Passion Fruit (band)
| Passion Fruit | |
|---|---|
| Origin |
Madrid, Spain Amsterdam, Netherlands Berlin, Germany |
| Genres | Pop, Europop, Eurodance, bubblegum dance |
| Years active | 1999–2001 |
| Past members |
1st formation Manye "Blade" Thompson Viola "Dawn" Schubbe Carla "Pearl" Sinclair Mario "MC Steve" Zuber 2nd formation Maria Serrano Serrano Nathaly(ie) van het Ende Deborah "Debby" St. Maarten |
Passion Fruit was a Eurodance/bubblegum band. The original members were Blade (Manye Thompson), Dawn (Viola Schubbe), Pearl (Carla Sinclair) and MC Steve (Mario Zuber). The later formation was made up of the trio Nathaly(ie) van het Ende, Maria Serrano Serrano, and Debby (Deborah St. Maarten).
Named after the tropical fruit, Passion Fruit got their start in June 1999 with the Top 10 dance-pop hit "The Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song". The songs "Wonderland", "Sun Fun Baby" and "Bongo Man" followed in 2000 and 2001, all making the Top 40 on the German singles chart.
Established in 1999, Passion Fruit originally consisted of three women and a man who performed the rapping parts. It was this group that performed "The Rigga Ding Dong Song", which was the group's most successful single, reaching the Top 10 in 14 countries, including number 9 in Germany and number 1 in Mexico. The original line-up can be seen in the single's cover sleeve and video.
The four original members were Blade (Manye Thompson), Dawn (Viola Schubbe), Pearl (Carla Sinclair) and MC Steve (Mario Zuber).
Following MC Steve leaving in October 1999 and tensions within the group, record company X-Cell Records decided not to continue with the project. Subsequently, the management team that created the group found a new line-up and a new record company and kept the name Passion Fruit to leverage the success of the first single.
While Marie, Debby and Nathaly sang some vocals, the lead vocals for the songs, including "The Rigga Ding Dong Song", were performed by Cuban-German singer Leticia Pareja-Padron. The trio also posed nude for the October 2001 issue of the German Playboy.
On November 24, 2001, the group was on board Crossair Flight 3597 from Berlin to Zurich when it crashed into a wooded range of hills 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) short of the runway on approach towards Zurich International Airport, near the town of Bassersdorf. Maria Serrano-Serrano and Nathaly van het Ende died along with former La Bouche vocalist Melanie Thornton, who was also on the plane, while Debby St. Maarten survived with serious injuries along with eight other people.
In December 2001, Passion Fruit's management decided to donate all the proceeds from their single "I'm Dreaming of . . . A Winter Wonderland" to the victims and survivors of the crash.
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