Formed in the mid-90s, The Braids were a shortly-lived dance pop outfit who jumped to fame with their R&B rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Vocalists Zoë Ellis and Caitlin Cornwell both started performing music from a very young age and met while singing at the Interfaith Gospel Choir, where they performed with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Linda Ronstadt, and Tremaine Hawkins. They soon joined the popular Bay Area funk group The Mo’fessionals, with whom they released two albums and played sold-out shows throughout San Francisco. In 1996, with Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins as producer, they made their official debut with a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that was featured on the soundtrack for the comedy High School High. The single reached Number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, Number 42 on the UK charts and made the Top 10 in countries like Belgium, New Zealand, and Sweden. Here We Come, their studio debut, came out in 1998 and spawned the singles “Young Americans” and “The Wind,” both of which ultimately failed to chart. Shortly after, the project disbanded and the pair moved on with their respective careers; Ellis with the jazz duo Zadell and Cornwell as a member of the neo funk act Bop City Pacific.
