FanMail

After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 3, 1995, the group went on a recording hiatus. The suit was eventually settled on November 25, 1996.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/05/business/going-broke-cutting-loose-bankruptcy-has-new-appeal-for-music-groups-chafing.html|title=Going Broke and Cutting Loose; Bankruptcy Has New Appeal for Music Groups Chafing at Their Contracts|last1=Samuels|first1=Anita M.|last2=Henriques|first2=Diana B.|work=The New York Times|date=February 5, 1996|access-date=July 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724030841/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/05/business/going-broke-cutting-loose-bankruptcy-has-new-appeal-for-music-groups-chafing.html|archive-date=July 24, 2020}} Preliminary work on their third studio album was delayed when friction arose between the group and their main producer Dallas Austin, who was at the time dating member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and helped to raise their son Tron. Austin wanted $4.2 million and creative control on the project, resulting in a stand-off between him and the group. TLC eventually entered recording studios in April 1998 to start work on their then-untitled third album with Austin, who returned with a handshake agreement. While he contributed the most to the album and served as the executive producer, they also collaborated with long-term producers Babyface and L.A. Reid, as well as with Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.{{cite web|url=https://www.vibe.com/2013/10/tlc-vibe-cover-story-may-1999|title=TLC VIBE Cover Story (May 1999)|last=DeCurtis|first=Anthony|work=Vibe|date=October 23, 2013|access-date=November 12, 2019}} FanMail was initially scheduled for release on November 10, 1998, but was delayed to the first quarter of 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/501070/tlc-solicit-fan-names-for-cover-art/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302185456/http://www.mtv.com/news/501070/tlc-solicit-fan-names-for-cover-art/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 2, 2020|title=TLC Solicit Fan Names For Cover Art|publisher=MTV News|date=September 8, 1998|access-date=March 2, 2020}}{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35|title=Andrea Martin Trades Pen for Mike on 'Best'; D'Angelo Brews 'Voodoo' Follow-Up|last=Samuels|first=Anita M.|magazine=Billboard|date=October 24, 1998|volume=110|issue=43|page=35|issn=0006-2510|via=Google Books}}

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes wrote and composed eight songs for the album, all of which Austin rejected, stating that they were "inferior".{{cite news|title=Role players: The loud-and-proud survivors of TLC serve as inspiration to young women.|last=Bream|first=Jon|newspaper=Star Tribune|date=November 19, 1999|issn=0895-2825|page=5}} Consequently, Lopes told MTV News in July 1998 that she decided to work on a solo album assisted by Erick Sermon. The album was planned to be released before FanMail, further causing tension among the group.{{cite news|title=Grrr power|last=Verrico|first=Lisa|newspaper=The Times|date=August 21, 1999|issn=0140-0460|page=8}} During an interview with Vibe in 1999, Lopes publicly derided her involvement in TLC, remarking: "I've graduated from this era. I cannot stand 100 percent behind this TLC project and the music that is supposed to represent me. This will be my last interview until I can speak freely about the truth and present myself on my solo project."

During the recording of FanMail, the group were offered many songs that would eventually be recorded by other artists such as 702's "Where My Girls At?" (1999),{{cite web|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/12/09/missy-elliott-songwriters-hall-fame-aaliyah-destinys-child-ciara-timbaland/38692835/|title=Missy Elliott on hits for Aaliyah, Beyoncé and herself|last=Fekadu|first=Mesfin|work=The Detroit News|date=December 9, 2018|access-date=February 29, 2020}} Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel" (1998), and Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" (1998). Thomas stated that the group considered recording each track but were worried that it did not represent them well. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins reiterated Thomas' reasoning in an interview with MTV News, stating that "...Baby One More Time" was not good for them despite appreciating and respecting Spears' decision to record it.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1715769/tlc-britney-spears-baby-one-more-time/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109071716/http://www.mtv.com/news/1715769/tlc-britney-spears-baby-one-more-time/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 9, 2014|title=Why TLC Said 'Hell No' To Britney's '...Baby One More Time'|last=Midgarden|first=Cory|publisher=MTV News|date=October 17, 2013|access-date=August 4, 2017}} Each member received at least one songwriting credit throughout FanMail.

Watkins decided to begin writing poetry to deal with her emotions after being in and out of hospital due to sickle cell disease. She took her collection of poems to Austin, who helped her adapt one into the song "Unpretty", while another was adapted by Babyface into "Dear Lie". While writing and recording "I'm Good at Being Bad" in Minneapolis, Watkins had been inspired by grunge band Nirvana's loud and soft dynamic shifts in their discography, and wanted to create a song in a similar style for TLC. Jam encouraged her to hum the melody while he played the beat in the recording booth, which was unlike her usual process of listening to the beat and writing out the lyrics. She stated that the technique influenced her as a songwriter. She sought to have Lopes rap the pre-chorus herself, but Lopes insisted that Watkins' thicker voice should be used for the track. Watkins also contributed to writing two more songs for the album, co-writing "If They Knew" and "Shout" with Austin and Lopes. Two of the album's tracks, "Come on Down" and "I Miss You So Much", were originally written for Watkins to sing lead. However, she decided that Thomas would be more suited as the lead vocalist after attempting to record them. During the recording of the latter, Thomas was suffering from a sinus infection. She asked to re-record the song the next week despite it being near the album's deadline, but Babyface decided that the vocal take she had recorded would be suitable for the final version. "No Scrubs" was one of the final tracks recorded for the album. It was originally written by Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle, and Briggs for the former two artists to record together as part of the girl group Xscape. However, Austin persuaded Briggs to give the song to TLC as their first single for FanMail, with Thomas singing the lead vocals. Austin further emphasized that it was a breakthrough for her, as he believed that she was more capable than being relegated to a secondary vocalist.

