We had a chance to interview 702 as they are set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut album “No Doubt”. In this interview, Meelah and Misha reflected on their early days, the group’s legacy, and how they continue to honor the late Irish Grinstead. We also talk to the group about their work experience with R&B legends such as Donell Jones, Troy Taylor and Pharrell as these are hits that they are able to tour off today. Lastly we talk to the group about their plans in the future including a solo project from Meelah.
YouKnowIGotSoul: You guys are obviously celebrating 30 years next year — an exciting time for you both. It’s a huge milestone to make it to this point. Meelah, take me back to 30 years ago when you put out that album. What comes to mind with that album and all the success that came with it?
Meelah: A very long time ago. What comes to mind? We were kids. We were fresh out of high school — literally, Misha and I had just graduated.
Misha: I was just going to say that — graduation!
Meelah: Yeah, I think the first album came out in October of 1996, and we graduated in May of that year. So, gosh, all I can say is I’m so grateful to still be able to celebrate. We were babies, and to still be here doing this in Irish’s honor is nothing short of a blessing. We’re just grateful.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Misha, it’s kind of crazy — people don’t realize, or some people might, that 702 actually came out the year before with the Subway record. Subway had that big record with you guys, but their album didn’t do as well as expected. When you came out the next year, did you have that same fear? Like, “Hey, we have a hit record — will it translate into an album?”
Misha: Sure, sure. That’s always a concern. An album is like a baby — you give birth to it, and you want everyone to appreciate your child. You don’t want them saying, “Oh, you’ve got an ugly baby there!” So yeah, you get nervous jitters about whether it’ll be received the way you hope. But we were lucky and blessed. “This Little Game” was a great song to start our career from — and it’s recently had a resurgence.
YouKnowIGotSoul: And I think what’s also cool is that the debut album moved slow at first, then eventually broke through and became what it was. Talk about how it felt to go through that and become an established group afterward.
Meelah: It was fun. We were kids, so for me, it was all new — shooting videos, getting styled by famous stylists, having our makeup and hair done. It felt like playing dress-up. You don’t know what to expect coming into the music business, especially with no one close to you who’s been in it. So, I’d say it was just fun — a really good experience.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Now, before this interview, I reached out to Troy Taylor and Donell Jones to ask what it was like working with you on that album. They both made the same remark — they said, “Let Meelah know we were really hard on her in the studio.” You said it too! Looking back, was there a method to the madness?
Meelah: Yes, for sure. Troy Taylor produced some of our real favorites from the first album — “All I Want,” and some others that weren’t singles but are among our faves. And yes, Troy Taylor was definitely difficult — I say that with love, Mr. Taylor! He pulled me out of my comfort zone and challenged me for sure. And so did Donell Jones. But “Get It Together” is one of our biggest hits. They knew what they were doing. Like Misha said, we were kids — I was just happy to be there. What I thought was great, they pushed me to do even better. So, thanks, guys.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Misha, earlier I was listening to “Word Iz Bond,” and of course Irish sang lead on that one. You were all living out your dreams then, but what was it like being beside your sister and watching her live out hers?
Misha: You know… yeah, I miss that girl. I really miss her. It’s kind of hard now because you look over your shoulder and she’s not next to you. It’s difficult now, but watching her grow into womanhood and seeing her in her element — that was always a passion. It was beautiful. I just wish she were still here.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Rest in peace to Irish. I want to move on to the second album. Meelah, I think an underrated gem in your discography is “You’ll Just Never Know.” I felt like that was one of your strongest vocals. What do you remember about recording that one?
Meelah: Really? Thank you! Sorry, there’s a little club right there, guys — I’m a little distracted. laughs “You’ll Just Never Know” was a beautiful song — very pretty and emotional. I can’t listen to it often, honestly. Not because of a bad experience, but because Irish is in the intro, and if you really listen to what she’s saying, it’s eerie. It’s hard to listen to that one right now. It’s still a favorite, though — we just have to put it aside for a bit until we get through this grief. But it’s interesting that of all songs, that’s the one that stood out to you — we love that. It lets us know you really listen to the songs that weren’t singles. That means you’re a real day one.
YouKnowIGotSoul: There are a lot of great records in the 702 discography. You also worked with The Neptunes during their prime when they had every song on the radio. We’ve seen videos of you recording “Star” with Pharrell, and of course “I Still Love You” is still on every playlist. Talk about that experience — working with Pharrell and Chad in that moment, because that was an amazing time in music.
