In Essence is a 5-member Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 R&B group that has had success both in Canada and USA. The groups members, Dru

Dru

Singer, songwriter and dancer, Dru is a Canadian solo artist who grew up in Toronto and has passionately pursued his music career since 1993...

, Pops, Smooth, Que and Touch all met in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 in 1993. On a trip to NYC, In Essence met Funkmaster Flex

Funkmaster Flex

Aston George Taylor, Jr. better known as Funkmaster Flex is an American hip hop DJ, rapper, musician and producer on New York City's Hot 97 radio station and host of the hit MTV show Funk Flex Full Throttle....

 and his manager and in 2001 they were signed to Franchise Entertainment. Shortly thereafter they released a the single "You'll Never Find". The song garnered tremendous exposure in the US and aided in the success of Funkmaster Flex's Mix Tape Vol. 4.
As a result of this exposure and success, In Essence signed a record Deal with Vik Recordings / BMG Canada and released their first album, The Master Plan, in 2003. In April 2004, In Essence won a Juno Award

Juno Award

The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...

 for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year

Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year

The Juno Award for "R&B/Soul Recording of the Year" has been awarded since 1985, as recognition each year for the best rhythm and blues/soul album in Canada.-Best R&B/Soul Recording :*1985 - Liberty Silver, Lost Somewhere Inside Your Love...

. In June of that same year they took home an MMVA Award from MuchMusic

MuchMusic

MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...

 for Best R&B Video Of The Year. The year also saw them win a SOCAN #1 Award for "Friend Of Mine" along with 2 Canadian Radio Music Award

Canadian Radio Music Awards

The Canadian Radio Music Awards are an annual series of awards presented by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters that are part of Canadian Music Week....

 nominations.

Lead singer, Dru

Dru

Singer, songwriter and dancer, Dru is a Canadian solo artist who grew up in Toronto and has passionately pursued his music career since 1993...

, has recently embarked on a successful solo career. He is currently recording his debut album for a Fall 2008 release.