UK pop/R&B girl group FLO has been steadily gaining steam on both sides of the pond from their breakout hit “Cardboard Box” and their The Lead EP to viral performances at the Soul Train Music Awards and standalone singles like “Losing You.” In a bid to keep the momentum going and land one of the songs of the summer, the trio has debuted a new collaboration with Missy Elliott titled “Fly Girl.”

Built around a genuinely interesting (a rarity these days) flip of a sample of Missy Elliott’s “Work It,” FLO delivers a “Jumpin’, Jumpin’”-esque hot girl tune for the 2020s. The song is the perfect convergence of the revival of the Y2K aesthetic and current uptempo R&B production courtesy of MNEK. Lyrically, the trio pull from the second verse of Missy’s seminal hit — “If you a fly girl, get your nails done / Get a pedicure, get your hair did” — and update that song’s raunchy feel with an energy that prioritizes independence and self-confidence. “See, you're tellin' me I'm pretty, but it's obvious / I don't need no man to tell me where the party is,” they sing in the song’s incredibly catchy chorus. Missy also delivers a strong rap verse of her own that commences with the original “Work It” sample. It’s a legendary moment that reminds us of just how innovative and important Missy Elliott is to the history of hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. She even references the iconic Halle Berry line from the original song, once again explicitly drawing a throughline from the ‘00s to the ‘20s. FLO and Missy Elliott truly transform the sample into something fresh in the same way that “Immature” and “Not My Job” reference the late ‘90s/early ‘00s sound of Destiny’s Child without buckling under the weight of those influences.

The girls — Renée Downer, Stell Quaresma, and Jorja Douglas — sound as excellent as ever on “Fly Girl.” Their harmonized runs are astoundingly clean, and it truly is refreshing to hear a vocal group that 1) doesn’t (almost) exclusively sing in unison and 2) performs as a unit as opposed to three distinct soloists. “Fly Girl” is the right song at the right moment for FLO; it’s ear-candy, feels current yet familiar, and bridges generational gaps all at the same time. This should be their proper breakout chart hit around the world.

Vote for FLO and Missy Elliott at the 2023 Bulletin Awards.

Score: 78