Chilli from TLC gets emotional as she accepts the Legacy Award at the Variety Power of Women event in New York

Chilli got emotional as she reflected on her rise to fame when she accepted an award at the Variety 2023 Power of Women event in New York on Tuesday.

The singer, 52, who is reportedly considering starting a family with boyfriend Matthew Lawrence, 43, looked sleek in a white jacket dress and silver strappy sandals for the event celebrating female excellence.

Chilli, who found success as a member of the Grammy-winning group TLC, was at the annual event to collect a Legacy Award ahead of the release of the documentary TLC Forever, which will be released in June on Lifetime and A&E networks.

The artist talked about the ups and downs of her career as a member of one of music’s most popular girl bands, saying she’d struggled “as a woman of color,” according to Variety.

“When you’re a woman of color, it’s very hard — it’s a huge struggle,” she told audiences, including late-night talk show host Spike Lee Seth Myers and fellow accolades including author Judy Blume, Kelly Ripa, Rosie Perez, Natasha Lyonne and Michaela Jae Rodriguez.

With recognizable crossover hits such as Waterfalls and Unpretty, the girl group sold more than 85 million records worldwide and won several awards for their music.

The Billboard Award winner recalled a hurtful incident in her speech.

“I’ll always remember when ‘No Scrubs’ came out and it was actually our first number one,” she said.

“I always wanted to be on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine…we didn’t get the cover.

‘I won’t say who [got the cover], it’s okay because he deserved it too, but so do we. The message was “the last time we had someone black on the cover, it didn’t sell very well.”

The Creep singer also described the determination she and her fellow singers needed to chase their dreams.

“I have to say that just because you hear a lot of ‘no’s’ doesn’t mean you don’t have the talent, because you do.”

‘We have always believed in ourselves and each other.’

Struggle: “When you’re a woman of color, it’s very hard — it’s a huge struggle,” she told the audience. “I have to say that just because you hear a lot of ‘no’s’ doesn’t mean you don’t have the talent, because you do”

Sleek: Chilli looked sleek in a white coat dress with a plunging neckline and sparkly silver sandals. Her long dark hair was styled in waves and she accessorized the look with layered necklaces, including a diamond choker

Recognizable: With recognizable crossover hits such as Waterfalls and Unpretty, TLC sold more than 85 million records worldwide and won multiple awards for their music. Pictured here with filmmaker Spike Lee, 62

Awards: Fellow awards at the annual event included Kelly Ripa, Judy Blume, Natasha Lyonne, Rosie Perez, and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez

Chilli also thanked the group’s manager for staying with them after the tragic accident that claimed the life of TLC’s third member, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, who died in a car accident in Honduras in April 2002.

“Bill Diggins believed in us when we were the best in the world,” said an emotional Chilli.

“And when it all happened, losing our sister, and no one believed in us anymore, thinking it was over… he never felt like that.”

TLC is still going strong. Chilli and T-Boz are scheduled to hit the road on June 1 for a tour with Shaggy, En Vogue and Sean Kingston, starting in Alabama and ending in Concord, CA July 9.