FanMail took on a new, futuristic style, due to the rapid advancement in technology heading into the new millennium such as the Y2K bug and Napster. This was effectively portrayed in the album's most popular song "No Scrubs" along with the music video, which embraces a modern emphasis on female strength and independence.{{cite web |last=Shepherd |first=Julianne Escobedo |date=February 24, 2014 |title="FanMail" Turns 15: Looking Back At TLC's Most Prescient Album |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2014/02/tlc-fanmail-15-year-anniversary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406060613/https://www.complex.com/music/2014/02/tlc-fanmail-15-year-anniversary |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |access-date=February 29, 2020 |work=Complex}} The album contains several tracks featuring vocals by the computer modulated voice Vic-E, a talking android which is reminiscent of the "tour guide" on A Tribe Called Quest's 1993 studio album, Midnight Marauders. Initially, the android was created through the Macintosh's greeting voice as a replacement for Lopes, as she refused to work with the group. However, once she reconciled with them, she approved of the android and decided to include it on the album as a character.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8499567/tlc-fanmail-interview-20th-anniversary-dallas-austin|title=TLC's 'FanMail' Turns 20: A Track-By-Track Retrospective With the Girl Group and Behind-the-Scenes Collaborators|magazine=Billboard|last=Gracie|first=Bianca|date=February 22, 2019|access-date=February 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223013401/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8499567/tlc-fanmail-interview-20th-anniversary-dallas-austin|archive-date=February 23, 2019|url-status=live}}

FanMail is an R&B album, that includes tracks featuring funk, hip hop-inspired dance-pop, and ballads. Several producers were involved in the album's production, including Dallas Austin, Babyface, Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. Throughout 17 tracks, TLC brought up issues of sexuality, insecurities, self-reliance, and vulnerability with resistant messaging. It fused elements of "new jill swing" and sounds created from a Roland TR-808, to form a "cyber-R&B masterpiece".{{cite magazine |last=Exposito |first=Suzy |date=February 23, 2019 |title=Flashback: TLC Release 'FanMail' in 1999 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-tlc-fanmail-1999-no-scrubs-unpretty-798907/ |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205133836/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-tlc-fanmail-1999-no-scrubs-unpretty-798907/ |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |access-date=February 25, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} On the first track "FanMail", Austin used multiple samples from the internet and movies in order to create a "space sound" that "will sound like what the album cover looks like". The background noise consisting of typewriters and printers was incorporated to represent the fan letters and fan mail, while Austin added a sample from an interview with Lopes commenting "all these conflicting fan mail", and created a hook with it.{{cite web|url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/dallas-austin-producing-music-period-372648|title=Dallas Austin: Producing Music, Period|last=Hopkins|first=Mark|website=Mix Online|date=March 1, 2000|access-date=February 29, 2020}} The song consisted of a sneaking bassline, vocal stutters, and glitches similar to that of dial-up Internet. However, in contrast to the album's dominating technological sound, "Unpretty" is an alternative pop song that describes the insecurity caused by body-shaming. The song was inspired by a poem written by Watkins. "Communicate (Interlude)" establishes the connection between the thoughts and feelings of people nearby through technology. The lyrics from the song, "There's over a thousand ways/ To communicate in our world today/ And it's a shame/ That we don't connect" describe the lack of interaction between humans, which in turn has increased the rate of depression among adolescents. It combines the typing of a keyboard in the background with Left Eye's vocals, "will you communicate with me?".

