Whatever happend to Easther from Eternal

OrdinaryMorningOrdinaryMorning Posts: 2,602
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Who remembers 90's girl band Eternal. Especially lead singer Easther Bennet. A band that went from 4 members, to 3, then to 2. Sadly the duo of Easther and Vernie Bennett didn't work out despite the album that they relesased being the best they did, I guess their name was tarnished in the UK.

What surprised me is that somebody with a voice like Easther's never had a solo career after the band decided to end. I mean, just listen to some of Eternal's songs to see that she had one HELL OF A VOICE. It surprises me that no solo material ever came from her.

I understand that there were rumours that the Bennett sisters were nightmares to work with (allegedly) but somehow when you have real diva's like JLO and Mariah, it does not make sense how Easther never got a record deal.

Anyway, what did happen to her? or Vernie for that matter? They must be in their late 30's/ early 40's these days so I doubt there won't be any solo material from them, although an Eternal reunion might come to light?
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 549
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    Vernie is a lawyer now!

    Don't know what happened to Esther. She wrote some album tracks for Girls Aloud back in 2005-ish time
  • dreamfishdreamfish Posts: 1,527
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    She did a track with Aswad called Shy Guy (a cover of Diana King). Vernie is on twitter - I remember reading some tweets recently and she was on a photoshoot.

    I was playing Eternal's GH in my car this morning strangely enough and thinking this very question :)

    Maybe they made enough off the back of Eternal and just settled down. I completely forgot Esther married Shane from Boyzone too ha.
  • gpkgpk Posts: 10,206
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    i really liked eternal. especially the first album. i think with the arrival of the spice girls and all saints. eternal kind of faded into the background. the departure of kelle was the final straw to be honest. apparently the sisters sacked her via a fax machine message! it was obvious that the sisters were very talented. however, i don't think the british public liked them as people. especially after that incident.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,179
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    That's the sort of thread that would always prompt to get back onto memory lane:D - Had to find some info after reading the posts and it seems, from her last tweets, that Vernie is doing some songwriting. she wrote songs for Mica Paris apparently for her new album.
    On another note, I was never a real fan of Eternal. really liked their image and their harmonies but just couldn't get into their music for some reason. Saying that, 'Save Our Love' and 'I wanna Be The Only One' must be my only favorites of them.:)
  • amo1980amo1980 Posts: 803
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    Its funny that back then the sisters were gettin bad press for their 'diva ways'... today theyd be seen as ambitious and ruthless... just the kinda band that simon cowell would be inviting onto the xfactor!!! (he loves a diva!)

    loved eternal, easther is still one of my fave singers ever... her version of 'first time...' might even beat leona for me!!!

    maybe she should consider xfactor... i assume theres no disqualification for previous music career? just if they have a current management / record deal??? she'd certainly wipe the floor with the overs this year :-D
  • bbclassicsbbclassics Posts: 7,806
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    I love Eternal, Easther had a fantastic voice. The last I head was she did backing vocals for Girls Aloud at some point. Should be the other way around, she could outsing any of them any day! Sad.
  • gpkgpk Posts: 10,206
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    bbclassics wrote: »
    I love Eternal, Easther had a fantastic voice. The last I head was she did backing vocals for Girls Aloud at some point. Should be the other way around, she could outsing any of them any day! Sad.

    i have heard this being banded about a lot and along with rumours that she wrote songs for them. i have never seen her name credited as a songwriter on any of their songs. although, i maybe wrong. also, as far as i am aware she did backing vocals on `sound of the underground and that is it!

    of course easther could literally sing girls aloud off any record. however, lets not forget there is more to being a pop star than just having killer vocals. hence the reason why girls aloud continued to have chart success 7 years after their début. whereas eternal were pretty much a non entity after 4 years of hits.
  • umr3000umr3000 Posts: 1,942
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    Eternal were one of my most favourite groups whilst growing up... I still own a copy of their Greatest Hits which I must say still stands the test of time 10 years on.

    They had it all in regards to music, talent, style, looks etc... it's just a shame that after the split we never really got to hear from them again. Easther in particular was a smashing vocalist, just goes to show that sometimes it's not all about the talent.
  • amo1980amo1980 Posts: 803
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    gpk wrote: »
    i have heard this being banded about a lot and along with rumours that she wrote songs for them. i have never seen her name credited as a songwriter on any of their songs. although, i maybe wrong. also, as far as i am aware she did backing vocals on `sound of the underground and that is it!

    of course easther could literally sing girls aloud off any record. however, lets not forget there is more to being a pop star than just having killer vocals. hence the reason why girls aloud continued to have chart success 7 years after their début. whereas eternal were pretty much a non entity after 4 years of hits.

    to be fair, eternals success... as short as it was in comparison was a bit more spectacular (IMO)... bigger albums sales... more success around the world... first female group to sell a million in the UK etc... always thought they should get more credit when UK girl groups are mentioned...

