Louise Redknapp has pulled out of a tour with her former bandmates Eternal, amid allegations that two of the members refused to play LGBTQ festivals and Pride events.
The girl group, who had hits including Stay and Just A Step From Heaven in the 1990s, were due to reunite next year. But sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett allegedly refused to play certain dates, over objections to trans issues.
Both Redknapp and fourth band member Kéllé Bryan walked away as a result. Redknapp's publicist, Simon Jones, confirmed the development in a statement to the BBC.
“A message was sent to the team putting together the Eternal reunion stating that if it was to go ahead, neither Vernie nor Easther would perform at Pride shows or LGBTQ+ festivals,” he said.
“This was because the duo felt that the gay community was being hijacked by the trans community and they do not support this.
“Louise is a huge supporter and ally of the LGBTQ+ community and both herself and Kéllé told the duo they would not work with anyone who held these views, and as such the reunion as a four would not be going ahead.
“The team behind the proposed Eternal reunion are gay including management, PR and tour promoter, and neither myself nor any of the team would work with artists who held such views about the trans community.”
The BBC has contacted Easther and Vernie Bennett for a response to the allegations.
News of the disagreement was first reported by the Mirror on Saturday. Shortly afterwards, Redknapp posted a picture of the Progress Pride flag to her social media feeds. It was captioned “Always and Forever” – the title of Eternal's first album.
The quartet formed in 1992 and had instant almost success with their debut single Stay a year later. Always and Forever was the first album by a girl group to sell more than a million copies in the UK, and the band went on to have 14 top 15 UK hits and four top 10 albums.
Redknapp left in 1995 to pursue a solo career. If the 2024 reunion had taken place, it would have been the first time the original line-up had played together since then.
As recently as last week, the 48-year-old had been posting messages of support for her former bandmates on social media.
Marking the 30th anniversary of Stay, she posted an early photo of the quartet, writing: “I remember it like it was yesterday. The first radio play sat round my mum's kitchen table, missing the cue to hit record when it played, to going to America to shoot the video and so many more incredible memories”.
She went on to praise Easther's vocals on the opening note, adding: “Happy 30th Anniversary to my Eternal girls Kéllé, Easther and Vernie and most importantly THANK YOU to each and every one of you that has been there with us from day one buying every record, coming to every show and being so supportive over the last 30 years. Love Lou.”
— CutC by bbc.com
