Holly Blake-Arnstein
Encyclopedia
Holly Blake-Arnstein is a former American singer and dancer. Arnstein is best known for being the lead singer of the pop group Dream in 1998 until they disbanded in 2003.
(born August 21, 1984), Ashley Poole (born May 10, 1985), and Alex Chester, (born December 28, 1984), four teens from California
, to comprise this new girl group. The original name of the group was First Warning but later changed to Dream.
More changes were in store: the girls left Fontaine and were then signed by Sean Combs
to his Bad Boy Records
label, and in January 1999, Chester was replaced by Blake-Arnstein's best friend, Diana Ortiz (born September 23, 1985). Fontaine later sued Sean Combs and Blake-Arnstein, Schuman, and Poole, but lost her court case.
", remixed by Marc Mozart
, in 2000 and their debut album It Was All a Dream was released on January 23, 2001. "He Loves U Not," charted in three countries, peaking at #2 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart in the United States. The video for this single peaked at #2 on MTV
's TRL
and became the first video by a girl group to be retired from the countdown. The subsequent single, "This Is Me
," enjoyed a fair amount of success as well; the music video hit #1 on TRL. The final single and video from the album was "This Is Me (remix)" and featured rapper Kain as well as Sean Combs. The song was also featured on the compilation Totally Hits 2001
During this time, Dream participated in the 2001 TRL tour and opened for artists such as Destiny's child, Eve and Nelly. They were featured in a segment of MTV Cribs
. Play Along Toys
released dolls
of the group in 2001.
Though Bad Boy Records had planned to release "Miss You" and "In My Dreams" as the third and fourth singles, respectively, from It Was All A Dream, the singles were never released (though promotional copies of the latter were shipped), partly, according to Arnstein, due to the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.[4] Little was heard from Dream until April 2002, when Melissa Schuman left the group to pursue an acting career. Sean Combs appeared on TRL on April 3 to announce the news, noting that there were no bitter feelings [5]. A lengthy search led by Combs and the three remaining members led to 15-year-old Kasey Sheridan (born December 28, 1986) becoming the newest and youngest member of the group in the early fall of 2002 [6].
Dream spent the subsequent months recording new songs for their second album. In the summer of 2003, the girls returned to the scene with a new, sexier image[4] and a new single featuring rapper Loon called "Crazy."[7] The single and its video did not receive the acclaim and success of "He Loves U Not," and the second single from the album, supposedly "That's OK," was never released. Dream's album Reality was to follow in May, but its release kept being postponed, and it was ultimately never officially released. Dream was then dropped from Bad Boy Records, and the group subsequently disbanded, although their dissolution was never formally announced.
Members Ashley Poole and Melissa Schuman are currently pursuing solo singing careers. Member Holly Blake-Arnstein has joined the California-based alternative band Whirl Magnet.[4]
In September 2005, a group of fans discovered that the unreleased Reality CD was available for purchase from French Virgin Megastores. It is speculated that the CD was released in France to keep Bad Boy Records from violating the album release contract with Dream while saving as much money as possible.
In April 2006, an MTV News article discussed the reasons behind Dream's break-up. Blake-Arnstein was interviewed for the article and noted that the sexier, more mature image pushed upon the group by Combs and their management was not a welcome change, and that she and the other members of Dream were no longer enjoying the music and the experience [4].
As of May 9, 2008, three years after their 2nd album "Reality" leak online, Dream has two unreleased albums available on iTunes to buy. The albums are Daddy's Little Girl and Dream Never Land. There has been speculation that those songs might have been their second album if Melissa hadn't left the group back in 2002.
In July 2008, Dream's "official" second album, Reality, was posted on the US iTunes Store. It lists as having being released on May 13, 2008 under the label BAD BOY WORLDWIDE/ClockWork Entertainment/2620 Music. The album, along with the previously released Daddy's Little Girl and Dream Never Land can all be found under the Dream name under the Hip-Hop/Rap Genre, while their first album is still listed under Pop.
if Arnstein would like to make a comeback with a new Dream album, but she declined. She now attends college and married Dominic Restani, who was also a former singer. The two met when Arnstein was in Dream and Restani was in his group. Arnstein remains friends with the girls of Dream and keeps in contact.
