The 90’s British girl group Eternal has canceled its reunion tour amidst a trans rights clash between members. Allegedly, a message stating that members Easther and Vernie Bennet, who are sisters, refused to play at any LGBTQ+ venues due to the presence of trans people was sent to the team behind the reunion. This led to a disagreement between band members that ultimately tanked their planned reunion tour.
Eternal debuted in 1992 and quickly rose up the charts with their unique U.K. spin on U.S. R&B music. The band was seen as a response to the U.S. band En Vogue. Their debut album, Always & Forever, was the beginning of the initial eight years of the band’s success. However, the band would fire Kéllé Bryan due to some differences in 1998, then officially split in 2000 after being dropped by their label. Bryan would return for the group’s brief reunion in 2013, but the four members did not stay together for longer than a year.
Louise Redknapp’s publicist Simon Jones says on behalf of his client, “Louise is a huge supporter and ally of the LGBTQ+ community and both herself and [founding Eternal member] Kéllé [Bryan] 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. 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.”
Kéllé Bryan says in a statement on X, “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.”
Neither of the Bennet sisters have made any comment on the split, despite multiple publications reaching out for statements.
Photo courtesy of EternalFansite on X
