The OMG Girlz are back after an eight-year hiatus to officially and finally release one of their fan-favorite singles, “Lover Boy.”
The R&B-pop trio, which consists of Zonnique Pullins, 27, Breaunna Womack, 28, and Bahja Rodriguez, 26, is learning to manage their emotions after the unexpected outcome of their case against a toy company they sued for copyright infringement.
Atlanta natives Zonnique and Bahja have been best friends since childhood, but as they formed a music group in 2009, Breaunna was soon brought into the fold from Mobile, Alabama.
Atlanta Black Star caught up with the OMG Girlz to dish on what they’ve been up to since parting ways in 2015, and the recent case against a toy maker they sued for copyright infringement.
The NAACP award-winning girl act had chart-topping singles like “Gucci This (Gucci That)” and “Where the Boys At,” and the breakup anthem, “Boy It’s Over.” They were globally known for their bright and colorful aesthetic, rocking pink, blue, purple, and yellow hair with custom tutus.
“In the beginning, it was very experimental, like, ‘let’s put these pieces together. Let’s bejewel these pieces. And it just kind of came together when we saw how we looked together and how it was very fun,” said Zonnique. “People could identify us with the look. So it was like, ‘OK, more of this.’”
The now 20-something group of ladies got rid of the tutus but they’ve kept most of their signature look, which fans have copied since their 2011 debut. After parting ways, they embarked on their solo careers, which brought more success to each group member.
The ladies continued speaking highly of their “contribution to black girlhood and black womanhood” due to their hair and fashion choices.
“I think when we came out at that time it wasn’t really a lot of like black girls who were wearing like bright color hair, wearing what they wanted to wear because they were trying to fit into like these social norms or what society says we’re supposed to look like,” Bahja explained.
“And I feel like we just kind of opened the floodgates for women and young girls to really wear what they want to wear, wear put colors in their hair, if that’s what they want to do.”
However, their carefully curated look became the topic of many discussions earlier this year after
In Dec. 2020, MGA Entertainment sued the OMG Girlz, Zonnique’s mother, Tameka Tiny Harris, who manages the group, and her husband, rapper T.I., seeking a declaratory judgment that their dolls did not infringe upon the group’s intellectual property rights.
They countersued, seeking up to $100 million for using the trio’s likeness as inspiration for the brand’s popular L.O.L Surprise O.M.G. Dolls line. One, in particular, was called “Major Lady,” which featured physical features that were notably similar to the Xscape singer, whose Instagram alias is “Major Girl.”
The group said they were informed by “Auntie” Tiny, who immediately noticed the close similarities between the dolls and the girls’ likeness.
“She kind of put us on game about it,” said Bahja, who admires Tiny’s “fearlessness” for encouraging the OMG Girlz to address the matter head-on. “I think that she constantly pushes the narrative with us about just fighting for what we believe in and fighting for what we deserve,” she continued.
The toy company was granted a mistrial in late January after lawyers for Tiny, T.I. and the OMG Girlz played for the jury a witness statement saying the dolls are cultural appropriation. The OMG Girlz ultimately lost the case in a second trial in late May.
“From the outcome, I feel like we were all collectively very surprised with how they agreed. And it wasn’t just like one was like all of them agreeing about how they didn’t think like any of them had any similarities to us,” said Breaunna. “And that was kind of mind-blowing because I mean, if you look at it, you could see it, and I mean from the name, from how it looks, how they’re marketed.”
She continued, “When stuff is taken from you or used in ways that you didn’t, ‘OK,’ it’s like for us to have that opportunity was a blessing for us to use our voice to actually have that time.”
Bahja expressed that the “hardest part” during the trial was watching what they felt was their character and accolades being “torn down” in the public eye.
“We didn’t have to have a number one album or a number one single. But I think the culture knows if you see a girl with colored hair or with a tutu they gone say, ‘Oh, she’s like a OMG girl.’ So, I think that was probably the hardest part. But I mean, we’re strong, we’re strong women. We have a strong team behind us.”
But the battle is not over as the manufacturers of OMG Dolls are requesting in a motion filed on June 26 that T.I. and Tiny be ordered to pay their legal fees. They are hoping to have a second shot in court to defend their name and likeness.
The original lineup of the OMG Girlz included Bahja’s younger sister, Lourdes, and Lil Wayne’s Daughter, Reginae Carter — both of whom still support the group as non-members.
The group is currently in the process of preparing to film a music video for their song “Lover Boy,” which was previously only available as a snippet after it was leaked online in 2012. Fans are hoping this will be the start of OMG Girlz releasing new music before the end of the year.
