Eternal Minus Louise

Eternal Minus Louise

Finding fame all the way back in 1993, the R&B girl group were considered as one of the most successful groups in the UK at the time. Eventually achieving global success as well, they reached a sales total of more than 10 million records.

Their debut single went into the Top 20 in America, which was not only a big achievement for them, but for any girl group in the early 90’s. This type of success was almost unheard of at the time considering the Spice Girls were yet to release Wannabe.

Sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett went to a club in 1992, meeting Kelle Bryan and Louise Nurding, better known now as Louise Redknapp. After getting together with the universal dream that they wanted to be in a girl group, they were signed to EMI records in 1993, when their career shot up faster than they had been together as a group. It was just that easy!

Not long after, the girls won the Smash Hits “Best Group” award as a result of their first single “Stay”. Their debut album “Always and Forever” was nominated for a Brit Award and sold over a million copies. They later became the first group to have 6 single off their debut album to reach the Top 15 in the UK charts.

Music

The Londoners were a group up until 2000 officially, but their peak was in the earlier stages of their career. Although Louise was no longer a part of Eternal, the remaining 3 released a more R ‘n’ B oriented album in 2005 named Power of a Woman, which included 4 Top 10 singles; “Power of a woman”, “I am Blessed”, “Good Thing”, and “Secrets”.

Their third album in 1997 entitled Before the Rain gave the girls their first ever #1 single with “I wanna be the only one”. Due to bad marketing however, they also released their Greatest Hits album not long after, meaning sales for Before the Rain fell short.

Their Greatest Hits album however enjoyed great success. Not only was it 1997’s ninth best-selling album almost equalling the sales total of Radiohead’s OK Computer, but it was also the only EP to sell over a million copies and not reach #1. The album peaked at #2.

Considering that the girls were only successful for a handful of years, they certainly left their mark and are still played on many radio stations today. But after the first member to leave, Louise, went to pursue other paths, the group slowly slid out of the limelight.

Although rumours have circulated for some time regarding a reunion, with the busy schedule of the ‘celebrity’s’ new lifestyles, it has been deemed highly unlikely from the Bennett sisters. It was reported in 2006 that the girls had made up and were due to appear on a reunion tour with Boyz II Men and En Vogue, but it was apparently cancelled and they have never sang together since.

Life After Eternal

Louise Redknapp

Rumours surround Louise’s departure from the group, but she continues to claim that she left only for her solo career. It was claimed that she was asked to leave by the other members, so they could achieve better success over the pond in the States. These allegations have been denied by all four members. Making success for herself as a solo artist, she has also been made famous for her marriage, her TV presenting skills, and her figure.

Going on to release a number of Top 10 singles including “Light of My Life” and “Naked”, she also sold out two UK arena tours, under her first name only, Louise. The Clothes Show, SMTV Live, and CD UK are amongst some of her well known TV appearances and more recently she volunteered herself for ITV show The Truth About Size 0, where she had to undergo a serious exercise regime and crash diet, in order to drop down to the tiny size in only 30 days.

Named as the sexiest woman of the decade by FHM, Louise Redknapp is now a model and lives with footballer husband, Jamie Redknapp.

Kelle Bryan

Four years after Louise had left, Kelle Bryan followed suit. In 1999, she told The Daily Record that when Louise left, she was frozen out by the sisters, Vernie and Easther Bennett, and was fired by the sisters’ solicitor, apparently by fax.

Although Bryan also made an attempt at a solo career, it didn’t go as smoothly as Louise’s. Her debut album Breakfast In Bed was never commercially released despite her single Higher Than Heaven reaching #14 in the charts. With the lack of media interest, and her diagnosis of the illness Lupus, Bryan decided a solo career wasn’t in the cards and took some time off.

Now a regular campaigner for the awareness of Lupus, which causes the body to attack its own cells, she tested herself out at minor presenting roles, and even decided to take place in the ITV show “Love Island” in 2006 taking the title of runner up.

Back in the spotlight, Kelle decided she wanted to act, and has been in a number of pantomime productions since. Last year, she played Princess Jasmine in Aladdin in Rickmansworth.

