The Girlfriends' theme song is one of those TV openers you don’t skip. Smooth, soulful, and stamped with Angie Stone’s unmistakable voice, it set the tone every time Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, and Jill Marie Jones hit the screen.
Now, show creator Mara Brock Akil is letting fans in on how the track came together—and it happened faster than anyone would expect.
At a recent Hollywood Confidential event in Beverly Hills, Akil shared that the late R&B legend walked into the studio, recorded the song, and was gone in less than half an hour.
“Angie Stone came and she did that song in about 15 to 20 minutes,” Akil said, according to People. “Technically, she was in the building for about 30 minutes because she had to get to the airport.”
Producer Camara Kambon led the session, but Akil said Stone hardly needed guidance: “I gave a direction and, a sense of the energy that I wanted to the producer. He then said a few words to Angie and to watch her—a professional—work was amazing. We were done in 15 minutes.”
The quick turnaround didn’t mean the process was stress-free. With a flight to catch and no GPS in those days, Stone needed help finding her way out.
Akil and her husband, Salim, literally drove ahead of her car to get her to the freeway on time. “I found out a couple of days later that she made the flight because there was also no texting,” Akil laughed.
What Stone left behind that day was more than just a theme song—it was a cultural anthem. Two decades later, fans still use her vocals as a backdrop for recreating the iconic Girlfriends opening sequence on social media. Whether it’s TikTok fashion walk-throughs or trip videos with their own crew of girlfriends, the track continues to connect generations.
