Passion Fruit (band)

Passion Fruit was a German Euro-Dance trio. 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, María 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. "I'm Dreaming of... A Winter Wonderland" was released posthumously in December 2001 just a week after the group was involved in a massive plane accident.

Passion Fruit originally sang "The Rigga Ding Dong Song", which was the group's most successful single. The single reached the top 10 in 14 countries, including in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and top 20 in the Netherlands. It became a number 1 hit in Mexico. The original line-up can be seen in the single's cover sleeve and music video. Besides the main 3 minutes 25 seconds Radio Mix, there were three other mixes, the Extended Mix (5:12), the Plastic Bubble Mix (5:03) and the Munsta Groove Mix (5:41). Exactly ten years after the Passion Fruit release, in 2009, the German pop group Cherona released its version titled "Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song", dropping the definite article "the" from the title. The Cherona version on Columbia Records, accompanied by a music video, became a minor hit for them in Germany and Austria. The song appeared on the band's 2009 album '' Sound of Cherona''.

First line-up

Established in June 1999, Passion Fruit originally consisted of three women and a man who performed the rapping parts. 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.

Second line-up

*Nathaly(ie) van het Ende (2 January 1975 in Amsterdam, Netherlands – 24 November 2001) (aged 26) – a background singer, dancer, model who was the second runner up in the 1995 Miss Holland pageant and appeared in many music videos.
*Debby (Deborah) St. Maarten (born 1973 in Delft, Netherlands) (age 49) – a dancer and model who appeared in many music videos for Dutch and Belgian artists. She is the only remaining member.
*María Serrano Serrano (26 November 1973 in Madrid, Spain – 24 November 2001) (aged 27) – a trained nurse, dancer, and model and background singer for various artists. She is the mother of German rapper Jamule. She made the 27 Club after she died.

The trio made numerous TV show appearances and live performances from 2000-2001.

Plane crash (The Day Euro-Dance Music Died)

On 24 November 2001, after the group gave their final performance in Leipzig for Coca-Cola they boarded the Crossair Flight 3597 to travel from Berlin to Zurich. One hour into the flight the plane's experienced, but incompetent pilot made a fatal decision by descending too early attempting spot the runway due to poor visibility, and failing to read the DME which would have told him how far from the runway he actually was, causing the plane to crash into a forest and catch on fire in Bassersdorf just 2.5 miles near the runway at Zurich International Airport. María and Nathaly perished along with former La Bouche vocalist Melanie Thornton and 21 other people, while Debby survived with serious injuries along with eight other people. Debby was rushed to the Hospital to receive treatment and doctors discovered that she had second and third degree burns on her hands and face and multiple bruises. María became a member of the 27 Club. Many people have referred to this as "The Day Euro-Dance Music Died".

"I'm Dreaming of... A Winter Wonderland" was released posthumously on 3 December 2001 and the royalties the single made were donated to the victims families and survivors of the accident.

Post-accident

From 2002-2006, Debby was continuing to have treatment for her injuries. She occasionally posted messages on the official Passion Fruit website, usually each November around the anniversary of the plane crash to remember María and Nathaly. On 5 December 2006, she appeared in an interview on the ZDF television show ''Hallo Deutschland'' which showed her visiting the site of the crash with her family and she announced that she had recorded some songs for her comeback album, one of them was called "Girls''",'' however, due to her injuries and other personal reasons, she was not ready for her comeback and the album was eventually shelved by her manager. In 2007, after Debby fully recovered she moved back to her home town in The Netherlands to work as a social worker and she was interviewed for the 20th anniversary of the crash on 3 December 2021.

Second album release and other material

Passion Fruit was working on their second studio album in mid 2001 shortly before the accident. Only two singles were released during the period: "Bongo Man" and "I'm Dreaming Of...A White Christmas". The second album would have been the first release under their new label Edel, but it was shelved after the events of the accident. The single "Bongo Man" featured the song "Passion Gang" as a bonus track. The other single, "I'm Dreaming of...A White Christmas", was released on the single "I'm Dreaming of...A Winter Wonderland", including the song, an altered version called "I'm Dreaming of...A Winter Wonderland" with mainly the same lyrics but different chorus lines, and two mixes of the "Winter Wonderland" version.

The song "P.A.S.S.I.O.N." was recorded by the first line-up in 1999 for the album ''Spanglish Love Affairs'' but was later cut. It was later released on the single "Sun Fun Baby (Looky Looky)" as a bonus track.

The 2004 single "Kiss Me (Na, Na, Na)" by Leticia, who recorded vocals for most Passion Fruit releases, under the label Edel, is believed to have been meant for Passion Fruit, likely for the shelved second album.

The real voices of Passion Fruit

The main vocals for all songs were provided by German-Cuban singer Leticia Pareja Padron, the raps were done by singer Kenneth KC Clemmons from Flensburg. It wasn't until their last single ''I'm Dreaming of... A Winter Wonderland'' / ''I'm Dreaming of... A White Christmas'' that the second line-up of the band got involved in recording.

Discography

Albums

* ''Spanglish Love Affairs'' (2000)

Singles

References

External links

Passion Fruit biography, news, discography
at Bubblegum Dancer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Passion Fruit
Eurodance groups
Musical groups established in 1999
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Switzerland
2001 deaths
Pop artists
Girl groups