Misha: Pharrell is a genius. He’s in his element in the studio, and it’s hard to gauge him — he’s different, very unique. But so talented. “I Still Love You” was a record we begged him for. We were like, “Listen, you’re going to give us this record!” laughs
Meelah: Yeah, just like Donell and Troy, Pharrell’s a genius. He knows exactly what he’s doing — a perfectionist. But working with him was fun. It felt like we’d known him forever. He’s very down-to-earth, cool, and chill. He made it fun — not intimidating at all. He was successful back then, but it was before he became the Pharrell — before “Happy” Pharrell. But he was always good energy, always a vibe. We loved working with him and would love to again.
YouKnowIGotSoul: One thing that stood out in that “Star” studio video is you were even figuring out choreography for the video in real time. Those must have been fun moments, just figuring it all out together.
Meelah: Yeah, we kind of did that regularly in the studio.
Misha: Irish a lot — she was the one for that!
YouKnowIGotSoul: Now, fast forward to the present — Meelah, we just featured your new single “All Eyes on Me.” That was exciting because you’ve been on and off with solo music. I think you’ve committed to start releasing more since you’ve got a bunch in the vault. Talk about “All Eyes on Me” and your solo career — we’ve been waiting on that for a while.
Meelah: At this point, it’s just a hobby. I’m grateful I can still put music out at my leisure. I started a project before 702 reunited in 2017, but I put it on hold when I signed with Musiq Soulchild.
Since then, we’ve been touring, and life happened — the world shut down, my mother got sick and passed, and we lost Irish. One thing after another. So, I put music on the back burner because it wasn’t a priority. But I have so much unreleased material, and I was approached to do an Afrobeats project. I wasn’t sure at first, but “All Eyes on Me” was something fun to try with my guy Cyrus — shoutout to Cyrus DeShield from Liberia. He told me, “Sis, you can do it.” So I did, and it turned out cool. We’re creatives — while we’re still here, why not use our gifts?
YouKnowIGotSoul: Misha, the last time we saw you on TV was The Encore.
Misha: Oh, please don’t remind me! laughs
YouKnowIGotSoul: What was cool about that was you were honest — you wanted to get back into music and still had a passion for it. Obviously, that experience was what it was, but do you still want to pursue music now?
Misha: Yeah, but probably on the back side of it. One of my stronger points is writing. If I go back into music, it’ll be in that lane. Maybe every now and then I’ll do a song or two, but for the most part, I’m laid back now. That part of my life — I’m okay with just doing the 702 thing. This is history. But for the future, writing is where I want to be.
Meelah: Misha’s always done a lot of writing. When we were younger, she wrote for a few artists — Jhené Aiko, among others.
Misha: Yeah, and I like it that way. I can tell people what to do and not be in front of the camera. laughs
Meelah: We appreciate you asking about our solo endeavors, though. We’ll always do something to stay afloat. Right now, we’re just grateful to still be touring. 702 is coming up on 30 years, like we said earlier, so we’ll never stop honoring Irish and our legacy.
YouKnowIGotSoul: And I’ve got to ask — 30 years have gone by. You’ve been through the hard parts of the industry. Now you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor — touring, celebrating your work. What’s it like to finally be here?
Misha: It feels good. I make the analogy that we’re like a well-oiled machine now. We know what we’re doing. Even with travel and performing, it’s second nature. The nerves and jitters are gone.
Meelah: It feels good because, like I said, it’s almost like a hobby now. We don’t take it lightly that we’re still here, but at this point it’s second nature. We’re grateful to still be received by fans after all these years.
Misha: And the fans keep showing up — hopefully that continues. Maybe one day we’ll end up back home in Vegas.
Meelah: That would be amazing. Our kids are older now, so we can just do our thing, relax, and vibe. It’s more chill now compared to back then, when there was more pressure to win over fans. We were new artists back then; now we’re legacy artists. So, it’s just about maintaining. The industry’s changed a lot, but we’re happy the music still lives on — that young artists sample us and keep it alive. It’s cool hearing it remixed.
YouKnowIGotSoul: That’s what’s so great — the younger generation acknowledges what you’ve done and celebrates it.
Misha: Yeah, super cool. Little kids still sing our songs and we’re like, “Wait, you’re too young to know about that!” laughs It keeps us going — keeps us working.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Meelah, Misha, that’s all I’ve got for you. Anything you’d like to add?
Meelah: Just that we’re excited to still have your attention — thank you! Go ahead and stream “Where My Girls At”, “Get It Together” — all of it!
Misha: Thank you for supporting us all these years. We appreciate the love, even when we weren’t out there. You all still looked for us and wanted us back. We’ve done it for the fans, and we love you guys.