Vanilla (band)

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Vanilla
OriginBarnet, London, England
GenresPop, Dance-pop
Years active1996–1998
LabelsEMI
Past membersFrances Potter
Alison Potter
Alida Swart
Sharon Selby

Vanilla were a British pop girl group band formed from Barnet, London, England, founded in 1996.[1]

History[]

The band members were sisters Frances and Alison Potter, Alida Swart and Sharon Selby. They released two singles for EMI in the late 1990s.

The band's first single was "No Way, No Way," released in December 1997 and based on Piero Umiliani's "Mah Nà Mah Nà". The song peaked at number 14 in the UK Singles Chart and number 24 in New Zealand. It was later featured on several compilations, including Now That's What I Call Music! volume 39 and Dancemania 8, both released in 1998. The accompanying music video was filmed at Brockwell Lido in Brixton, South London. The clip won the title of "Worst Music Video Ever" on the 1997 ITV Chart Show end-of-year special and was voted number 26 on Channel 4's "100 Worst Pop Records". The follow-up was "True to Us", released in April 1998, which rose to number 36 in the UK Top 40. Although mocked on Channel 4's morning programme The Big Breakfast, the group regularly took part in the show's "Vanilla's Thrillers" feature, including making a return for Johnny Vaughan and Denise van Outen's final week hosting the show.

While promoting their two singles with EMI, Vanilla made media appearances, including a performance of "No Way, No Way" on Top of the Pops, and performing a spoof version of "True to Us" on Blue Peter. They also obtained a feature on Men & Motors. They embarked on a tour of schools around the UK and were a minor act on the 1998 Disney Channel UK tour. After their contract with EMI ended, Vanilla continued to perform. They made various appearances at London's PopShow Party events where they played a cover of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". Vanilla supported the boyband trio on their first live venue performances. Flava who were formed in 1998, and consisted of Craig H, Spike D and Boyd K, fared even worse.[2] Initially tipped as 1999 Eurovision hopefuls,[3] the band quickly faded into obscurity after the release of their cover version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart".[4]

In 2011, Frances appeared on the identity parade segment in Episode No. 25.8 of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, hosted by James Blunt. In 2014, Swart was interviewed for an article in The Guardian about the pitfalls of having a hit novelty record.[5]

Discography[]

Single title UK NZ
"No Way No Way" 14[6] 24[7]
"True To Us" 36[6]
"Realise" (promo single)
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (unreleased)

References[]

  1. ^ "Were Vanilla really the worst girl "band" in the history of the Universe?". jarvt.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. ^ Glamour. "One hit wonders from the '80s to present day - where are they now?". Glamour UK. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  3. ^ www.bbc.co.uk https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3qGb82yyzj6kQtMBb2P0tr9/eurovision-1999-precious. Retrieved 16 February 2021. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "Cover versions of Total Eclipse of the Heart by Mitoy Yonting | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  5. ^ Robinson, Peter (11 September 2014). "'You become an arse overnight': the pitfalls of having a hit novelty single". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "VANILLA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. ^ "charts.nz - Vanilla [UK] - "No Way, No Way"". charts.nz. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
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