“Unpretty” by TLC

We human beings are such that you can’t always tell how a person is feeling internally by looking at them externally. Sometimes for instance an individual may be hotness on the outside, but inside they feel “unpretty”, as in unattractive. 

Under such circumstances, with this song being specifically catered to women, TLC is putting forth that no type of external beautification can rectify such internal issues. And in the second verse, the vocalist does allude to the idea that ‘feeling unpretty’ would be the result of outside factors, such as most pointedly being in a toxic relationship.

According to TLC’s T-Boz, the lyrics of this song are autobiographical. She revealed that she composed the lyrics during a challenging time in her life.

When did TLC release “Unpretty”?

“Unpretty” came out as the second single from TLC’s “FanMail” album, which is the group’s third studio offering. The song’s official issuance date was on August 10 of 1999.

“Unpretty” is undoubtedly one of TLC’s biggest hits. It stormed the charts in multiple countries, including the US and Iceland where it flew to number 1. This single also peaked at number six in the UK. The track earned a top-ten spot on the official charts of the following nations:

• Canada
• Australia
• The Netherlands
• Switzerland
• New Zealand
• Sweden 

Awards and Accolades

In 2000 this track received two Grammy nominations including “Song of the Year”. It lost that prestigious award to “Smooth“, a song by Santana and Rob Thomas.

“Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” is the other category it was nominated for at the Grammys. And for this category, the award also went to a song by Santana entitled “Maria Maria“.

This single has been certified Platinum in Australia and Sweden. And in the US, it received Gold certification in 1999. In the UK, it currently has a Silver certification.

Credits

“Unpretty” was authored by two songwriters including TLC’s T-Boz. The song’s other author is American songwriter and producer Dallas Austin, who was also responsible for producing it.

Covers

Since its release, several cover versions of the song have been recorded and performed by various musical acts. For example, in 2004 the track was covered by La Musique Populaire, an American pop collective. Australian singer Anthony Callea also released his version of the song in 2016.

TLC’s “FanMail” Album

“FanMail”, which was made public on February 23 of 1999, was promoted by a total of three singles including “Unpretty”. The album’s first single, “No Scrubs“, was issued on February 2 of 1999.  “Dear Lie” is the album’s third and final single, which came out on November 30 of 1999.

This project was issued by record label LaFace Records together with Arista Records.

“FanMail” is one of TLC’s most successful projects. In 2000 it received multiple nominations at the Grammy Awards. At the end of the event, the album took home the award for “Best R&B Album”.

It lost one of its Grammy nominations, “Album of the Year” to Santana’s “Supernatural”.

This project has been certified 6-times Platinum in the US and 4-times Platinum in Canada. It has also received Platinum certifications in the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand.

It topped the Billboard 200 and ranked on the official UK album charts at number 7. In addition, “FanMail” achieved chart success on the album charts of many other countries. For instance, it ranked inside the top-10 in the following nations:

• Canada
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Germany