The FanMail cover featured a custom font design, and cover art with decode-able binary code which included images of the TLC members in metallic skin tones.{{cite web |last=Whaley |first=Natelegé |date=February 23, 2019 |title=20 Years Of TLC's 'FanMail': A Futurist Prelude To Digital Era Intimacy |url=https://www.vibe.com/2019/02/tlc-fanmail-anniversary-digital-era-intimacy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226031617/https://www.vibe.com/2019/02/tlc-fanmail-anniversary-digital-era-intimacy |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |access-date=November 12, 2019 |work=Vibe}} The photographer, Dan Levy, shot the silver-painted group members without any digital alterations. Writing for i-D, Annie Lord described the members on the cover as "three digitised{{sic}}, disembodied cyborgs from another dimension", and compared the binary code across their faces to The Matrix.{{cite web |last=Lord |first=Annie |date=February 25, 2019 |title=how tlc's 'fanmail' predicted internet anxiety |url=https://i-d.co/article/how-tlcs-fanmail-predicted-internet-anxiety/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250529143431/https://i-d.co/article/how-tlcs-fanmail-predicted-internet-anxiety/ |archive-date=May 29, 2025 |access-date=February 25, 2021 |work=i-D}} The CD insert folds out to form a large poster featuring a picture of the three TLC members and the names of thousands of people who sent them fan mail throughout their career.{{cite web |last=Zoladz |first=Lindsay |date=May 4, 2012 |title=Refresh: The Lonely Futurism of TLC's FanMail |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/8827-tlc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124112311/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/8827-tlc/ |archive-date=January 24, 2025 |access-date=March 2, 2020 |website=Pitchfork}} A limited edition of the album was released, which had an insert with a lenticular version of the cover placed in front of the original booklet in the jewel case.

The album title is a tribute to TLC's fans after their five-year hiatus. It came from Lopes, who also coined the group's first two album titles Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip and CrazySexyCool, and initially wanted to name the album Fan2See. She stated to the group, "let's write and sing one big fan letter. Let's put fan names on everything – all the singles, the album cover, T-shirts, mugs. Just show our appreciation".

{{More citations needed|section|date=February 2021}}

"FanMail", "Silly Ho", "I'm Good at Being Bad", and "My Life" served as promotional singles for the album. Those songs charted on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

"No Scrubs" was the official lead single and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks, becoming TLC's biggest commercial success in years. It also ranked at number two on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 of 1999.{{cite magazine |date=December 25, 1999 |title=1999 The Year in Music: Hot 100 Singles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=SL680-PA48 |magazine=Billboard |pages=YE48, YE50 |access-date=June 18, 2017}}

Follow-up single "Unpretty" also topped the Billboard Hot 100, spending three weeks at number one and placing at number 20 on the Year-End Hot 100.

Originally, "Shout" was planned to be a single in the United States, while "Dear Lie" would be a single internationally, but only the latter would end up being released as a single with an accompanying music video. It peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.{{Cite magazine |title=TLC Chart History (Hot 100) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/TLC/chart-history/HSI |access-date=2023-02-07 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}

{{See also|FanMail Tour}}

TLC embarked on the FanMail Tour to promote the album. It was their first headlining tour, and their first tour in five years. As part of a sponsorship with MP3.com, the group released "I Need That", with proceeds sent to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. The song was described by the producer Rico Lumpkins as "more R&B than hip-hop". The stage and costumes were all designed by each TLC member.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/517742/tlc-announce-tour-post-new-song-at-mp3com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231074603/http://www.mtv.com/news/517742/tlc-announce-tour-post-new-song-at-mp3com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2016|title=TLC Announce Tour, Post New Song At MP3.Com|last=Whitaker|first=Lang|publisher=MTV News|date=September 27, 1999|access-date=February 25, 2021}} The FanMail Tour became the highest-grossing tour by a girl group, as it grossed over $72.8 million. It was the final tour with all three members together.{{cite web|url=https://www.papermag.com/fanmail-tlc-20th-anniversary-2629819303.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1|title=Do You Remember 'FanMail'?|last=Ting|first=Jasmine|work=Paper|date=February 23, 2019|access-date=February 25, 2021}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/fanmail-mw0000601233|title=FanMail – TLC|website=AllMusic|access-date=January 23, 2020}}

| rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev2score = B−{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/03/05/fan-mail-2/|title=Fan Mail|last=Browne|first=David|author-link=David Browne (journalist)|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=March 5, 1999|access-date=March 13, 2020}}

| rev3 = The Guardian

| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Caroline|title=TLC: FanMail (Arista)|newspaper=The Guardian|date=February 19, 1999}}

| rev4 = Los Angeles Times

| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-21-ca-10039-story.html|title=TLC Takes Care to Adopt Streamlined Approach|last=Weingarten|first=Marc|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 21, 1999|access-date=March 13, 2020}}

| rev5 = Muzik

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|title=TLC: Fan Mail (LaFace/Arista)|last=Farsides|first=Tony|magazine=Muzik|issue=47|page=84|date=April 1999}}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6score = 8/10{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19990126114951reviews.html|title=TLC – Fanmail|last=Morton|first=Roger|work=NME|date=February 26, 1999|access-date=March 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817163152/http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19990126114951reviews.html|archive-date=August 17, 2000 |url-status=dead}}

| rev7 = Q

| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|title=TLC: FanMail|magazine=Q|issue=152|date=May 1999|page=116}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/tlc/albums/album/249574/review/5946705/fanmail|title=TLC: Fanmail|last=Powers|first=Ann|author-link=Ann Powers|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=March 18, 1999|access-date=March 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709024301/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/tlc/albums/album/249574/review/5946705/fanmail|archive-date=July 9, 2008|url-status=dead}}

| rev9 = Spin

| rev9score = 6/10{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ayeEJMF-CZUC&pg=PT10|title=TLC: Fan Mail|last=Clover|first=Joshua|author-link=Joshua Clover|magazine=Spin|volume=15|issue=5|pages=146–147|date=May 1999|via=Google Books}}

| rev10 = USA Today

| rev10score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}{{cite news|title=At once hot and hard-hitting, trio is 'so good at being bad'|last=Jones|first=Steve|newspaper=USA Today|date=February 16, 1999}}