1998 Formation of DREAM
The quartet was originally formed in October 1998 by talent scout Judith Fontaine, who selected Holly Blake-Arnstein (born August 3, 1985), Melissa SchumanMelissa Schuman
Melissa Amber Schuman is an American singer and actress. Schuman is best known for her role in the all girl teen band Dream. With Dream, she appeared in their two biggest hits, "He Loves U Not" and "This is Me". Schuman quit the band after their two hits to pursue her own solo career in singing...
(born August 21, 1984), Ashley Poole (born May 10, 1985), and Alex Chester, (born December 28, 1984), four teens from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to comprise this new girl group. The original name of the group was First Warning but later changed to Dream.
More changes were in store: the girls left Fontaine and were then signed by Sean Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
to his Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records is a record label founded in 1993 by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records.-Beginnings:...
label, and in January 1999, Chester was replaced by Blake-Arnstein's best friend, Diana Ortiz (born September 23, 1985). Fontaine later sued Sean Combs and Blake-Arnstein, Schuman, and Poole, but lost her court case.
Musical Debut, Popularity, and Disbandment
Dream released their debut single "He Loves U NotHe Loves U Not
"He Loves U Not" is girl group Dream's debut single released in 2000.-The song:Upon Dream's signing to P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records, the quartet recorded "He Loves U Not" as their breakthrough single, setting aside previously recorded songs "Do U Wanna Dance," "Baby," and "Miss You" that they had...
", remixed by Marc Mozart
Marc Mozart
Marc Christian Gernert, who performs as Marc Mozart and Marc Z, is a German songwriter, record producer and music manager.He started his career in Germany during the early 1990s. His professional career started after high school when he signed a contract, in 1993, with Sony Music Germany...
, in 2000 and their debut album It Was All a Dream was released on January 23, 2001. "He Loves U Not," charted in three countries, peaking at #2 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart in the United States. The video for this single peaked at #2 on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
and became the first video by a girl group to be retired from the countdown. The subsequent single, "This Is Me
This is Me (Dream single)
"This Is Me" is a song by girl group Dream, released as their second single in 2001.-The song:Written by the same team that had produced their previous hit single, "This Is Me" again featured lead vocals by Holly Blake-Arnstein. The interlude was alternately sung and spoken by Ashley Poole and...
," enjoyed a fair amount of success as well; the music video hit #1 on TRL. The final single and video from the album was "This Is Me (remix)" and featured rapper Kain as well as Sean Combs. The song was also featured on the compilation Totally Hits 2001
Totally Hits 2001
Totally Hits 2001 is an album in the Totally Hits series, reaching #3 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. The album contains two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits: "U Remind Me" and "Fallin'".-Track listing:...
During this time, Dream participated in the 2001 TRL tour and opened for artists such as Destiny's child, Eve and Nelly. They were featured in a segment of MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
. Play Along Toys
Play Along Toys
Play Along Toys is a Florida-based toy company, and a wholly owned division of Jakks Pacific.In 1999, the founders of Play Along chose the Britney Spears Doll line as the first licensing venture with their new company...
released dolls
Celebrity doll
A celebrity doll is a doll modelled after a celebrity.Celebrity dolls have been in production for a very long time. In the 1840s, several famous ballerinas were featured as paper dolls. Also in the 19th century, various military heroes were portrayed as dolls/figures. With the advent of silent...
of the group in 2001.
Though Bad Boy Records had planned to release "Miss You" and "In My Dreams" as the third and fourth singles, respectively, from It Was All A Dream, the singles were never released (though promotional copies of the latter were shipped), partly, according to Arnstein, due to the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.[4] Little was heard from Dream until April 2002, when Melissa Schuman left the group to pursue an acting career. Sean Combs appeared on TRL on April 3 to announce the news, noting that there were no bitter feelings [5]. A lengthy search led by Combs and the three remaining members led to 15-year-old Kasey Sheridan (born December 28, 1986) becoming the newest and youngest member of the group in the early fall of 2002 [6].
