Cappella (band)
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Cappella is an Italian
Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...
music group formed in 1987 by producer
Gianfranco Bortolotti Gianfranco Bortolotti (; born 2 May 1959) is an Italian electronic music producer and manager of Media Records and Media Studio. He was a member of Cappella, and 49ers who had several hits, and Fits of Gloom, who had a UK No. 47 hit with "Heave ...
. The act went through a number of line-up changes over the years but was most successful in the early 1990s when it was fronted by British performers Kelly Overett and Rodney Bishop. Their biggest hit was "
U Got 2 Let the Music "U Got 2 Let the Music" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Cappella, released in 1993 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' U Got 2 Know'' (1994). The track samples "Sounds Like a Melody" by German musical group Alphaville ...
", which reached No. 2 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in 1993.


Background

The name Cappella was first used in 1987. In the beginning, they were a
Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...
influenced
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
act with producer Gianfranco Bortolotti of Media Records leading the group, with significant contributions from fellow producers Stefano Lanzini, Diego Leoni and Pieradis Rossini. In 1988, the act debuted on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
with the song "Bauhaus (Push the Beat)", and the following year with "Helyom Halib" which peaked at number 11. At the time, the act was fronted by model Ettore Foresti, who served as the face of the group, but did not perform any of the vocals. Three years later, Cappella scored another UK top 30 hit with " Take Me Away", which sampled
Loleatta Holloway Loleatta Holloway (, ; November 5, 1946 – March 21, 2011) was an American singer known for disco songs such as "Hit and Run" and "Love Sensation". In December 2016, ''Billboard'' named her the 95th most successful dance artist of all time. Acco ...
's "Love Sensation" – the same track that had been sampled on the number 1 hit "
Ride On Time Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a 1998 comedy by Millicent ...
" by fellow Italian house act
Black Box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...
in 1989. It was not until 1993 when Cappella really began to gain momentum. "U Got 2 Know" was based on the distinctive riff of
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...
' "
Happy House "Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor, then later included on the band's third album, ''Kaleid ...
". Vocalist Anna Ross and rapper MC Fixx It (Ricardo Overman) were chosen by Gianfranco for live performances. The song reached number 6 in the UK. Afterwards, two permanent members were drafted in to front the act: rapper Rodney Bishop from
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and ex- SL2 dancer Kelly Overett from
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
. "
U Got 2 Let the Music "U Got 2 Let the Music" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Cappella, released in 1993 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' U Got 2 Know'' (1994). The track samples "Sounds Like a Melody" by German musical group Alphaville ...
" (which sampled Alphaville's "
Sounds Like a Melody "Sounds Like a Melody" is a song by the German group Alphaville, from the group's debut album '' Forever Young''. The single was released in 1984. The song was a big success in continental Europe and South Africa, reaching the Top 10; it toppe ...
") was released in October 1993 and climbed to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, held off from the top spot only by
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...
's "
I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" is a song written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by American rock singer Meat Loaf featuring Lorraine Crosby. The song was released in August 1993 as the first single from his sixth album, '' Bat O ...
". "U Got 2 Know" would later be remade and updated by
Tomcraft Thomas Brückner (born 12 June 1975), known by his stage name Tomcraft, is a German DJ and producer. He specializes in progressive house and progressive trance music and is better known for having created the tracks "Loneliness" and "Prosac", w ...
in 2013. Further hits followed: "Move On Baby" reached number 7 in February 1994, "U & Me" peaked at number 10 in June, and "Move It Up" ended the ''U Got 2 Know'' album project with a number 16 hit in October. At the end of the year, Overett left the group. It later emerged that she had not actually performed on any of the records. Though she occasionally performed and sang live, like "Move On Baby" live on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' and during a telecast of M6's Dance Machine concert in 1994 in which she did perform "U & Me" live despite a playback in the background. As for the real voices that were actually used, "U Got 2 Know" included
Xaviera Gold Xaviera Gold is a female African American dance music singer who is a former DJ and mixer on Chicago's WBMX-FM. In 1987, she had a hit with Ralphi Rosario on the song " You Used to Hold Me" under the name Xavier Gold (without the 'a' at the en ...