}}

Upon release, FanMail received acclaim from most music critics, many of whom regarded it as TLC's most progressive project to date.{{Cite news |last=Fuamoli |first=Sose |date=June 20, 2019 |title=How TLC changed female representation in 90s R&B |url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/features/crazysexycool-fanmail-tlc-changed-female-representation-90s-rnb/11115376 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250526190431/https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/features/crazysexycool-fanmail-tlc-changed-female-representation-90s-rnb/11115376 |archive-date=May 26, 2025 |access-date=May 23, 2025 |work=Double J |quote=FanMail became another critical success.}}{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Preezy |date=February 23, 2019 |title=7 reasons TLC's 'FanMail' is legendary |url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2019-02-23/100325/7-reasons-tlcs-fanmail-is-legendary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250218125334/https://www.revolt.tv/article/2019-02-23/100325/7-reasons-tlcs-fanmail-is-legendary |archive-date=February 18, 2025 |access-date=May 23, 2025 |work=Revolt |quote=FanMail was acclaimed by critics of all varieties with the album receiving glowing reviews as their most progressive work at the time}} Reviewers also complimented the album's sound and lyrics for addressing complex themes in a catchy, mainstream manner.{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Sharmaine |date=August 6, 2024 |title=TLC’s albums ranked |url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/tlc-albums-ranked |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223134553/https://ratedrnb.com/2019/02/how-tlc-fanmail-pushed-the-envelope/ |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 26, 2025 |work=Revolt}}

Writing for Muzik, Tony Farsides stated that FanMail was "a real grower" in comparison to other albums released during the time. NME writer Roger Morton compared the album's "cyber concept" to Prince's electronic funk discography and opined that TLC were not diminished by other girl groups such as Honeyz, All Saints, and the Spice Girls.

Ann Powers of Rolling Stone opined that elements of FanMail were "fragmented" despite sounding more "sharper [and] aggressive" than CrazySexyCool, but praised the TLC members for taking "brave" risks. Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the group were attempting to imitate the production of CrazySexyCool although he noted the album's versatility. Los Angeles Times staff writer Marc Weingarten negatively stated that the vocals were "wispy [and] flat", and that all members were "severely limited singers". However, he commented that the album's production managed to overpower their vocals with "sinewy beats and startling arrangements".

David Browne of Entertainment Weekly criticized TLC's "startlingly faceless and homogeneous" vocals and opined that FanMail was an "endless parade of hooks" without the essence of R&B. He acknowledged that their vocals were typical of some R&B artists in the 1990s who "warble in the same half-asleep murmur" and lamented that the genre is "curiously dispassionate". Writing for Spin, Joshua Clover stated that the album was "a burning, physical message that looks like a spectacle but reads like sexual politics" and criticized the producers for attempting to resemble Timbaland's production.

{{clear}}

In the United States, FanMail debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts with 318,000 copies sold in its first week, becoming TLC's first number-one album on both charts.{{cite magazine|last=Mayfield|first=Geoff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6A0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA116|title=Between the Bullets: Signed, Sealed, Delivered|magazine=Billboard|volume=111|issue=11|date=March 13, 1999|page=116|issn=0006-2510|via=Google Books}} On June 21, 2000, it was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album had sold 4.8 million copies in the United States as of July 2017;{{cite magazine |last=Horowitz |first=Steven J.|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2017/Billboard-2017-07-01%20%28Double%20Issue%29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128161936/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2017/Billboard-2017-07-01%20%28Double%20Issue%29.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |title=TLC's Fierce Comeback: T-Boz and Chilli on Girl-Group Wokeness, L.A. Reid & Instagram Hustle |magazine=Billboard|date=July 1-14, 2017|page=40|access-date=January 28, 2023}} it had sold an additional 877,000 copies through the BMG Music Club as of February 2003.{{cite web|last=David|first=Barry|title=Shania, Backstreet, Britney, Eminem and Janet Top All-Time Sellers|website=Music Industry News Network|date=February 18, 2003|url=http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=47877|access-date=March 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925173959/http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=47877|archive-date=September 25, 2015}} Internationally, the album reached the top 10 in New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. As of February 2019, FanMail has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.{{cite web |last=Levine |first=Nick C. |date=February 22, 2019 |title=Lessons on self-worth and self-care from TLC's FanMail |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/43433/1/tlc-fanmail-20th-anniversary-retrospective |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250511171639/https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/43433/1/tlc-fanmail-20th-anniversary-retrospective |archive-date=May 11, 2025 |access-date=May 10, 2022 |work=Dazed |quote=a sleek and seductive pop-R&B}}

