Vanilla (band)

Vanilla were a girl band from Barnet, London, England.

Band history

The band members consisted of sisters Frances Potter (born 17 October 1974, London) and Alison Potter (born 29 January 1980, London) plus two friends Alida Swart and Sharon Selby.

They released just two singles for EMI in the late 1990s.

The first single was "No Way No Way", reaching number 14 in the UK Singles Chart in 1997.^[1] It was based on Piero Umiliani's "Mah Nà Mah Nà",^[1] and was featured on several compilations including Now That's What I Call Music!'s thirty-ninth issue and Dancemania's eighth issue both released in 1998.^[2]

The follow-up was "True to Us", which rose to number 36 on the UK Top 40 in 1998.^[1]

Although initially mocked on Channel 4's morning programme The Big Breakfast, the group regularly took part in the show's "Vanilla's Thrillers" feature. They made various appearances at London's Popshow Party events as well.

The song "No Way No Way" won the dubious 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".

After only two years record label EMI released the group from their contract.

The band never released any other singles and quietly disbanded.

1. ^ ^{a b c} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 581. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
2. ^ Discogs, Vanilla (2)