Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque | |
|---|---|
 Pepsi DeMacque performing as part of Pepsi & Shirlie at the Liverpool Echo Arena on 25 June 2011. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Pepsi |
| Born | 10 December 1958 Paddington, London, England |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels |
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Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque-Crockett (born 10 December 1958) is a British pop singer, best known as a member of the Pepsi & Shirlie duo in the 1980s.
Helen ‘Pepsi’ DeMacque was born in London after her parents emigrated to Britain in the 1950s from St Lucia. [1]
DeMacque became one of two singers/dancers for the group Wham! in 1983. She replaced Dee C. Lee, (who left to join The Style Council) and performed alongside Shirlie Holliman, [2] first appearing in the music video for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".
When their work with Wham! ended, Holliman and DeMacque formed their own act, named Pepsi & Shirlie. Created immediately after Wham!'s final Wembley concert, the duo had a more upbeat and pop sound. The group had two UK Top 10 hits: "Heartache", produced by Phil Fearon and Tambi Fernando, reaching No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, [3] and "Goodbye Stranger", produced by Tambi Fernando and Pete Hammond, which reached No. 9.
Pepsi & Shirlie went on hiatus in 1989, but briefly returned in 2000 to record backing vocals on the UK number one Geri Halliwell hit "Bag It Up". [3] The duo also reunited to perform for the Here and Now 10th Anniversary tour which kicked off on 24 June 2011. [4]
In 1998 and 1999, DeMacque collaborated with Mike Oldfield, participating in his tour Then & Now in 1998 and two events, the premiere of Tubular Bells III in London and the concert Art in Heaven/Millennium Bell for the transition to the year 2000 in Tiergarten in Berlin. Pepsi also performed on a song from the album The Millennium Bell . [5]
In 2011, she sang with Forthright, a group of producers and mixers in London. [2]
DeMacque has also worked as a film and TV actor, including a portrayal of Josephine Baker. [2] As a stage actor, she appeared in James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot's musical, Hair , [2] at the Old Vic Theatre in London with Michael Bogdanov directing.
DeMacque was domiciled in Wellington, New Zealand, for a number of years, working at a gift shop on Lambton Quay. While in Wellington she collaborated [6] with New Zealand electronic artist (Jeremy Geor) 50Hz and performed live with composer Rhian Sheehan early on in his career. By 2006 she had settled in Daventry, England with her husband Wayne Butcher, working for a medical aid business, until 2010. [7] She later moved to St Lucia, where she and her husband operate a charter sailing business. [1]
Her nephew was the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest contestant representing Austria, Cesár Sampson. [8]
In 2021, DeMacque and Shirley Kemp released their joint autobiography, Pepsi & Shirlie: It's All in Black and White, published by Welbeck. [9] The book gives an account of their time touring the world, performing first with Wham! and then in their own right, as a duo. [10]
Wham! were a British pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986.
Make It Big is the second studio album by English pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. In comparison to their earlier work, Wham! had more control over the album's production and Michael would also be credited as a producer. The album was a commercial success, hitting number one in both the US and the UK and spawning four singles, all reaching the top three in the US and the UK.
Tubular Bells III is the eighteenth studio album by English guitarist, songwriter, and producer Mike Oldfield. It was released on 31 August 1998 by Warner Music UK as the third instalment in his Tubular Bells album series. After relocating from England to the Spanish island of Ibiza in 1996, Oldfield started work on the album and gained inspiration to incorporate electronic music from the island's local bars and clubs.
The Millennium Bell is the 20th record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1999. The theme of the album is a reflection of different periods of human history. The album borrows its name from the dawning of the 3rd millennium and from being the fourth installment of Oldfield's Tubular Bells series. It is the most recent entry in the Tubular Bells series to feature all-new material. It was the main work performed at Oldfield's concert for Berlin's new year celebrations on 31 December 1999.