    also... i thought it was backing vocals on GA version of 'stay another day'... and i heard that was only because easther had recorded a full version, and GA used the track, and just added vocals over the top??? :-)
  • gpkgpk Posts: 10,206
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    amo1980 wrote: »
    to be fair, eternals success... as short as it was in comparison was a bit more spectacular (IMO)... bigger albums sales... more success around the world... first female group to sell a million in the UK etc... always thought they should get more credit when UK girl groups are mentioned...

    also... i thought it was backing vocals on GA version of 'stay another day'... and i heard that was only because easther had recorded a full version, and GA used the track, and just added vocals over the top??? :-)

    your right, i have checked.
  • PheebShirlPheebShirl Posts: 1,140
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    gpk wrote: »
    i have heard this being banded about a lot and along with rumours that she wrote songs for them. i have never seen her name credited as a songwriter on any of their songs. although, i maybe wrong. also, as far as i am aware she did backing vocals on `sound of the underground and that is it!

    of course easther could literally sing girls aloud off any record. however, lets not forget there is more to being a pop star than just having killer vocals. hence the reason why girls aloud continued to have chart success 7 years after their début. whereas eternal were pretty much a non entity after 4 years of hits.

    I loved Eternal and still listen to their greatest hits. Esther really did have a great voice. Of what I remember, Esther did some backing vocals on "Stay another day", which was a cover of the East 17 song on the B-side of Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground".

    I think Eternal's success wained for a number of reasons:
    (a) the continuing sacking of members turned fans away (also see Sugababes).
    (b) they were unlucky that around that period a lot of girl bands became successful (Spice Girls, All Saints, B*witched, Honeyz), which led to them being overshadowed. When the Spice Girls and All Saints were at their most popular no one could touch them.
    (c) Their soulful sound was not as popular as the poppy style of some of the other girl bands around at the time.
    (d) They were not tabloid friendly, unlike the Spice Girls and All Saints and later Girls Aloud. I think very few people could name any of the members in Eternal other than Louise.

    I think bands like Girls Aloud, Spice Girls .etc. were so successful because they arrived at the right times. Spice Girls arrived just as girl bands were becomming popular and strong females were all the rage. Girls Aloud were lucky that they were formed when a lot of popular girl bands were splitting or had already split (Atomic Kitten, Spice Girls, All Saints) or starting to lose popularity (Sugababes - originally they were more popular, but Girls Aloud seemed to become more popular as the babes popularity decreased). In contrast I think Eternal arrived at the wrong time, which has led to them being very underrated, though Louise is still seen on TV occasionally.
  • amo1980amo1980 Posts: 803
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    think cheryl may have been an eternal fan back then too... she had one of the xfactor girls sing 'oh baby i' at judges houses one year... not that we actually got to hear much of it, i remember that girl fallin apart and forgettin the words! :-(

    awww... oh baby i... loved that... ok, im sooo in eternal mood tonight... xfactor then eternal on itunes for me tonight :-)
  • gpkgpk Posts: 10,206
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    PheebShirl wrote: »
    I loved Eternal and still listen to their greatest hits. Esther really did have a great voice. Of what I remember, Esther did some backing vocals on "Stay another day", which was a cover of the East 17 song on the B-side of Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground".

    I think Eternal's success wained for a number of reasons:
    (a) the continuing sacking of members turned fans away (also see Sugababes).
    (b) they were unlucky that around that period a lot of girl bands became successful (Spice Girls, All Saints, B*witched, Honeyz), which led to them being overshadowed. When the Spice Girls and All Saints were at their most popular no one could touch them.
    (c) Their soulful sound was not as popular as the poppy style of some of the other girl bands around at the time.
    (d) They were not tabloid friendly, unlike the Spice Girls and All Saints and later Girls Aloud. I think very few people could name any of the members in Eternal other than Louise.

    I think bands like Girls Aloud, Spice Girls .etc. were so successful because they arrived at the right times. Spice Girls arrived just as girl bands were becomming popular and strong females were all the rage. Girls Aloud were lucky that they were formed when a lot of popular girl bands were splitting or had already split (Atomic Kitten, Spice Girls, All Saints) or starting to lose popularity (Sugababes - originally they were more popular, but Girls Aloud seemed to become more popular as the babes popularity decreased). In contrast I think Eternal arrived at the wrong time, which has led to them being very underrated, though Louise is still seen on TV occasionally.

    you have given four valid reasons for the groups ultimate demise and then try to pass it off as bad timing? :confused:
    i think personally it is also to do with the music. eternal had many radio friendly hit singles. however, they peaked in terms of making a passable album with the first record.

    whereas the spice girls managed to make 2 great pop albums and girls aloud consistently released strong pop material. of course it is all a matter of taste and there were strong production teams behind the scenes making this music happen.
  • amo1980amo1980 Posts: 803
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    gpk wrote: »
    you have given four valid reasons for the groups ultimate demise and then try to pass it off as bad timing? :confused:
    i think personally it is also to do with the music. eternal had many radio friendly hit singles. however, they peaked in terms of making a passable album with the first record.

    whereas the spice girls managed to make 2 great pop albums and girls aloud consistently released strong pop material. of course it is all a matter of taste and there were strong production teams behind the scenes making this music happen.

