Nineties R&B star, 46, hasn’t aged a day in 27 years since bitter group split and bandmate’s tragic death
WHEN LeMisha Grinstead made her first bid for fame in 1993, she had no idea she would become part of a band that would be cemented in RnB legacy.
Now, over 30 years on, she has barely aged a day and is still performing around the world.
LeMisha, alongside her sisters, twins Irish and Orish, were first put together as a musical group after LeMisha was scouted by comedian/actor, Sinbad.
At the time, she was working around Las Vegas hotel lobbies, building a small and respectable reputation in the party city for her singing skills.
But it was only when she became part of the trio that they truly shot to fame.
Originally called Sweeter Than Sugar, the sisters were mentored by Sinbad before being placed in a music competition.
They were later signed, added a fourth member in Amelia Cruz, and renamed 702 – in honour of Las Vegas’s telephone area code.
In the years that followed, 702 became iconic performers, with empowering female-led tracks including Where My Girls At? And This Lil Game We Play, and selling over four million records worldwide.
Their song Steelo became the theme song of beloved Nickelodeon show, Cousin Skeeter, in 1998.
That same year, they would work with Missy Elliott and Magoo, cracking the UK Top 40 with their song Beep Me 911.
But behind the scenes was slightly less easy, with music execs and the band finding its feet resulting in multiple line-up changes.
This initially included the removal of Orish and Amelia, and the addition of Kameelah Williams and Tiffany Villarrreal, before the band released their first album.
Tiffany would leave the group during the recording of the album in 1996 after just six months. Kameelah would leave in 2001, being replaced by Cree Lemore, but Cree would then leave and Kameelah returned just a year later.
LeMisha also took a break from the band to give birth to her son, Tony Fields II, who is now an American footballer.
In 2005, after three albums together, the band broke up, and largely decided to have careers away from the spotlight.
LeMisha returned to Las Vegas, and became a wedding chapel manager, while her sister Irish became an accountant.
However, LeMisha and her sisters, Irish and Orish, would continue to perform together and release solo material.
Tragically, Orish died in April 2008, aged 27, from autoimmune hepatitis.
The band reformed in 2017, and began touring together for the first time in over 15 years.
However, in December 2022, it was announced Irish would be taking a leave of absence from the group on medical grounds.
In September 2023, Irish died at the age of 43, with LeMisha confirming the news on Instagram, saying her sister was “finally at peace”.
LeMisha continues to perform and commemorate her sisters online.
Alongside Kameelah, LaMisha will be performing on the Queens of RnB tour across the US later this year.