FanMail marked a return to form for TLC, following a turbulent hiatus from recording music that included a highly publicized period of financial struggles, record label disagreements, and internal conflict among group members. Although it did not replicate the commercial success of CrazySexyCool, FanMail further cemented TLC's status as one of the most influential girl groups of all-time,{{Cite news |last=Hall |first=Jake |date=February 9, 2016 |title=Ten most essential R&B albums of the 90s |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/29699/1/ten-most-essential-rb-albums-of-the-90s |access-date=May 29, 2025 |work=Dazed}} and nevertheless established them as the best-selling female musical act in the United States. According to Preezy Brown of Revolt, its success proved their longevity as the preeminent R&B girl group of the 1990s, "bookend[ing] one of the dominant runs we’ve seen in music over the past quarter-century and stamped TLC as modern-day legends". In a BBC Radio 1 listener poll, FanMail was voted the 17th best album of the 1993-2003 decade.{{Cite news |last=Nelson |first=Trevor |author-link=Trevor Nelson |title=Rhythm Nation Top 50 Albums of the Decade |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/multivote/ |access-date=May 29, 2025 |publisher=BBC Radio 1}}

The album is credited with helping to reshape the sound of R&B upon the turn of the 21st century. Its production, which incorporated futuristic and electronic sounds, influenced the genre's shift towards a more technology-inspired style,{{Cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Jon |date=February 22, 2024 |title=10 Ways TLC Shaped The Future Of R&B |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/tlc-crazysexycool-fanmail-anniversary-legacy-impact |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250514150119/https://www.grammy.com/news/tlc-crazysexycool-fanmail-anniversary-legacy-impact |archive-date=May 14, 2025 |access-date=May 23, 2025 |work=Grammy Awards}} consequently introducing other sub-genres of R&B. Music journalist Suzy Exposito said the album "would serve as a blueprint for a new, digitally-savvy generation of genre-defying musicians". With the album's release, TLC were among the first artists to adopt a soundscape and aesthetic inspired by the country's fascination with and fear of the new millennium, the internet, and Y2K,{{Cite news |last=Brissett |first=Danielle |date=February 23, 2019 |title=How TLC’s ‘Fanmail’ Pushed the Envelope |url=https://ratedrnb.com/2019/02/how-tlc-fanmail-pushed-the-envelope/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223134553/https://ratedrnb.com/2019/02/how-tlc-fanmail-pushed-the-envelope/ |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 26, 2025 |work=Rated R&B}}{{Cite news |last=Lal |first=Kish |date=February 4, 2019 |title=TLC’s ‘FanMail’ Was A Devastating Message From A Lonely Future |url=https://archive.junkee.com/tlc-fanmail-restrospective/191823 |access-date=May 26, 2025 |work=Junkee}} with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Complex declaring them "the most accurately prescient of any of the musicians" who donned metallic outfits. According to Natelegé Whaley of Vibe, it "proved that TLC was more in tune with the future than their pop peers". Rated R&B's Danielle Brissett agreed that it "launched them into a space that most female R&B groups had yet to experience", while allowing them to compete alongside the likes of emerging R&B girl groups such as 702, Blaque, and Destiny’s Child by releasing music that sounded different than theirs. Apple Music said the album maintains relevance despite its retrofuturism, writing, "there isn't a better snapshot of where things were headed around the turn of the millennium".

Music publications have discussed the impact of the album's themes. Apple Music said the project "delivered some of R&B's most timeless empowerment anthems and channeled the future with remarkable prescience". Similarly, Nick C. Levine of Dazed said in 2019 that the album's themes about self-preservation and self-worth continue to resonate. In response, TLC has received an outpouring of support from both established and new fans during and decades after the album's release, who wrote to them sharing their own struggles with body image and other issues. Whaley believes the record's defiance granted women "permission to be vocal about the spectrum of their emotions", particularly via its most popular single, "No Scrubs". In addition to introducing the term "scrub" into the public's lexicon, the song had been sampled on over 37 songs by 2019. A reviewer for Sputnikmusic crowned the album "THE female urban album of our generation to evoke integrity in women, and companionship with their special someone", which they found deserving of TLC's recognition in the history books.{{Cite news |last=JTmusic1995 |first= |date=July 8, 2012 |title=TLC – FanMail |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/50729/TLC-FanMail/ |access-date=May 26, 2025 |work=Sputnikmusic}} In retrospect, some critics have admitted that certain aspects of FanMail sound outdated. However, Kish Lal of Junkee noted that although FanMail may contain dated production elements, its thematic substance and overarching messages remain timeless compared to offerings from other contemporary artists attempting Y2K-inspired pop at the time. Shepherd noted that the "weightless" production that characterized FanMail had fallen out of fashion but already resurged by 2014.

Because of its title and tracks that directly address fans, several reporters have noted that the album positioned TLC as early adopters of digital fan engagement in a pre-social media era,{{Cite news |last=Morgan |first=Glennisha |date=February 22, 2019 |title=TLC’s ‘Fanmail’: A Classic That Was Ahead Of Its Time |url=https://kissfmdetroit.com/2019/02/22/tlcs-fanmail-a-classic-that-was-ahead-of-its-time/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250526190718/https://kissfmdetroit.com/2019/02/22/tlcs-fanmail-a-classic-that-was-ahead-of-its-time/ |archive-date=May 26, 2025 |access-date=May 26, 2025 |work=105.9 Kiss-FM}} with both Chilli and T-Boz frequently interacting with their fans online. Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork reported that because FanMail is often overlooked in favor of its immediate predecessor, CrazySexyCool, fans fail to realize that the album is responsible for "a whole crop of web-minded, Tumblr-savvy, android-obsessed artists". Zoladz argues that FanMail explores the isolating effects of being constantly connected; she sees this theme reflected across contemporary media, from Drake's Take Care (2011) to The Social Network (2010) and Girls (2012-2017), all of which similarly grapple with the emotional toll of digital life. Lal said in 2019 "The disconnect that TLC emanates in FanMail has trickled into the lives of everyone on social media", while i-D's Annie Lord said TLC "predicted internet anxiety". The album has been cited as an influence on the works of female R&B artists in particular, namely Destiny’s Child, SZA, H.E.R., and Summer Walker. In 2019, Brissett credited the album's success with helping launch a Black music movement "that went against the norm" and "has a heavy presence today". FanMail was the final album TLC released comprising their original trio, becoming the last album they recorded with Lopes prior to her death in 2002.{{Cite web |date=1999 |title=FanMail – TLC |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/fanmail/298575243 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226004411/https://music.apple.com/us/album/fanmail/298575243 |archive-date=February 26, 2025 |access-date=May 23, 2025 |website=Apple Music}} Double J contributor Sose Fuamoli said that, even when removed from Lopes's legacy, FanMail's "importance at the end of the 90s is untouchable".

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length =

| title1 = FanMail

| writer1 = Dallas Austin

| extra1 = Cyptron

| length1 = 3:59

| title2 = The Vic-E Interpretation – Interlude

| writer2 = Austin

| extra2 = Cyptron

| length2 = 0:18

| title3 = Silly Ho

| writer3 = Austin

| extra3 = Cyptron

| length3 = 4:15

| title4 = Whispering Playa – Interlude

| writer4 = {{hlist|Austin|Marshall Lorenzo Martin}}

| extra4 = Austin

| length4 = 0:52

| title5 = No Scrubs

| writer5 = {{hlist|Kevin Briggs|Kandi Burruss|Tameka Cottle}}

| extra5 = Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs

| length5 = 3:34

| title6 = I'm Good at Being Bad

| writer6 = {{hlist|James Harris III|Terry Lewis|Tony Tolbert|Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins|Lisa Lopes|Martin|Morris Dickerson|Charles Miller|Sylvester Allen|Harold Brown|Howard Scott|Lee Oskar|Leroy Jordan}}

| extra6 = Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

| length6 = 5:39

| title7 = If They Knew

| writer7 = {{hlist|Austin|Ricciano Lumpkins|Lopes|Martin|Watkins}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Austin|Lumpkins}}

| length7 = 4:04

| title8 = I Miss You So Much

| writer8 = {{hlist|Babyface|Daryl Simmons}}

| extra8 = {{hlist|Babyface|Simmons}}

| length8 = 4:56

| title9 = Unpretty

| writer9 = {{hlist|Austin|Watkins}}

| extra9 = Austin

| length9 = 4:38

| title10 = My Life

| writer10 = {{hlist|Jermaine Dupri|Tamara Savage|Lopes|Martin}}

| extra10 = {{hlist|Dupri|Carl So-Lowe{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length10 = 4:01

| title11 = Shout

| writer11 = {{hlist|Austin|Lopes|Martin|Watkins}}

| extra11 = Austin

| length11 = 3:57

| title12 = Come On Down

| writer12 = Diane Warren

| extra12 = {{hlist|Austin|Debra Killings}}

| length12 = 4:17

| title13 = Dear Lie

| writer13 = {{hlist|Babyface|Watkins}}

| extra13 = Babyface

| length13 = 5:10

| title14 = Communicate – Interlude

| writer14 = Austin

| extra14 = Austin

| length14 = 0:51

| title15 = Lovesick

| writer15 = {{hlist|Austin|Rozonda Thomas}}

| extra15 = Austin

| length15 = 3:52

| title16 = Automatic

| writer16 = Austin

| extra16 = Austin

| length16 = 4:31

| title17 = Don't Pull Out on Me Yet

| writer17 = Austin

| extra17 = {{hlist|Austin|Briggs{{ref|b|[b]}}}}

| length17 = 4:33

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japanese edition bonus track{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/fanmail-japan-mr0001114725 |title=FanMail [Japan] – TLC |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 23, 2020}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title18 = U in Me

| writer18 = Austin

| extra18 = Austin

| length18 = 3:50

}}

• "I Need That" – 3:52
• Released online by TLC exclusively on MP3.com to promote the FanMail Tour. Produced by Rico Lumpkins for PWPX, LLC. Written by R. Lumpkins, L. Lopes, and S. Chunn. Left Eye's rap was later expanded and re-recorded on the track "Gimme Some" from Toni Braxton's album The Heat, as well as being completely reused and shortened on the track "Whoop De Woo" from the compilation Now and Forever: The Hits, originally intended for the group's fourth album 3D.

