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Taneeyah, Meniyah, and Krislyn are the three Houston sisters that make up the female R&B/Rap vocal group Cette 3— a pseudonym name that tells their story well. The sisters drew the word ‘Cette’ from their last name, which also means “these three” in French. The added ‘3’ at the end of their name signifies each member and simultaneously symbolizes their trio.
Taneeyah (casually known as Teetee) is the choreographer of the group. Krissy, although vocally talented, is more dominant in the group with her instrumental talents. Despite being the youngest of the three, Krissy plays piano, used to be a percussionist, and can produce beats too! Finally, Meniyah, though she enjoys dancing, is more vocally inclined. Krissy participated in school musicals and drummed in elementary school then participated in dance and choir during middle, while Taneeyah and Meniyah played violin, “but that was like way back” Taneeyah clarified. The twins were also involved in choir and dance teams throughout their middle school years. “We all started out doing dance” Krissy started,” but then I came to the realization that dance was not for me” she explained prompting laughter from herself and her sisters, “so I moved on to the music side with piano and drums.” In their elementary years, the girls were also part of a group that performed during a school talent show in which Krissy drummed and the twins danced. The girls also took guitar lessons at one point but eventually concluded that the instrument was not quite their strong suit.
When asked about how the sisters found their passion for music, Krissy initiated the answer by revealing that though she cannot vividly recall how exactly she became attracted to music, she does remember performing at the age of 3 with her twin sisters at a cousin’s birthday party, “or something like that, and all three of us performed on stage and we sang a Justin Bieber song, and then after that, it just started going.” Taneeyah and Meniyah approved of the backstory and added that this specific childhood experience is what seemed to initiate the beginning of the sister’s group performances. Meniyah further elaborating that she and Taneeyah enjoyed performing for their mother when they were younger and would often put on shows and concerts full of their own choreography. However, Krissy made it openly known that she was never really a part of Taneeyah and Meniyah’s home performances because she was not a big fan of dancing, “I— I’ll be in the background recording, I don’t— I can’t dance.” Krissy announced shaking her head with assurance, but Taneeyah and Meniyah argue otherwise about her dancing skills.
The twins started out by creating their duo Instagram profile popularly known as TM.Twins— even though the initial intentions were to create a group page for the three of them. Meniyah and Taneeyah sang sometimes on their duo profile, but eventually wanted a page where the three of them could sing in union, thus they finally decided it was time to reinstate their initial plan and create Cette 3. The main reason why the initial plan was deferred and postponed was because Krissy was simply not a fan of social media at the time. “So, I wasn’t really into that kind of stuff, but then, this past year, I got involved with social media, so now I like it.” Once Krissy was comfortable the sisters decided it was time to make things official by creating a social media page for their group where they would post consistently with original content and covers!
The girls recall the initiation process of creating Cette 3 as a good experience! Expressing that their family was very supportive of their decision and continue to support them now. One of the many ways that their family continue to support them is by providing them a helping hand whenever they need it, Teniyah explaining that they like to keep their things “in-house”, meaning if they need a manager, stylist, producer, or anything else the ladies have family members or relatives that can provide them with it. Which is something many growing artists cannot vouch for. For the most part, the girls have everything they need at their fingertips, being that they have a versatile team at home and even a home-studio setup! But, if they were to ever find themselves in a predicament, Cette 3 would have family there to help actively resolve the problem!
Some may recall that the sisters did make an appearance before becoming official. Back in December 2020, the TM.Twins uploaded an official music video for an original Christmas song. During our discussion, the ladies revealed that that was one of the fastest songs they’ve written thus far. “...Cause we was trynna get it… out before Christmas, so we had to move pretty fast” Teniyah elucidated. Krissy confessing that she was very camera shy during the time they were filming the music video, “So Teetee, she was making me laugh…. She was overdoing it; she was doing all that extra stuff making me look unprofessional during the video.” Krissy added with a smile, “and I look so awkward! If you look in the video, I kind of look... stuck. They also reveal that they altered the song a couple of times, even scrapping the entire song at one point to re-write it again. Though the three sisters have different views on the final outcome of the video, it was their very first music video and they truly enjoyed the entire process. Thankfully, their hard and work paid off because they received a lot of positive feedback from their song ‘Christmas With You!’, and the official video has nearly garnered half a million views.