Dream spent the subsequent months recording new songs for their second album. In the summer of 2003, the girls returned to the scene with a new, sexier image[4] and a new single featuring rapper Loon called "Crazy."[7] The single and its video did not receive the acclaim and success of "He Loves U Not," and the second single from the album, supposedly "That's OK," was never released. Dream's album Reality was to follow in May, but its release kept being postponed, and it was ultimately never officially released. Dream was then dropped from Bad Boy Records, and the group subsequently disbanded, although their dissolution was never formally announced.
Members Ashley Poole and Melissa Schuman are currently pursuing solo singing careers. Member Holly Blake-Arnstein has joined the California-based alternative band Whirl Magnet.[4]
In September 2005, a group of fans discovered that the unreleased Reality CD was available for purchase from French Virgin Megastores. It is speculated that the CD was released in France to keep Bad Boy Records from violating the album release contract with Dream while saving as much money as possible.
In April 2006, an MTV News article discussed the reasons behind Dream's break-up. Blake-Arnstein was interviewed for the article and noted that the sexier, more mature image pushed upon the group by Combs and their management was not a welcome change, and that she and the other members of Dream were no longer enjoying the music and the experience [4].
As of May 9, 2008, three years after their 2nd album "Reality" leak online, Dream has two unreleased albums available on iTunes to buy. The albums are Daddy's Little Girl and Dream Never Land. There has been speculation that those songs might have been their second album if Melissa hadn't left the group back in 2002.
In July 2008, Dream's "official" second album, Reality, was posted on the US iTunes Store. It lists as having being released on May 13, 2008 under the label BAD BOY WORLDWIDE/ClockWork Entertainment/2620 Music. The album, along with the previously released Daddy's Little Girl and Dream Never Land can all be found under the Dream name under the Hip-Hop/Rap Genre, while their first album is still listed under Pop.
Personal life
Arnstein left the entertainment industry after Dream disbanded in 2003. She joined a coverband "Whirlmagnet" for a short while. In 2008, she was asked by Melissa SchumanMelissa Schuman
Melissa Amber Schuman is an American singer and actress. Schuman is best known for her role in the all girl teen band Dream. With Dream, she appeared in their two biggest hits, "He Loves U Not" and "This is Me". Schuman quit the band after their two hits to pursue her own solo career in singing...
if Arnstein would like to make a comeback with a new Dream album, but she declined. She now attends college and married Dominic Restani, who was also a former singer. The two met when Arnstein was in Dream and Restani was in his group. Arnstein remains friends with the girls of Dream and keeps in contact.
Discography
- It Was All a Dream (2001)
- RealityReality (Dream album)Reality is Dream's second album. It features production by producers such as Scott Storch, Diddy, Darkchild, and the The Underdogs. It was completed by and set to be released in 2003, but never hit retail stores due to lack of promotion. One of the songs from the album, "That's OK", can be heard on...
(2003/2008)
Singles
- "Crazy" feat. LoonLoon (rapper)Amir Junaid Muhadith best known by his stage name Loon, is an African-American rapper that was formerly part of P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records, where he released his self-titled debut album, Loon. He has also made many guest appearances on songs of the R&B and hip hop genres. He is best known for his...
(released June 2003) - "That's OK" feat. FabolousFabolousJohn David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...
(unreleased)
External links
- Archived version of Dream's Official Site - Old Lineup
- Archived version of Dream's Official Site - New Lineup
- MTV News - Where Ya Been? Dream Wake Up (April 12, 2006)
- MTV News - Dream Get Krazy with Loon on New LP featuring P. Diddy (April 25, 2003)
- MTV Feature - Girl Groups - Why they can't keep it together (September 20, 2002)
- MTV News - Dream Member Quits to Pursue New Dream: Acting (April 3, 2002)
- MTV News - Judge To Dream's Ex-Manager: They Owe You Not (August 13, 2001)
- MTV Feature - Dream: Dream Team (February 2001)