Eternal have cancelled a planned reunion due to a dispute over trans rights. The group’s Louise Redknapp and Kéllé Bryan pulled out of plans to tour after sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett reportedly refused to play LGBTQ+ festivals and Pride events.
“A message was sent to the team putting together the Eternal reunion stating that if it was to go ahead, neither Vernie nor Easther would perform at Pride shows or LGBTQ+ festivals”, Redknapp’s publicist Simon Jones told the BBC. “This was because the duo felt that the gay community was being hijacked by the trans community and they do not support this”.
"Louise is a huge supporter and ally of the LGBTQ+ community and both herself and Kéllé told the duo they would not work with anyone who held these views, and as such the reunion as a four would not be going ahead”, he went on.
"The team behind the proposed Eternal reunion are gay including management, PR and tour promoter, and neither myself nor any of the team would work with artists who held such views about the trans community”.
In a separate statement, Bryan said: “The relationship with our fans and the joy of celebrating our success was, and still is, our motivation. My stance and allegiances have always been that I am an advocate for inclusion and equality for all”.
Eternal formed in 1992, releasing their debut album ‘Always & Forever’ the following year. Peaking at number two on the UK albums chart, the record also scored four top ten singles. However, Redknapp left the group before the recording of their second album and launched a solo career.
The group continued as a trio, releasing two more albums and achieving their first and only number one single with ‘I Wanna Be The Only One’, from their third album ‘Before The Rain’ in 1997. Bryan was then fired in 1998, with the Bennett sisters citing a “breakdown in professional relations”.
They released one more album as a duo - 1999’s ‘Eternal’ - before splitting in 2000, after being dropped by their record label EMI.
It was reported last week that the group planned to reunite with the full original line-up for their first shows together since Redknapp’s departure, marking the 30th anniversary of their debut album. However, just days later it was announced that these plans had been cancelled.
The Bennett sisters have not yet commented on the claims made about their unwillingness to play LGBTQ+ events.
Mark SavageBBC Music Correspondent