A former model and hairdresser, Tionne Watkins joined with Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Crystal Jones to form the vocal group Second Nature around the beginning of the 1990s. Subsequent to the involvement of R&B singer Pebbles and her husband, producer L. A. Reid, the group shed Jones, brought dancer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas on board and began to record under the name Tlc Between the band's first release Ooooooooh... on the TlcTip (1992) and its follow up CrazySexyCool (1994), the trio became the most successful girl group in music history - in part due to the appeal of main vocalist Watkin's husky, soulful delivery. Along with this enormous popularity, however, came equally enormous problems, and by the middle of the decade the three young women were weighed down with personal and financial difficulties that threatened to bring Tlcto a messy conclusion.

In the period of silence that followed CrazySexyCool, Watkins started to carve a niche for herself in the acting world, making an appearance on the television sitcom Living Single in 1997 before moving to the big screen to take one of the lead female roles in the 1998 film Belly. Prior to this, the single Touch Myself - recorded for the soundtrack of the action flick Fled and featuring contributions from Missy Elliott and girl group Total - was released with some accompanying controversy. By 1999 Tlchad managed to move forward once again with its third release Fan Mail, but ill will between the three members (directed in particular at Lopes) and its management soon derailed the group a second time. While Lopes and Thomas began work on solo projects, Watkins married rap performer Mack 10 and spent some time starting a family.

The death of Lopes in 2002 brought an end to sessions on the fourth Tlcalbum (released later in the year as 3D) - although apparently not an end to the group, as the surviving members have both publically stated that they will continue as a duo. Watkins has since kept herself busy with numerous business ventures (her production company SHEE Entertainment, a clothing line called Grungy Glamorous, and various development projects), as well as publishing a book of poetry titled Thoughts and working as a spokeperson for the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation.