Before 3LW became a platinum-selling girl group, Adrienne Bailon says the trio originally included a name fans might not expect: Mickey Guyton.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Page Six Radio, Bailon revisited the group’s earliest days and shared how the initial lineup came together—and quickly changed.
“The first time I ever went to the studio was in my old manager’s house,” Bailon said. “It was the first time they put me on a mic. And I think it was a song called ‘Only For You.’”
That session didn’t feature the 3LW lineup most people remember. Instead, Bailon says it was she, Kiely Williams, and a teenage Guyton working together before the group officially formed. “Do you know of Mickey Guyton? Mickey Guyton was originally in 3LW,” she said. “That’s who I got the record deal with.”
Bailon broke down how serious that early version of the group actually was, explaining that they secured their deal as a unit. “The first song we ever cut, it was Kiely, Mickey Guyton and myself,” she said. “And we auditioned for Tommy Mottola and we got the record deal, the three of us together.”
She also pointed to Guyton’s presence on that early track, noting that she stood out immediately. “In the song ‘Only For You,’ she’s the one that sang lead,” Bailon said. “I’m like, lowkey Mickey Guyton, and thank you for the record deal.”
Despite that momentum, Guyton chose not to continue with the group. Bailon described the decision as happening late in the process. “At the last minute, Mickey was like, ‘Yeah, I think this isn’t gonna work out,’” she recalled.
Logistics played a role in that choice. Bailon explained that while she could rely on her family to travel between New York and New Jersey, Guyton was facing a very different situation, having come from Texas. “She lived in Texas,” Bailon said. “My parents were driving me back and forth versus she had to fly in and stay and not know the world.”
With Guyton stepping away, the group moved forward and eventually brought in Naturi Naughton. Bailon remembered how quickly that shift happened. “They called the New Jersey Performing Arts Center,” she said. “They were like, ‘Can you send us over some girls?’ … And Naturi ended up joining.”
Even with the early lineup change, Bailon made it clear there’s no bad blood. “Me and Mickey are always—we have kids that are around the same age,” she said. “We both have sons and I adore her and I just, I have always.”