's vocals from " You Used To Hold Me", "U Got 2 Let the Music" sampled a vocal from JM Silk's track "Let The Music Take Control", and the vocals for "U & Me" were sampled from a song by Vicki Shepard. "Move On Baby" and "Don't Be Proud" were sung by a session singer Eileina Dennis. The hit "Move It Up" was also sung by a session singer now known to be Jackie Rawe. Rap vocals were later confirmed to be performed by former member MC Fixx It. Overett later established a singing career by releasing a single called "Follow Your Heart" in 1995 under the name "Kelly O", although it was her only solo single. In May 1995, Cappella returned with new vocalist Allison Jordan. Before joining Cappella, she had scored a number 23 hit in the UK Official Top 40 with " The Boy From New York City". Rodney Bishop was also replaced by Patrick Osborne, but returned to the group before long. Before Bishop returned to Cappella, he released two solo singles under the name 'Bishop' titled "Addicted" and "Lift Me Up". The comeback single "
Tell Me the Way "Tell Me the Way" is a song by Italian musical group Cappella, released in July 1995 as the first single from their third studio album, ''War in Heaven'' (1996). It features new singer Alison Jordan, who replaced Kelly Overett after she left the ...
" reached number 17 in the UK in September 1995 and was followed by the album ''War In Heaven'', which featured contributions from
Mauro Picotto Mauro Picotto (born December 25, 1966) is an Italian electronic music producer and DJ, and previously a member of the Italian Euro house group "R.A.F.". He became well known as a solo artist with songs including "Komodo (Save a Soul)", "Pulsa ...
. According to rumors, War in Heaven was almost completely recorded before Overett and Bishop were no longer part of the group. The rap performance on this album consists of mostly samples, but also once again features rap performances by MC Fixx It. The majority of the vocals on this album are from Jordan, however vocals on a few tracks were shared with Katherine Ellis, and some tracks on the album featured Ellis as the sole vocalist. On 25 February 1998, Cappella released their fourth eponymously titled album. The album was supported by three singles, titled "Be My Baby", "U Tore My World Apart", and "Throwin' Away". It is now known that the lead vocals on the album were performed by British vocalist Lorna Bannon. The rap vocals were performed by Italian producer and remixer Tiziano Pagani. After the singles charted less than expected, the band decided to go on tour and promote the new album in Japan later in the same year. Once their Japanese tour was finished, Bishop left the group, and Cappella continued as a solo act with just Jordan for a brief time. Cappella released the single "U R the Power of Love" in September 1998, and shortly afterwards, Cappella disbanded and resorted to releasing remixes of previous hits. In 2004, the act – now once again faceless, released a brand new trance track called "Angel" which failed to chart. The song features an unknown vocalist with rap samples from MC Fixx It directly from Anticappella's "Move Your Body". A
greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
CD/DVD was released in August 2005. In 2013, the band returned with the original producer
Gianfranco Bortolotti Gianfranco Bortolotti (; born 2 May 1959) is an Italian electronic music producer and manager of Media Records and Media Studio. He was a member of Cappella, and 49ers who had several hits, and Fits of Gloom, who had a UK No. 47 hit with "Heave ...
and new members, a married couple: Lis Birks as a vocalist and Marcus Birks as a rapper. The couple used to perform under the name of The Cameleonz. Marcus Birks died on 27 August 2021 from
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. He had been a Covid denialist and spoke with the BBC in August 2021:
"If you haven't been ill, you don't think you're going to get ill, so you listen to the nti-vaccinestuff. When you feel like you can't get enough breath, it's the scariest feeling in the world. "First thing I am going tell all my family to do is get the vaccine and anybody I see, and as soon as I can get it, I am definitely getting it."
In January 2022, the band revealed on their Instagram page that Lis Birks will step down as a performer and instead manage the band alongside Gianfranco Bortolotti. Simultanesouly, the group introduced the new lineup of singer Vikki Waters and rapper Steve Lewis. The band embarked on a european tour from March through October. In June, Steve Lewis left the group and was replaced with Jay McCurdy. In November 2022, former member Kelly Overett resurfaced online and shared many stories, memories and pictures from her time in the band. In an interview from the following month, she shared more details, including clearing up rumors on what led to the end of her time in the band and her brief solo career as Kelly O. 27 years after the release of "Follow Your Heart", Kelly revealed there is a music video and a follow up single called "Into The Light" previously left unreleased, and uploaded both of them on YouTube. When asked if she would ever return to performing with Cappella, she stated: "I think I am open to appearing at the 90's festivals, which I had no idea of til recently. No. I wouldn't do this with Cappella. People keep saying things like "come back, the audience want to see you", which is crazy to me. I thought I was forgotten, replaced, and erased. If I do progress with anything it will be as Kelly O and a celebration of the music I was a part of." In a joint statement with Dutch Eurodance group
Twenty 4 Seven Twenty 4 Seven is a Dutch Eurodance group formed in 1989 by Dutch producer Ruud van Rijen. The project is best known in Europe for the hit singles " I Can't Stand It", " Are You Dreaming?", " Slave to the Music", " Is It Love" and " Take Me Awa ...
, it was announced that Kelly Overett will return to the stage performing alongside Stay-C for 2023 performances. Former member Allison Jordan changed her name to Cloé Hedger and now works as a psychic medium, owns her own store and performs tarot card readings, a hobby she had during her time in the band. In the years after Cappella originally disbanded, she married her husband Stephen, and they ran a series of magazines called Paranormal, which lasted for several issues.


