Seduction (group)
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Seduction is an American female dance-pop, house and freestyle trio from New York assembled and produced by Robert Clivillés and David Cole (later of C+C Music Factory), originally consisting of members April Harris, Michelle Visage, and Idalis DeLeón.
Seduction | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1988–1991, 2003–Present |
| Labels | A&M |
| Members | April Harris-Holmes Eunice Foster (formerly Eunice Quiñones) Bianca Gonzalez |
| Past members | Idalis DeLeón Maria Flora Sinoa Loren Michelle Visage |
History
Intended as a studio project, and prior to any assemblage of the aforementioned trio, the first track produced, "Seduction" (later renamed "Seduction's Theme" on their album), featured vocals by Carol Cooper, and was released to dance clubs and became a top 20 hit on the dance charts. The second single, "(You're My One and Only) True Love" featured uncredited vocals by Martha Wash. Against its producers' expectations, it ended up becoming a hit. Envisioning a potential hit phenomenon, Cole and Clivillés set to the task of assembling a group of women who displayed talent, sex appeal, and multi-format potential. Visage, DeLeon and Harris were assembled as a group to promote the single.[1]
The group quickly recorded the album Nothing Matters Without Love and subsequent singles. Their biggest hit came in early 1990 with "Two to Make It Right" (featuring April and Michelle on Lead Vocals), a No. 2 pop hit. The hit music video was created and produced by the production team of Director Stu Sleppin and Producer Bob Teeman. In mid–1990, DeLeon left the group and was replaced by Sinoa Loren (born December 6, 1966). After a pair of hits with this lineup, the group disbanded in 1991. Harris owns the rights to the name Seduction and reassembled the group with two new members, Maria Flora and Eunice Foster, and released an album of new material, Feel Brand New, through AVH Entertainment (her own label) under the name Seduction in 2005.
Alumnae and further works
- DeLeón went on to become a prominent MTV VJ as well as an actress on TV shows such as Living Single, Six Feet Under, Nip Tuck, Burn Notice and feature films like Running Scared and Vicious Circle. Today, she runs an entertainment-related website where she coaches clients to brand their act through precision on camera performance coaching and career brand media strategy.
- Michelle Visage performed guest vocals on the single "Crash" by Freestyle act TKA, as well as the single "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" by C+C Music Factory alter-ego The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. from the soundtrack to the Whitney Houston film The Bodyguard. Visage later co-hosted a VH1 talk show, The RuPaul Show with RuPaul, and eventually went on to become a popular on-air personality for New York radio station WKTU. In 2005, Visage joined the morning show "The Morning Mix" on WNEW-FM "Mix 102.7" FM. While working at 102.7, Visage held a month-long contest called "Singing With Seduction" where she picked two lucky winners to perform backup with her as Seduction at a summer music festival. Since January 2011, she has been the second permanent panel judge on the popular reality television series RuPaul's Drag Race which airs on the VH1 cable television network. She has stood in for Elaine Paige on her radio show Elaine Paige on Sunday, which airs on BBC Radio 2.
- April Harris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University’s School of Communication. She has performed principal roles in the following plays: Dreamgirls (National Tour), Wicked Ways (National Tour), Smokey Joe’s Café (National Tour), Footloose (National Tour), Ain’t Misbehavin' (National Tour), The Wiz, and Medea and Beehive. She toured internationally with her all-female band (Koffee), being featured on the BET Soundstage Tour, Blackapalooza Tour, and the U2/Kelis European Tour. In 2004, April established AVH Entertainment, LLC, a music and television production company. Current projects in development include a television show geared towards teens.
- Singer and actress Sinoa Loren went on to perform for two movie soundtracks on Universal: Carlito's Way (1993) and The Shadow (1994). Her songs were "Pillow Talk", a remake of the classic 1970's hit, and "Some Kind of Mystery" (written by Diane Warren and produced by Jellybean Benitez). Sinoa has also written and recorded several dance songs played throughout South America and Mexico. She is currently working with SKY, an original group performing a tribute to Seduction, along with original songs. Along with Sinoa, SKY is made up of Karmine Alers and Yassmin Alers.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | US R&B [2] | AUS [3] | CAN [4] | NZ [5] | ||||||||||
| 1989 | Nothing Matters Without Love
| 36 | 28 | 142 | 48 | 37 |
| |||||||
| 2004 | Feel Brand New
| — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Remix albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1990 | The Re-Mixes
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | US Dan [2] | US R&B [2] | AUS [3] | CAN [4] | FRA [7] | GER [8] | NZ [5] | UK [9] | ||||||
| 1989 | "Seduction" | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 87 | Nothing Matters Without Love | |||
| "(You're My One and Only) True Love"[a] | 23 | 3 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | 92 | |||||
| "Two to Make It Right" | 2 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 34 | 43 | 17 | 79 |
| ||||
| 1990 | "Heartbeat" | 13 | 2 | 21 | 169 | 47 | — | — | 23 | 75 | ||||
| "Free Your Body" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album song | |||||
| "Could This Be Love" | 11 | — | 38 | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | Nothing Matters Without Love | ||||
| "Breakdown" | 82 | 4 | — | 162 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Groove Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Re-Mixes | |||||
| 2003 | "All Night Long" (with Saddler) | — | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album song | |||
| 2004 | "Feel Brand New" | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Feel Brand New | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
- Notes
- ^ Song features lead and background vocals by Martha Wash.
References
- ^ Michelle Visage young: Strictly Come Dancing star looks completely different in old photos, Daily Express (5 August 2019)
- ^ a b c d e "US Charts > Seduction". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ a b "Bubbling Down Under 7 January 1991". January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "CAN Charts > Seduction". RPM. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ a b "NZ Charts > Seduction". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ a b "US Certifications > Seduction". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ "FRA Charts > Seduction". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ . Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ "UK Charts > Seduction". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
External links
- Seduction at AllMusic