The Bennett Sisters

Funnily enough, the two girls who were booted, turned out to be the most successful overall out of Eternals line up. As the founding members of Eternal, the Bennett sisters stuck it out until the very end before calling it quits in 2000 but they never received the stardom they had reached in the early days of Eternal.

Vernie had had enough of the celebrity status, and decide to finish studying law, before settling down with a family. As for Easther though, fame and fortune was still on the agenda.

Desperate for another go at singing, she released a number of singles which were unfortunately not well received. She did provide backing vocals for Girls Aloud’s Stay Another Day, the B-Side single for Sound of the Underground, and a cover of The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face for a Valentines compilation CD in 2003, but there was no media interest in her without the rest of the gang.

By Karen Asbury

Finding fame all the way back in 1993, the R&B girl group were considered as one of the most successful groups in the UK at the time. Eventually achieving global success as well, they reached a sales total of more than 10 million records.

Their debut single went into the Top 20 in America, which was not only a big achievement for them, but for any girl group in the early 90’s. This type of success was almost unheard of at the time considering the Spice Girls were yet to release Wannabe.

Sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett went to a club in 1992, meeting Kelle Bryan and Louise Nurding, better known now as Louise Redknapp. After getting together with the universal dream that they wanted to be in a girl group, they were signed to EMI records in 1993, when their career shot up faster than they had been together as a group. It was just that easy!

Not long after, the girls won the Smash Hits “Best Group” award as a result of their first single “Stay”. Their debut album “Always and Forever” was nominated for a Brit Award and sold over a million copies. They later became the first group to have 6 single off their debut album to reach the Top 15 in the UK charts.

Music

The Londoners were a group up until 2000 officially, but their peak was in the earlier stages of their career. Although Louise was no longer a part of Eternal, the remaining 3 released a more R ‘n’ B oriented album in 2005 named Power of a Woman, which included 4 Top 10 singles; “Power of a woman”, “I am Blessed”, “Good Thing”, and “Secrets”.

Their third album in 1997 entitled Before the Rain gave the girls their first ever #1 single with “I wanna be the only one”. Due to bad marketing however, they also released their Greatest Hits album not long after, meaning sales for Before the Rain fell short.

Their Greatest Hits album however enjoyed great success. Not only was it 1997’s ninth best-selling album almost equalling the sales total of Radiohead’s OK Computer, but it was also the only EP to sell over a million copies and not reach #1. The album peaked at #2.

Considering that the girls were only successful for a handful of years, they certainly left their mark and are still played on many radio stations today. But after the first member to leave, Louise, went to pursue other paths, the group slowly slid out of the limelight.

Although rumours have circulated for some time regarding a reunion, with the busy schedule of the ‘celebrity’s’ new lifestyles, it has been deemed highly unlikely from the Bennett sisters. It was reported in 2006 that the girls had made up and were due to appear on a reunion tour with Boyz II Men and En Vogue, but it was apparently cancelled and they have never sang together since.

Life After Eternal

Louise Redknapp

Rumours surround Louise’s departure from the group, but she continues to claim that she left only for her solo career. It was claimed that she was asked to leave by the other members, so they could achieve better success over the pond in the States. These allegations have been denied by all four members. Making success for herself as a solo artist, she has also been made famous for her marriage, her TV presenting skills, and her figure.

Going on to release a number of Top 10 singles including “Light of My Life” and “Naked”, she also sold out two UK arena tours, under her first name only, Louise. The Clothes Show, SMTV Live, and CD UK are amongst some of her well known TV appearances and more recently she volunteered herself for ITV show The Truth About Size 0, where she had to undergo a serious exercise regime and crash diet, in order to drop down to the tiny size in only 30 days.

Named as the sexiest woman of the decade by FHM, Louise Redknapp is now a model and lives with footballer husband, Jamie Redknapp.

Kelle Bryan

Four years after Louise had left, Kelle Bryan followed suit. In 1999, she told The Daily Record that when Louise left, she was frozen out by the sisters, Vernie and Easther Bennett, and was fired by the sisters’ solicitor, apparently by fax.