Notes

• {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies a co-producer
• {{sup|{{note|b|[b]}}}} signifies an additional vocal producer

Sample credits

• "FanMail" contains an excerpt from an MTV interview that features the instrumental of TLC's song "Diggin' on You" in the background.
• "I'm Good at Being Bad" contains elements from "Slippin' into Darkness" by War. The song also originally contained interpolated lyrics from "Love to Love You Baby" by Donna Summer, but the interpolated lyrics were later removed on later pressings of the explicit version.
• On initial pressings of the album, "Whispering Playa – Interlude" contained a sample of "Cold Blooded" by Rick James playing in the background. The sample was removed on subsequent editions, with TLC's song "U in Me" being played in the background instead.
• "Automatic" contains portions from Neil Armstrong's "Moon Landing" speech.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of FanMail.{{cite AV media notes |title=FanMail |type=liner notes |others=TLC |publisher=LaFace Records |year=1999 |id=73008-26055-2}}

{{Div col}}

• Dallas Austin – arrangements {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 15–17)}}; gang vocals {{small|(tracks 3, 11)}}
• T-Boz – background vocals {{small|(tracks 1, 11, 13, 16)}}; gang vocals {{small|(track 3)}}
• Chilli – background vocals {{small|(tracks 1, 5, 8, 11, 16)}}
• Debra Killings – background vocals {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 5, 7–13, 15–17)}}; bass {{small|(tracks 9, 12, 17)}}
• Rick Sheppard – MIDI, sound design {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 9, 11, 15, 17)}}
• Vic-E – speech {{small|(track 2)}}; rap {{small|(track 3)}}
• Leslie Brathwaite – gang vocals {{small|(tracks 3, 11)}}
• Ty Hudson – gang vocals {{small|(tracks 3, 11)}}
• Joi Gilliam – gang vocals {{small|(track 3)}}
• Peach – gang vocals {{small|(track 3)}}
• Sonji – gang vocals {{small|(track 3)}}
• Carolyn Paige – gang vocals {{small|(track 3)}}
• Kevin Wales – gang vocals {{small|(track 3)}}
• "Big" Stan Smith – gang vocals {{small|(track 3)}}
• Papi – playa {{small|(track 4)}}
• Kandi Burruss – background vocals {{small|(track 5)}}
• Tameka "Tiny" Cottle – background vocals {{small|(track 5)}}
• She'kspere – MIDI, sound design {{small|(track 5)}}
• Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – arrangements, all other musical instruments {{small|(track 6)}}
• Mike Scott – guitar {{small|(track 6)}}
• Alex Richbourg – drum programming {{small|(track 6)}}
• Jerry Lumpkins – additional keyboards {{small|(track 7)}}
• Babyface – drum programming, acoustic guitar {{small|(tracks 8, 13)}}; keyboards, electric guitar {{small|(track 13)}}
• Greg Phillinganes – piano {{small|(track 8)}}; Wurlitzer {{small|(track 13)}}
• Michael Thompson – acoustic guitar {{small|(track 8)}}; electric guitar {{small|(track 13)}}
• C.C. Thomas – bass {{small|(track 8)}}
• Necia Bray – background vocals {{small|(track 8)}}
• Tomi Martin – guitar {{small|(tracks 9, 17)}}
• Tom Knight – drums {{small|(track 9)}}
• LaMarquis Jefferson – bass {{small|(track 10)}}
• Marde Johnson – gang vocals {{small|(track 11)}}
• Koko Watkins – gang vocals {{small|(track 11)}}
• Solomon Jackson – gang vocals {{small|(track 11)}}
• James Killings – guitar {{small|(track 12)}}
• Nathan East – bass {{small|(track 13)}}
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion {{small|(track 13)}}
• Colin Wolfe – bass {{small|(track 15)}}
• Melvin M. Jones – trumpet {{small|(track 17)}}
• Gregory Hudspeth – saxophone {{small|(track 17)}}
• Anthony Roberson – trombone {{small|(track 17)}}