    I was (still am) a huge eternal fan, but agree that as far as a full album goes, 'Always and Forever' was in a league above anything else they released...

    I think they changed their style (went poppier with POAW and BTR) too quickly... then finally seemed to return to a more believable sound with 'Eternal', when it was too late! Would have been interesting to see how they would have fared if they had stayed a bit edgier in the mid 90's!!!
  • gpkgpk Posts: 10,206
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    amo1980 wrote: »
    I was (still am) a huge eternal fan, but agree that as far as a full album goes, 'Always and Forever' was in a league above anything else they released...

    I think they changed their style (went poppier with POAW and BTR) too quickly... then finally seemed to return to a more believable sound with 'Eternal', when it was too late! Would have been interesting to see how they would have fared if they had stayed a bit edgier in the mid 90's!!!

    don't get me wrong i loved eternal and easther`s voice was incredible. they definitely paved the way for future girl bands. based on talent, they were hard to beat. however, for me they peaked early in terms of making a great album with `always and forever` being their best by far. i have all the albums somewhere and the greatest hits really is very good. :)
  • PheebShirlPheebShirl Posts: 1,140
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    gpk wrote: »
    you have given four valid reasons for the groups ultimate demise and then try to pass it off as bad timing? :confused:
    i think personally it is also to do with the music. eternal had many radio friendly hit singles. however, they peaked in terms of making a passable album with the first record.

    whereas the spice girls managed to make 2 great pop albums and girls aloud consistently released strong pop material. of course it is all a matter of taste and there were strong production teams behind the scenes making this music happen.

    Reading back on the second half of my post I realise I was contradicting myself. I was not trying to make out that the Spice Girls and Girls Aloud were only successful because of timing (though I am aware that the poor wording of my post made it look like this). I am a big fan of both bands, though I do think that timing was on both bands sides, as it needs to be with all successful music artists. I agree with you that a lot of material on Eternal's second album was not as strong as that on their first album, combined with the previous reasons I gave, this made it difficult for them to compete with the other girl bands around at the time.

    I do think that it is a shame that Eternal's most famous song "I wanna be the only one" is, in my opinion, one of their weakest. With "Someday" the only single I dislike more than this song.
  • gpkgpk Posts: 10,206
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    PheebShirl wrote: »
    Reading back on the second half of my post I realise I was contradicting myself. I was not trying to make out that the Spice Girls and Girls Aloud were only successful because of timing (though I am aware that the poor wording of my post made it look like this). I am a big fan of both bands, though I do think that timing was on both bands sides, as it needs to be with all successful music artists. I agree with you that a lot of material on Eternal's second album was not as strong as that on their first album, combined with the previous reasons I gave, this made it difficult for them to compete with the other girl bands around at the time.

    I do think that it is a shame that Eternal's most famous song "I wanna be the only one" is, in my opinion, one of their weakest. With "Someday" the only single I dislike more than this song.

    for what ever reason it connected with the uk record buying public. the spice effect may have played a part there, girl power was in full swing by then. i would not say it was my favourite by a long way. however, i am glad they got a #1! :)
  • amo1980amo1980 Posts: 803
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    gpk wrote: »
    don't get me wrong i loved eternal and easther`s voice was incredible. they definitely paved the way for future girl bands. based on talent, they were hard to beat. however, for me they peaked early in terms of making a great album with `always and forever` being their best by far. i have all the albums somewhere and the greatest hits really is very good. :)

    totally agree :D
  • OrdinaryMorningOrdinaryMorning Posts: 2,602
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    Wow, I hope they make a comeback soon.
  • mangobuttermangobutter Posts: 910
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    I heard they are reforming, my fav song from them was I wanna be the only one.
  • MaksonMakson Posts: 30,447
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    Say it's not too late, I know there's time enough
  • VoodooChicVoodooChic Posts: 9,863
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    They're on the 2nd series of The Big Reunion sans Louise
  • Ally_BowieAlly_Bowie Posts: 618
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    To those mentioning the songwriting/backing vox on GAs albums, it wasnt them it was for GA rejects CLEAs 2nd album trinity she co wrote a few tracks and did backing vocals on a track called The Lie, if you listen closely you can hear her faintly at the end of the chorus, i have the album on cd and shes credited there
  • OrdinaryMorningOrdinaryMorning Posts: 2,602
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    I can't wait to see the Bennett sisters reunite with Kelle Bryan for the Big Reuion. I just hope it's a success.
  • Molly BloomMolly Bloom Posts: 2,318
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    VoodooChic wrote: »
    They're on the 2nd series of The Big Reunion sans Louise

    Personally I'm really disappointed about this. They were one former group I thought would never sell-out in this way. They were far too good to end up on a tacky programme like the Big Reunion.
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