For Krissy, someone that did not fancy being in front of the camera— or projecting herself to the masses via social media— a few of Cette 3’s recent endeavors have been a bit nerve-wracking and foreign for her, but she has clearly had the courage to push through! For many people, their fear of cameras or tendency to be nervous has forced them to stay in their comfort zone, and sometimes give up on themselves. When we asked Krissy how she’s been able to overcome her nerves she revealed that the key ingredient is relaxation. Krissy explained that she used to be “tight” before. She did not feel comfortable unleashing her full character in the presence of certain people, however, she has now taught herself to relax when filming or performing and plans to master the art of relaxation so that she can become more comfortable in the future.
Even though Cette 3 has not been in the industry for long, the girl group has already locked in a number of opportunities to perform. This year alone they have locked in on about four performances that we know of and will be on their way to their fifth one in October. Unfortunately, though, their very first stage performance before their recent Miami performance, was not the best experience and that was due to several reasons, one of many being lack of preparation on the event organizer’s end, but we’d rather not get into that. On the other hand, Cette 3 recently did a debut performance via Sessions Live and it was a complete success and a complete vibe! They covered a few popular songs like Heartbreak Anniversary by Giveon, Foolish by Ashanti and performed original pieces as well! It was evident that the ladies truly enjoyed that performance and were pleased with the feedback!
“By the end of this year, I at least want to have one album out for us” Krissy stated, Teniyah following with a solid “right”. Another one of the many goals the ladies have include gaining recognition and collaborations with other artists. “In the long run, I want us to be like...Destiny’s child, kinda.” Expressing that they do not want to simply be successful but become artists that listeners and supporters can relate to, as well as count amongst artists with a prestigious reputation within the entertainment industry. “I want people to talk about us [for] generations…” Krissy explained and Teniyah agreed quickly, elaborating that she does not want to do what everybody else already does. “I want people to say ‘Oh! They’re different’... cause our generation’s music—” she paused quickly and made a face that subtly screamed ‘yikes’, and Krissy naturally followed with a similar expression while shaking her head. A Non-verbal gesture of agreement that could also be translated to “whew chile!”, and rightfully so.
Cette 3 is determined to grace many stages and open shows for other artists, However, they do hope to perform at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, and at the Rolling Loud Music Festival at some point in the future. Some artists that inspire the ladies when it comes to their musical style include Alicia Keys, Keisha Cole, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Giveon, Summer Walker, Jasmine Sullivan, and Rihanna, whom they also admire for her entrepreneurial repute and overall success. The ladies also made a notable mention about their admiration for Destiny’s Child. Although the sensational 1990 group does not inspire their musical style, they do admire them and hope to get to a similar point of prominence in their career. Cette 3 also hopes to collaborate with musicians like Summer Walker, Giveon, Queen Naija, and Beyonce at some point in their careers.
The sisters want the public to see them as a fun girl group that you could vibe to, while simultaneously acknowledging their outstanding uniqueness from other and past girl groups that have risen to prominence. Their aim is to provide a plethora of music that listeners can resonate with, despite their emotions. “You [can be] happy, mad, sad— well I don’t know about mad” Krissy added, emphasizing their point. Meniyah emphasizing that she would like Cette 3 to become a source of inspiration for other people, principally other teens around their age, especially since they are not releasing music that is too inappropriate or explicit!
Though Cette 3 has yet to be faced with hardships thus far, they are actively working towards overcoming an obstacle that has practically been second nature for them. The sisters due argue, which is expected for any group of siblings, and natural for every group. However, they are actively working to get over that hurdle and argue less. Additionally, adding that they are making efforts to be more serious at times because they “play too much”— But it seems that their natural goofy and playful side is what listeners and fans admire the most about Cette 3.
When the multitalented trio was asked to lend some advice to others aspiring to pursue their passions, the following was shared. Krissy says one should stay consistent because inconsistency can cause your fiery passion to die out, and when there is no passion, there is no desire left for you to do what you wanted. Emphasizing that it is also crucial that you are doing something you sincerely love and are not forcing it. Teniyah says one should be patient because results and growth take time and will not appear within the blink of an eye. While Meniyah says you should always stay ready and never give up because many people become easily discouraged when expectations are not met.
Before closing out our lovely discussion with the Houston sisters, the ladies confidently revealed that fans can be expecting more music, performances, and possibly even an album before 2021 wraps up! “We might— we can get an album done this month, but if not, next month,” Krissy assured with complete faith, with Teniyah and Meniyah nodding in agreement.
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You can keep up with Krislyn, Meniyah & Taneeyah and follow their journey as Cette 3 by following them on Instagram @Cette_3 and Subscribe to their YouTube Channe! You can also keep up with XBlaze Magazine via Instagram, Twitter, and our YouTube Channel!
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