- Louise Redknapp leaves band Eternal.
- Members refuse LGBTQ+ festival gigs.
- Dispute over trans issues.
Louise Redknapp has withdrawn from a tour with her former bandmates Eternal following allegations that two members refused to perform at LGBTQ festivals and Pride events.
The 1990s successes girl group, which includes Stay and Just A Step From Heaven, would rejoin next year.
However, Easther and Vernie Bennett reportedly declined to perform on certain dates due to objections to trans issues.
As a consequence, Redknapp and the band’s fourth member, Kéllé Bryan, decided to part ways.
“A message was sent to the team organizing the Eternal reunion, stating that neither Vernie nor Easther would perform at Pride events or LGBTQ+ festivals if the reunion went forward,” he said.
The couple believed the trans group was taking over the gay community, which they opposed.
“Louise is a staunch supporter and ally of the LGBTQ+ community, and she and Kéllé informed the duo that they would not collaborate with anyone who held these views; consequently, the reunion as a quartet would not take place.
“The team behind the proposed Eternal reunion, including management, public relations, and tour promoter, are all gay, and neither I nor any member of the team would work with artists who held such views about the transgender community.”
On Saturday, the Mirror was the first to disclose the dispute’s news.
Redknapp then uploaded an image of the Progress Pride flag to her social media accounts. It was titled “Always and Forever” – the first album by Eternal.
Bryan also posted a message on Instagram on Monday, stating that an Eternal reunion tour had been discussed for years, but that “as mothers, the right opportunity and timing” had been “difficult to arrange.”
“My stance and allegiances have always been that I am an advocate for inclusion and equality for all,” she added.
Incredible experiences The group established in 1992, and their debut single Stay achieved near-immediate success the following year.
Always and Forever was the first female group album to sell over a million copies in the UK, and the band went on to have 14 top 15 UK singles and four top 10 albums.
In 1995, Redknapp departed to pursue a solo career. If the 2024 reunion had occurred, it would have been the first time since then that the original lineup had performed together.
The 48-year-old had been posting social media messages of support for her former bandmates as recently as last week.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Stay, she posted an early photo of the band with the caption, “I remember it as if it were yesterday.” The first radio broadcast I heard while sitting at my mother’s kitchen table, missing the cue to press the record button when it aired, to filming the music video in America and so many other incredible memories.”
She continued by praising 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 who has been there from day one, buying every record, attending every show, and being so supportive over the last three decades. “Luv Lou.”