Pepsi & Shirlie were an English pop duo group formed in London in 1985, which released two albums, All Right Now in 1987 and Change in 1991. Their debut single "Heartache" reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Club Tropicana" is a single by English pop duo Wham!, released on 22 July 1983 on Innervision Records. It was written by members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
"Careless Whisper" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter George Michael. Released as the second single from Wham!'s second studio album Make It Big (1984), it was written by Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, with Michael producing the song. Although the song was released as part of Make It Big, the single release is credited to either Wham! featuring George Michael or solely to George Michael.
"Young Guns (Go for It)" (also listed as "Young Guns (Go for It!)" on some releases) is a song by English pop duo Wham! first released as a single in the UK by Innervision Records on 17 September 1982. It was written and co-produced by George Michael, of the duo. The song was Wham!'s first hit, achieved with help from the BBC music programme Top of the Pops, which invited Wham! on to the show as a last-minute replacement for another act which had pulled out. The producer of Top of the Pops Michael Hurll, had seen them on another programme, Saturday Superstore.
Music from the Edge of Heaven is the third and final studio album by English pop duo Wham! It was released on June 27, 1986 by Columbia Records.
"Man in the Rain" is a pop rock song written and performed by English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield. It was included on the album Tubular Bells III and released as a single on 5 October 1998 by Warner Music. The vocals were performed by Irish folk singer Cara Dillon.
All Right Now is the 1987 debut album by vocalists Pepsi & Shirlie. The album gave two top 10 hits in the UK for the duo: "Heartache" (#2) and "Goodbye Stranger" (#9). The other three singles fared less well, hitting below the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Pepsi & Shirlie produced two of the tracks themselves: "What's Going On Inside Your Head?" and "Crime of Passion".
Shirlie Kemp is an English singer, who found fame in the 1980s with Wham! and as part of the duo Pepsi & Shirlie.
Martin John Kemp is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in EastEnders.
Pepsi is a soft drink. The name may also refer to:
Brit Awards 2017 was held on 22 February 2017 and was the 37th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony were held at The O2 Arena in London. Emma Willis hosted The Brits Are Coming, the launch show to reveal this year's nominees which was broadcast live for the first time, on 14 January 2017. Robbie Williams was given the Brits Icon Award the previous November during a special concert held in his honour at Troxy in London. Architect Dame Zaha Hadid designed the Brit Award statuette that was to be given to the winners.
Cesár Sampson is an Austrian singer, songwriter, producer, dancer and model. He was also a social worker and fitness coach. He represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Nobody but You", winning the jury vote, coming in 13th place in the televote and finishing in third place overall.
The Club Fantastic Tour was the debut concert tour by English pop duo Wham!, launched in support of their first studio album Fantastic (1983). It was sponsored by Fila sportswear and spanned two months from October to late November, comprising 30 sold-out shows across England, Scotland and Wales.
The Big Tour was the second concert tour by English pop duo Wham!, launched in support of their multi-platinum second studio album Make It Big, which sold over six million units in the US alone. The tour spanned 4 months between December 1984 and April 1985, comprising 39 shows across the UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia, United States, Hong Kong and China. Wham! made history in China and achieved worldwide publicity by being the first Western pop act to visit the country.
The Final was the farewell concert by English pop duo Wham!. It was held at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 28 June 1986. A total of 72,000 people attended the event, which included support artists and special guests, such as Elton John and Simon Le Bon. The concert was preceded by the release of the greatest hits album of the same name.
"Heartache" is a song by English pop music duo Pepsi & Shirlie, written by Tambi Fernando, Iris Fernando, and Wayne Brown and produced by Tambi and Phil Fearon. It was released on 5 January 1987 as the lead single from the duo's debut album, All Right Now, which was released that October. Backed with the B-side "Surrender", the single became a chart hit worldwide, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart, entering the top 10 in seven other countries, and reaching number 78 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song's music video was directed by Andy Earl.
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