Photo courtesy of Ruby Helvy
Summerlove, Bryce and Imani are the girls who make up the musical group 3TG.

By Alyse Horn

Starting a music group requires devoting a lot of time and energy to ensure recognition on any level.

Add school work, a social life and extracurricular activities into the mix and the combination can be overwhelming.

But according to Imani Chisom, the effort is worth the results.

“Even though it’s challenging, it helps me be a better person and is pushing me to be who I want to be later in life,” Imani said.

Imani, her sister Bryce Chisom and friend Summer Helvy are the three members of the girl music group 3TG, also known as Three Talented Girlz.

Summer is in 8th grade and attends Schiller Classical Academy, 1018 Peralta St. Bryce is also in 8th grade and attends Obama 6-12. Imani is in 10th grade and also attends Obama, 515 N. Highland Avenue.

The girls decided to start the group in 2011 after the three met at a summer camp. Summer said all of the girls have common interests, but nothing as strong as their passion for music.

The girls draw inspiration from musicians like Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Kendrick Lamar, Mindless Behavior and Janelle Monae. More importantly, their encouragement comes from their families and God.

Most recently, the trio performed the national anthem at the swearing in ceremony for the 138th City Council on January 6. The girls said it was an honor to sing the Star Spangled Banner, but their biggest performance was this past summer when they sang in front of a sold-out Apollo Theater, 253 W 125th St, New York, NY.

The Apollo held a series of Amateur Night shows where contestants could compete to ultimately win $10,000. Out of 300 people, only 30 artists made it to the second round and 3TG was one of them. An even bigger feat, only two of the 30 musicians could be child performances.

Even though the girls didn’t make it into the next round, the experience alone was a reward in itself.

“We hadn’t performed our music in front of such a big crowd before,” Imani said. “It was a sold out show, and it taught us to bring our A game.”

Their hard work has been paying off. The girls are set to be honored at the second annual Be Inspired event that is run by the Girls Coalition of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Heather Mediate from Girl Coalition of SWPA said the event, focusing on girls, is meant to inspire young people, “as well as the people who directly serve, support, or advocate for them by showcasing girls who are doing cool and amazing things.”

The date for the event is to be decided, as there are conflicting events around town, but is expected to be in April or May.

“No one is giving the message we are right now,” Imani said. “We are honest to who we are, and we all have different sounds.”

More information on 3TG can be found on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/3tgthreetalentedgirlz.