In Essence

In Essence (occasionally referred to as I.E.) was a five-member Canadian R&B group based in Toronto, Ontario.^[1] Their music has been played both in Canada and the United States. The band was active between 1993 and 2006, and their album The Master Plan was a 2004 Juno Award winner.

The group's members, lead singer Dru,^[2] Pops, Smooth, Que and Touch met in Toronto in 1993. On a trip to New York City, In Essence met Funkmaster Flex and his manager and in 2001 they were signed to Franchise Entertainment.^[3] Shortly thereafter they released the single "You Will Never Find".^[4] The song garnered exposure in the US and was included on Funkmaster Flex's The Mix Tape, Vol. IV.

In Essence signed a record deal with ViK. Recordings / BMG Canada and released their first album, The Master Plan, in 2003.^[3][5] The album included an a capella song, "Who We Are".^[6] In April 2004 In Essence won a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for The Master Plan.^[7][8]

In June 2004 same year they were presented with an MMVA Award by MuchMusic for Best R&B Video Of The Year for Friend of Mine.^[9] That year the group also won a SOCAN #1 Award for the same video^[10] and two Canadian Radio Music Award nominations.

Dru later embarked on a solo career; he released two solo albums, The One in 2008^[2] and On the Brink (2011).

• New Invention (1995)
• The Master Plan (2003)

• In Essence: Discography at AllMusic