Members

Stage performers: * Singer: Vikki Waters (2022-present) * Singer: Lis Birks (2013–2021) * Singer: Allison Jordan (1995-1998) * Singer: Kelly Overett (1993-1995) * Singer: Anna Ross (1992-1993) * Singer: Ettore Foresti (1989-1991) * Rapper: Jay McCurdy (2022-present) * Rapper: Steven Lewis (2022) * Rapper: Marcus Birks (2013–2021) * Rapper: Rodney Bishop (1993-1995, 1995-1998) * Rapper: Patrick Osbourne (1995) * Rapper: Ricardo Overman (MC Fixx It) (1992-1993) Recording artists: * Singer: Vikki Waters (2022-present) * Singer: Lis Birks (2013–2021) * Singer: Lorna Bannon (1997-1998) (Lead vocals on "Cappella" album) * Singer: Allison Jordan (1995-1996) (Lead vocals, shared lead vocals and backing vocals on War In Heaven album) * Singer: Katherine Ellis (1995-1996) (Lead vocals and shared lead vocals on War In Heaven album) * Singer: Jackie Rawe (1994) (Lead vocals on "Move It Up") * Singer: Eileina Dennis (1994-1995) (Lead vocals on "Move On Baby", "U & Me" (Album Version), "Don't Be Proud") * Rapper: Jay McCurdy (2022-present) * Rapper: Steve Lewis (2022) * Rapper: Marcus Birks (2013–2021) * Rapper: Tiziano Pagani (1997-1998) (Rap performance on "Cappella" album) * Rapper: Ricardo Overman (MC Fixx It) (1994-1996) (Rap performance on "Move On Baby, "U & Me", "Move It Up", and War In Heaven Album) Most of the vocals on the ''U Got 2 Know'' album and the earlier Cappella tracks are sampled directly from other songs and not originally recorded for Cappella, which is why they are not included on this list.


Discography


Albums


Singles


See also

* 49ers – One of Gianfranco Bortolotti's other
Italo house Italo house (often simply referred to as "Italian" or "Italian house" in the UK) is a form of house music originating in Italy. Typically popular in Italy, Britain, and United States since the late 1980s, it fuses house music and Italo disco. Th ...
acts of the era. *
Anticappella Anticappella were an Italian music group led by Gianfranco Bortolotti Gianfranco Bortolotti (; born 2 May 1959) is an Italian electronic music producer and manager of Media Records and Media Studio. He was a member of Cappella, and 49ers who h ...
*
Nukleuz Nukleuz is a dance record label based in the Clapham area of London, UK. Nukleuz is the home to many artists and compilation series in various genres including trance, UK hardcore, tech house and hard house. Nukleuz was established as the new ...


References


External links


Unofficial Fan Page in English

Great Fan-Homepage in German and English



Information at Discogs
*
Information at AllMusic Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...

Forum in English, German, Nederlands and Français

Coro de Música Sacra a Capela
* {{Authority control Italian Eurodance groups Italian electronic music groups Musical groups established in 1987 Remixers