Leon@TLCArmy
Legendary 90s girl group Eternal have returned to the music scene after a decade long break since their last reunion in 2014.
Easther and Vernie Bennett made the surprise announcement via British tabloid The Mirror on Feb 26, stating that they have found the perfect member to join them by the name of Christel Lakhdar, hailing from France, who said it was a “dream come true” to join the group.
Vernie admits that the addition of Christel will take the group to the “next level”, adding, “Meeting Christel for the first time just felt right. She’s talented, accomplished and has such an amazing personality. She’s also strong vocally, so our harmonies will be taken to the next level. I think our music followers will love her just as much as we do.”
Easther said she was “really looking forward to dipping my toes in again with a few festivals here and there”, adding: “This new era is all about enjoying the moment.”
Christel said of joining Eternal: “I’ve been singing these songs since [I was] a young age and feel like pinching myself as I’m taking it all in.”
Eternal are being co-managed by their former long-term manager and founder, Denis Ingoldsby, and 23 Management.
They enjoyed incredible success after bursting onto the scene in 1993. Debut album ‘Always & Forever‘, released in the November of that year, peaked at No 2 on the UK chart. It sold more than a million copies in the UK and 10 million worldwide.
The girls reached No 1 on the UK singles chart alongside BeBe Winans with “I Wanna Be the Only One” in 1997 and have had 15 UK Top 20 hits between 1993 and 1999, including “Stay”, “I Am Blessed”, “Angel Of Mine” and “Just a Step from Heaven”.
Former member Louise Redknapp has not been a member of the group since 1995, when she embarked on a solo career, and was only a member during the debut album.
Kéllé Bryan was part of the group from the beginning until her exit in 1998. She briefly reunited with the group in 2014 for the hit ITV2 series, “The Big Reunion”. At the time, Kéllé claimed the reunion gave her a sense of closure, and she healed her relationship with Easther and Vernie.
Kéllé is now a regular host on the ITV daytime television talk show, “Loose Women” and had a reoccurring role on “Hollyoaks”.
Easther and Vernie made a surprise appearance on BBC Radio London on April 17, on the “London Nightlife with Jacqueline Shepherd” show. The sisters reveal that BeBe Winans wrote “I Wanna Be The Only One” specifically for Eternal.
“BeBe Winans was one of our favourite gospel singers growing up. So, for us, we were gobsmacked when our management put us together with him, because we didn’t think that it was going to happen”, Easther admits. “He fell in just right. He was like a big brother to be fair. It was amazing to sing with him, and to have him write for us”.
Easther touches on the importance of their success and reaching number one on the charts, something which was a rarity for black artists during the 90s. “It was definitely a surprise [it did so well]. It was almost like when we heard how well we did with “Stay”, we jumped up and start doing the dance routine. Equally, when we heard “I Wanna Be The Only One” was number one and was still doing well, it’s something that every band looks forward to, and what every band works towards. Being a black artist at the time, you know, it’s iconic — not many of us get there. We’re releasing singles all the time, but we never get that number one. So, it’s nice to be able to hold that torch and say, yeah, we did it”.
Vernie goes on to explain why Christel was chosen to be in the group. “She’s amazing. She has got an amazing vocal, gorgeous personality and we just clicked on the first time that we met. She’s French, so the first time that we met was over Zoom. When we got talking we laughed, and she’s into kickboxing, and she was like, ‘when I come over you girls will be put through your paces’, she’s going to put us through our paces and get ready for these gigs so, she’s on it at a fitness level, and she’s just an amazing girl and we’re really pleased to have her on board”.
Easther adds that Christel will be an important addition to Eternal to improve the look and sound of the group. “I think when you’re thinking of harmonies then it makes sense, and then the visuals — the group looks better as a three piece, it just fits better”.
The ladies made a surprise confession and revealed songs that they didn’t like initially but were proved wrong when they became hits. “Definitely the songs. Having great A&R representatives and Denis Ingoldsby made a massive difference finding the songs”, Easther says. “I must say that we were complete tearaways, because some of the songs that came to us we were like, we’re not doing it, that just doesn’t work for me, I don’t like that one — low and behold those were the one’s that became the hits. Songs fit differently for different artists. One of them [that we didn’t like initially] was “Oh Baby I” and “Someday” — and it became a big hit. When it’s properly done and produced, it makes a big difference.”
The big question is, will there be any new Eternal music in the future? “At the moment, it’s like, let’s just dip my toes”, Easther admits. “You’ve taken time out to have kids, your body is moving slow! Decrepit (Laughs). Okay, I’ll speak for myself! This the the way — mandolorian, love that. But yeah, dipping the toes, let’s see what happens. Who knows what the future will bring. What I think is really important is just enjoying it. Enjoying every moment, every gig, every mistake that you make and just laugh at it — it is what it is, so just enjoy the moment”.
When asked about what to expect from the Eternal setlist by Dubai 24 last month, Vernie said, “I think what we’re going to do, because we have so many hits, is we’re going to is have segments, so it goes from one song to the next, so that you can get a feel for some of the songs that we won’t be performing, but you’ll hear them but we won’t be performing them — it was really really tricky to put together the final setlist.
Easther interjects and says, “Do we have a final list? We keep going back and forth. We’re undecided.” Vernie agrees and says, “Yeah, we might swap it at the last minute.”
Christel has continued with her routine kickboxing, which she often highlights to her followers on Instagram whilst she waits for the time with Eternal to launch. Christel said that she will be in London “very soon” to start rehearsals for the upcoming shows, kicking off in Dubai on May 4.
At the time of the announcement on February 29, 2024, Christel took to her social media and said that she was “so thrilled” to join Eternal, adding, “Massive thanks and hugs to Vernie Bennett and Easther Bennett for the warm welcome, you’re amazing”. Christel also thanked Denis Ingoldsby and musician Marshall Music for assisting her with the deal, finishing off with, “Can’t wait to be on stage! See you very soon!:
The current tour dates to see Eternal live this year are as follows:
May 4 Back To The 90s, Dubai
July 6 Superboxx, Rochester Castle
July 20 90s Baby, Manchester
August 4 90s Baby, Newcastle
August 24 Back 2 Festival, Notts
Sept 21 90s Reloaded, Minehead
For the latest updates on Eternal’s tour dates head over to www.eternalofficial.co/
Listen to the full episode of Eternal’s interview with Jacqueline Shepherd on BBC Sounds
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