez in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Hairspray.

Fame

Naughton’s remake of the hit song “Fame” landed her on the soundtrack of the 2009 film. She was slowly but surely regaining her place in the spotlight. She was also cast as Denise in the remake of the 1980s flick.

Notorious

The 2009 release of Notorious made Naturi a household name. She played Lil Kim in the film and 3LW fans were happy to see their girl stealing the show again.

Mad Men, Lottery Ticket, and The Client List 

Following the success of Notorious, Naughton went full throttle with her acting career. In 2010, she appeared in a few episodes of Mad Men and that same month, she starred in Lottery Ticket alongside Bow Wow. In 2011, she was cast with Jennifer Love Hewitt in the Lifetime series The Client List.

She even starred in the pilot for The Playboy Club, which was picked up by NBC in 2011, but was dropped after a few episodes.

Power

In 2014, Naughton was cast as Tasha St. Patrick, the leading lady in the Starz hit Power. The show, which is produced by 50 Cent, has garnered great reviews and much acclaim. It’s even been renewed for a third season, set to premiere in June 2016.

Happy Birthday Ms. Naughton! The glo up is real.

PHOTO CREDIT: Splash, Getty, Youtube 

Naturi Naughton’s Rise From 3LW To “Power” Superstar  was originally published on globalgrind.com