Ilanda
| Ilanda | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Past to Present |
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Vocal harmony, R&B/pop |
| Years active | 1991–2000 |
| Labels | Mushroom, APO |
| Past members |
|
Ilanda were an Australian-based vocal harmony and dance group which formed in 1991 as Past to Present. Initially a four-piece, with Leighton Hema, Frank Laga'aia, Lennie Keller and his brother, Norman Keller. They are all New Zealand-born, though their heritage is Samoan. Past to Present teamed with Peter Andre to feature on his single, "Get Down on It" (February 1996), which peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. When Hema left the group in 1998 they went into hiatus for a year and reconvened as a three-piece under the name, Ilanda, which had three top 40 Australian singles. Their last release was in May 2000.
All four Past to Present members: Leighton Hema, Frank Laga'aia, Lennie Keller and his brother, Norman Keller, were born in New Zealand of Samoan heritage. They grew up together and attended the same church choir. Laga'aia's older brother, Jay, is an Australian-New Zealand actor and singer. The Keller brothers migrated to Melbourne in 1980. In 1991 the quartet formed there, after Hema and Laga'aia had also migrated, as a vocal harmony and dance group. Samoan band, the Katinas, were a major inspiration.
As Past to Present, they signed with Mushroom Records and issued their debut single, "Crazy" (June 1995), which reached the top 50 on both the ARIA Singles Chart and the New Zealand Singles Chart. The track was co-written by the four band members. In the following month they issued an album, Four Noble Truths, which was produced by Ant Dale and Vince Deltito.
In February 1996 they appeared on Peter Andre's cover version of Kool & the Gang's single, "Get Down on It", as featured vocalists. It peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. On the ARIA end of the year charts it peaked in the top 50.
Their next single was a cover version of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" (August 1996), which reached the ARIA Singles Top 50. Their album track "Sexuality", co-written by producers Dale and Deltito with M Stevens, was used on the soundtrack for the TV soap, Home and Away: The Sounds of Summer Bay (1996). A non-album single, "Ready Willing & Able", was issued in August 1997, which reached the top 40 in New Zealand.
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