Mel & Kim

Mel & Kim

Genres: pop, 80s, dance, female vocalists, british

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About Mel & Kim

Mel & Kim, stylised as MӗL & KIM, were an English pop duo consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. They achieved commercial success between 1986 and 1988, and were originally managed by Alan Whitehead. Melanie died of cancer in January 1990 at the age of 23. The duo reached number one in the UK Singles Chart with their 1987 single "Respectable", which also topped the US dance chart. They had three other UK Top 10 hits with "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" (1986), "F.L.M." (1987) and "That's the Way It Is" (1988). In 1988, they were nominated for a Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act. After Mel's death, Kim embarked on a solo career, achieving two UK Top 10 hits with "Don't Worry" (1990) and "G.L.A.D." (1991). Mel & Kim were born to English and Jamaican parents. In 1985, Mel recorded two solo demos under Alan Whitehead's management. Kim soon joined her, and they performed as a duo, producing further demos. These led to a contract with Supreme Records, whose president Nick East introduced them to producers Stock Aitken Waterman. After their first single charted, their management was taken over by the record label. A planned first single, "System", was replaced by "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)", with "System" released as its B-side. Producer Pete Waterman encouraged a style that reflected the sisters' personalities, incorporating elements of the Chicago House sound. "Showing Out" reached number three on the UK chart and number one on the US Dance Chart. "Respectable" reached number one in the UK and sold over 800,000 copies. "F.L.M." and "That's the Way It Is" reached numbers seven and ten respectively in the UK, giving the duo a consecutive run of top ten hits. Their visual style combined urban streetwear with high fashion, influenced in part by Mel's previous work as a glamour model. Mel had previously been treated for malignant paraganglioma, a form of liver cancer, in 1985. By January 1987 she was experiencing back problems, which worsened during a promotional visit to Japan in June 1987. A recurrence of cancer in her spine led the sisters to withdraw from publicity while Mel underwent treatment. Planned studio sessions were postponed, and promotional videos, such as for "F.L.M.", used alternative methods like lookalike marionettes. Both sisters denied media speculation regarding Mel's illness during this period. In February 1988, the duo released "That's the Way It Is", their fourth consecutive UK Top 10 single. Mel recorded the vocals after discharging herself from hospital. Plans for a second album with Stock Aitken Waterman were not continued due to Mel's illness. The sisters appeared on television to raise awareness of teenage cancer wards in British hospitals. The duo withdrew from publicity while writing songs for a second album, some of which later appeared on Kim's debut solo album. Kim revealed in 2005 that she had known Mel's illness was terminal by mid-1989. Mel died on 18 January 1990 from pneumonia, with her immune system weakened by chemotherapy. In 2018, an unfinished demo track, "Where Is Love", was released posthumously on the official Mel & Kim website. Following Mel's death, Kim launched a solo career, with her debut album including songs co-written with Mel. The album, "Kim Appleby", featured the singles "Don't Worry" and "G.L.A.D.", both UK Top 10 hits, as well as "Mama" and "If You Cared". Kim's second album, "Breakaway", received limited commercial success. Subsequent singles included "Light of the World", "Breakaway", "Free Spirit", and a 2007 download-only single, "High". In 2010, a deluxe edition of "F.L.M." was released with bonus tracks, remixes, and the single "That's the Way It Is". In October 2019, Cherry Red Records issued a seven-disc CD singles box set of Mel & Kim releases. Studio albums F.L.M. (1987)

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