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Pepsi & Shirlie | |
|---|---|
 Shirlie (left) and Pepsi (right) performing at theEcho Arena, Liverpool on 25 June 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | Polydor |
| Past members | |
Pepsi & Shirlie were an English popduo group formed in London in 1985 by two backing singers forWham! They released two albums,All Right Now in 1987 andChange in 1991, and their debut single "Heartache" reached number 2 in theUK Singles Chart.[1]
The act comprisedHelen "Pepsi" DeMacque (born 10 December 1958,Paddington, London) andShirlie Holliman (born 18 April 1962,Watford, Hertfordshire), who had beenWham! backing vocalists. Holliman's original singing partner,Dee C. Lee, had earlier left the group to jointhe Style Council and later married its lead vocalistPaul Weller.[2]
Although DeMacque had ambitions to be a solo performer after Wham!, Holliman convinced her that it would be best to proceed as a duo.[3]
In 1987, they released their debut single "Heartache", which was produced byPhil Fearon and Tambi Fernando and reached number 2 in theUK Singles Chart. "Heartache" also peaked at number two on the American dance charts.[4] Although featuring a credit for super producersStock Aitken Waterman on many pressings of the single, "Heartache" was never worked on by the trio – with all additional production work and remixing done by Pete Hammond on behalf ofPete Waterman.[3]
The follow-up single, "Goodbye Stranger", produced by Fernando and Hammond, reached number 9.[1] Subsequent singles and their debut albumAll Right Now, released later in the year, were commercially unsuccessful. During this era, the act's tours included a concert performed in Amman, Jordan.
In 1991, they returned with the albumChange and its lead single "Someday", a song produced byGeorge Michael. Holliman recalled Michael writing the song from scratch during the recording session, after accepting her request to help out with their comeback.[3] Neither the album nor the single attracted much attention, the album not even charting in the UK.[1]
DeMacque worked with Michael again in 1995, when the twopseudonymously released a cover of theDead or Alive classic "You Spin Me Round" under the name Infamy.[3]
Pepsi & Shirlie returned in 2000 to record their backing vocals onGeri Halliwell's UKnumber one hit "Bag It Up". The duo also re-united for the "Here & Now 10th Anniversary tour" starting on 24 June 2011.[5]
Their memoirIt's All in Black and White was published byWelbeck in September 2021.[6]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1] | AUS [7] | ||
| All Right Now | 69 | 99 | |
| Change |
| — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1][8] | AUS [7] | US Dance [9] | US [9] | IRE | SWI | NOR | GER | NLD | ATR | BEL | FRA | NZ | |||
| "Heartache" | 1987 | 2 | 49 | 2 | 78 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 31 | 9 | |
| "Goodbye Stranger" | 9 | — | 26 | — | 5 | 5 | — | 31 | 28 | — | 8 | — | 39 | ||
| "Can't Give Me Love" | 58 | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | 89 | — | 23 | — | — | ||
| "All Right Now" | 50 | 65 | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Hightime" | 1988 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "What's Going On Inside Your Head?" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Someday" | 1991 | 78 | — | — | — | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 200 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Compilations | |
| Singles | |
| Concerts and tours | |
| Filmography | |
| Related articles | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