{{Div col end}}

{{Div col}}

• Cyptron – production {{small|(tracks 1–3)}}
• Carlton Lynn – recording {{small|(tracks 1–5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17)}}; recording assistance {{small|(tracks 1, 7, 11, 12, 15, 16)}}; mixing {{small|(tracks 2, 4, 14)}}
• Leslie Brathwaite – recording {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 9, 11, 15–17)}}; mixing {{small|(tracks 5, 11, 17)}}
• Jeff Griffin – recording assistance {{small|(tracks 1, 11, 15)}}
• Sejoon Kahng – recording assistance {{small|(tracks 1, 11, 15)}}
• Alvin Speights – mixing {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16)}}
• Vernon J. Mungo – mixing assistance {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 15–17)}}; recording assistance {{small|(track 13)}}; recording {{small|(track 17)}}
• Ty Hudson – recording assistance {{small|(tracks 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 17)}}; mixing assistance {{small|(tracks 14, 17)}}
• Dallas Austin – production {{small|(tracks 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14–17)}}; executive production
• Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs – production {{small|(track 5)}}; additional vocal production {{small|(track 17)}}
• Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – production {{small|(track 6)}}
• Steve Hodge – recording, mixing {{small|(track 6)}}
• Xavier Smith – recording assistance, mixing assistance {{small|(track 6)}}
• Dave Rideau – vocal recording {{small|(track 6)}}
• Gordon Fordyce – vocal recording assistance {{small|(track 6)}}
• Dylan Dresdow – vocal recording assistance {{small|(track 6)}}
• Ricciano Lumpkins – production {{small|(track 7)}}; recording {{small|(tracks 7, 12, 16)}}
• John Horesco IV – mixing assistance {{small|(track 7)}}; digital editing {{small|(track 17)}}
• Babyface – production {{small|(tracks 8, 13)}}; executive production
• Daryl Simmons – production {{small|(track 8)}}
• Paul Boutin – recording {{small|(tracks 8, 13)}}
• Thom "TK" Kidd – lead vocals recording {{small|(track 8)}}
• Kevin Lively – lead vocals recording assistance {{small|(track 8)}}; mixing assistance {{small|(track 10)}}
• Ralph Cacciurri – lead vocals recording assistance {{small|(track 8)}}
• Jon Gass – mixing {{small|(tracks 8, 13)}}
• Ivy Skoff – production coordination {{small|(tracks 8, 13)}}
• Jermaine Dupri – production, mixing {{small|(track 10)}}
• Carl So-Lowe – co-production {{small|(track 10)}}
• Brian Frye – recording {{small|(track 10)}}
• Phil Tan – mixing {{small|(track 10)}}
• Diane Makowski – production coordination {{small|(track 10)}}
• Debra Killings – production {{small|(track 12)}}
• Aman Junaid – recording {{small|(tracks 12, 17)}}
• E'lyk – mixing assistance {{small|(track 13)}}
• Claudine Pontier – recording assistance {{small|(track 15)}}
• Herb Powers Jr. – mastering
• Antonio M. Reid – executive production
• TLC – executive production

{{Div col end}}

• TLC – creative concept
• D.L. Warfield – art direction, design
• Cherie O'Brien – creative coordination
• Nigel Sawyer – layout assistance
• Seb Janiak – photography

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for FanMail}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Platinum|type=album|certyear=1999|access-date=August 8, 2012}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|date=August 27, 1999|access-date=May 26, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=TLC|title=Fanmail|award=Platinum|number=4|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|date=October 19, 1999|access-date=August 8, 2012}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|date=August 17, 1999}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=album|title=FanMail|artist=TLC|nocert=true|salesamount=250,000|relyear=1999|salesref={{cite magazine|last=Spahr|first=Wolfgang|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64|title=Grammy's Two Way Street|magazine=Billboard|volume=112|issue=20|date=May 13, 2000|page=64|issn=0006-2510|via=Google Books}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Million|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=2002|certmonth=11|access-date=July 1, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Netherlands|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=2000|access-date=August 23, 2018}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|id=1999-10-29|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|date=October 31, 1999}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|artist=TLC|title=Fanmail|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|access-date=August 8, 2012}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=TLC|title=Fanmail|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|id=2210-157-2|date=September 9, 1999|access-date=March 15, 2022|salesamount=395,877|salesref={{cite web|url=http://www.uktop40.republika.pl/najlep%20sprzalbumy%20uk%201999.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220040926/http://www.uktop40.republika.pl/najlep%20sprzalbumy%20uk%201999.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 20, 2007 |title=Najlepiej sprzedające się albumy w W.Brytanii w 1999r |language=pl |publisher=Z archiwum...rocka |access-date=28 July 2014 }}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Platinum|number=6|type=album|relyear=1999|certyear=2000|date=June 21, 2000|salesamount=5,677,000|salesref={{efn|As of June 2017, FanMail had sold 4.8 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan, which does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Club,{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046724/ask-billboard |title=Ask Billboard: 'Good' Is Not So Good |magazine=Billboard |date=January 25, 2008 |access-date=May 26, 2019}} where it had sold 877,000 copies as of February 2003. Combined, it has sold over 5,677,000 copies in the US.}}|refname="RIAA"}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Europe|artist=TLC|title=FanMail|award=Platinum|type=album|certyear=1999|access-date=March 2, 2014}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=yes|salesamount=10,000,000|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1999
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 1999

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{TLC (group)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanmail}}

Category:1999 albums

Category:Albums produced by Babyface (musician)

Category:Albums produced by Dallas Austin

Category:Albums produced by Jermaine Dupri

Category:Albums produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Category:Arista Records albums

Category:Grammy Award for Best R&B Album

Category:LaFace Records albums

Category:TLC (group) albums