Thriii (pronounced "three") is an American girl group that was formed in 2005 by the sisters China Anne McClain, Sierra McClain, and Lauryn McClain. The group was also known as 3mcclaingirls in 2005–2009, McClain Sisters in 2010–2014 and just McClain in 2014–2015.
All three sisters starred in the film Daddy's Little Girls (2007), for which they released the single "Daddy's Girl". They signed with Hollywood Records in 2011 and was the opening act for Big Time Rush on their Better with U Tour in Houston, but left the record label in 2013 without having an album released. In June 2020 the group returned with a new name, Thriii, and released their single "My Sanity".
Early life
Sierra Aylina McClain was born on March 16, 1994,[1] Lauryn McClain was born on January 9, 1997,[2] and China Anne McClain was born on August 25, 1998. All three sisters were born and raised in Decatur, Georgia.[3][4] The sisters grew up watching Disney films and musical classics, and they come from an artistic and musical family.[5] Their father, Michael McClain, is a music producer who produced Solange Knowles' debut album Solo Star (2002).[6] Their mother, Shontell McClain, is a songwriter and former screenwriter.[7] The sisters also have a little brother, Gabriel McClain, who was born on April 17, 2001.[8]
In 2004, the sisters became interested in music when they watched their father write and produce songs. The girls began to write songs, choreograph, and dance. In addition to acting, singing, and dancing, all three sisters can play the guitar, bass, and piano.[9]
Career
2005–2010: 3mcclaingirls
In 2005, the sisters' father had a friend over who was a music executive. The music executive heard the sisters sing and encouraged director Rob Hardy to audition China for his 2005 feature film The Gospel. China was cast as the character Alexis and her sisters were in the supporting cast.[10] The sisters then became serious about a musical career and formed the girl group called the 3mcclaingirls.[9]
They recorded their first song, "Silly Games". The song was produced by their father, Michael McClain, and written by their mother, Shontell McClain.[11] In 2006 China joined the main cast of Tyler Perry's House of Payne as Jazmine Payne and Sierra made guest appearances. In 2007 the group starred in the film Daddy's Little Girls as the James sisters.[9] In 2008 the group recorded the song "Daddy's Girl",[12] inspired by the movie, and released it exclusively on MySpace.[13] In 2008 the group began posting videos on their YouTube channel of themselves singing covers of songs.[14] They also continued pursuing their acting careers separately, making various appearances in films and on television.
2011–2012: McClain Sisters and Hollywood Records
The sisters originally planned to use the name III as their group name, the number representing the three McClain girls in the group, but that idea was scrapped.[15] They instead changed their group name to the McClain Sisters. That same year China landed her own show on the Disney Channel called A.N.T. Farm. On October 11, 2011, the A.N.T. Farm soundtrack was released on which the group released two songs: "Perfect Mistake" and "Electronic Apology".[16] The group had plans to release their debut album with the record label but never did.[15] In December the group performed their version of the song "Jingle Bell Rock" at the 2011 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade.[17][18] In March 2012, the group signed with Hollywood Records.[19][20] On March 4, 2012, they were the opening act in Houston at the Houston Rodeo for Big Time Rush on their Better with U Tour.[21][22]
On March 11, 2012, they performed their new song called "Rise" at the Mall of America.[23] The song was written by the sisters and produced by their father, Michael McClain, and was the lead promotional single for the Disneynature film Chimpanzee. The song was released on March 23, 2012.[24] The music video premiered on March 25, 2012, during an episode of Austin & Ally.[20] It was also a featured song for Disney's Friends for Change.[25] The music video later premiered online on March 26, 2012.[26] On April 9, 2012, McClain performed at the 2012 White House Easter Egg Roll.[27][28]
On November 2, 2012, the McClain Sisters premiered their debut single "Go."[33] Lauryn and Sierra guest starred and performed the song, alongside China, on November 23, 2012, during the episode "chANTs of a Lifetime" for A.N.T. Farm.[34] In November 2012, the group performed at the Hollywood Christmas Parade at Universal CityWalk Hollywood.[35][36]
2013–2015: Leaving Hollywood Records and McClain
On March 5, 2013, the soundtrack album Shake It Up: I Love Dance was released for which the group performed their single "Sharp as a Razor."[37] In December 2013, China announced on Twitter that A.N.T. Farm would be ending after its third season.[38] Shortly after this announcement, the McClain Sisters parted ways with Hollywood Records. After leaving the record label, the group changed their name from the McClain Sisters to simply McClain.[39][40][41] In December 2013, the group performed once again at the Hollywood Christmas Parade at Universal CityWalk Hollywood.[42][43] The group released an official lyric video for their single "He Loves Me" on YouTube on December 14, 2013.[44]
In 2015 the group released the song "Clip My Wings" which was featured in the film The Sparrows: The Nesting and on the film's soundtrack The Sparrows: Now & Then.[64][65][66] In 2015 the group released an Independent song, "Feelin' Like", on their SoundCloud.[67] Thereafter, McClain went on hiatus, during which all three sisters pursued their acting careers.[68]
2020–present: Return from hiatus and Thriii
In June 2020 the group returned from their hiatus, changed their name to Thriii, and released their single "My Sanity".[69] Their first professional performance under the name was in Radio Disney Presents ARDYs Summer Playlist.[70][71]
On October 1, 2021, Thriii released a remix of "Calling All the Monsters" entitled, "Calling All the Monsters (2021 Version) (feat. Messenger)" which was originally performed solo by band member, China in 2012.[72][73] The music video was released on October 8, 2021 on YouTube.[74]
In April 2023, the group was reunited for an episode of 9-1-1 Lone Star, which starred Sierra at the time, playing sisters.[75][76]
Personal lives
In 2014, Lauryn and China created a YouTube channel where they posted singing videos, challenges, tags, and Q&As. Sierra appeared in several of the channel's videos. Their last YouTube video was posted in April 2018 and the channel has since been inactive. As of 2020, the channel has approximately 677,000 subscribers and over 28 million views. They have since renamed the channel Thriii.[77][78]
They are Christians and reside in Atlanta, Georgia, with their family.[79]
