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Naturi Naughton-Lewis is being honest about the money (or lack thereof) she made while making music with 3LW.
During Little Engine Media's recent "PLLRS" conversation in Brooklyn, N.Y., the actress-singer sat by her husband, Two Lewis, while she opened up about starting her music career alongside Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams when she was 15. She told the intimate crowd that she was "taken advantage of" and "mistreated" during her time with 3LW.
"I made no money," Naughton-Lewis explained. "I worked my ass off and literally was broke. I had nothing. I could barely buy a car."
"My dad helped me buy my first car, a BMW 325 with the $10,000 I made over four years of being in a group called 3LW," she continued. "After selling 1.6 million records, I had $10,000. I was on financial aid in college. I did all the regular stuff, and people were like, ‘Wait, weren't you just on TRL or 106 & Park?’ The music business broke my heart.”
Naturi Naughton-Lewis was a founding member of the New Jersey-based girl group. She played a role in helping the trio enter the Billboard Hot 100 with their debut single "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)" in 2000. The trio released two studio albums together before Naughton-Lewis left the group in 2002.
The multifaceted actress eventually moved on from the music industry and built a solid career in film/TV after landing breakthrough roles in Notorious and Fame. In 2014, she was cast as "Tasha St. Patrick" in 50 Cent's hit TV show "Power" and its spinoff series. During the conversation, Naughton-Lewis said she worked on the series for 10 years, but never got an opportunity to direct. That's part of the reason why she and her husband launched their production company Take Two Entertainment.
“Starting [Take Two Entertainment] was because she was feeling pigeonholed and trapped," Lewis said.
“I was on 'Power' for six years, and then four years on 'Power Book II: Ghost.' I did 10 years of a show that went on and on, and I begged to direct an episode and never got the opportunity. That felt very hurtful, and it was frustrating. No one trusted me to do one episode. I had taken classes. I was showing people I can do it. I think that was where I felt like, ‘Jesus, I want to be more than just Tasha.'”
Check out more scenes from the "PLLRS" conversation with Naturi Naughton-Lewis and Two Lewis below.