From a young age, sisters Lyric, Rose, and Sky Smith sang in the choir of the church located in the basement of their childhood home in Detroit, Michigan. After paying dues at talent contests and backyard parties, they began performing as teens under the name Smith Reflections. The trio caught the eye of Raphael Saadiq when the trio opened for him and his bandmates in Tony! Toni! Toné!, and he signed the sisters to his newly-formed label, Pookie Records. Rechristened as Willie Max, a name chosen in tribute to the trio’s parents, the group’s lone album Bona Fide came out in 1998. The single “Can’t Get Enough” broke into the top 20 on the R&B charts, but the album never found an audience.
