Passion Fruit (band)
Encyclopedia
Passion Fruit was a Eurodance
/bubblegum dance
group consisting of three girls of German
, Spanish
and Dutch
descent:
Named after the tropical fruit, Passion Fruit got their start in June 1999 with the top ten dance-pop “The Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song”. “Wonderland”, “Sun Fun Baby” and “Bongo Man” followed in 2000 and 2001, all making the top 40 on the German singles chart.
The four original members were:
Following MC Steve leaving in October 1999 and tensions within the group, record company X-Cell Records decided not to continue with the project. Subsequently, the management team that created the group found a new line-up and a new record company and kept the name Passion Fruit to leverage the success of the first single.
While Marie, Debby and Nathaly sang some vocals, the lead vocals for the songs, including "The Rigga Ding Dong Song", were performed by Cuban-German singer Leticia Pareja-Padron.
from Berlin to Zurich when it crashed into a wooded range of hills four kilometres (2.5 miles) short of the runway on approach towards Zurich International Airport
, near the town of Bassersdorf
. Maria Serrano-Serrano and Nathaly van het Ende died along with former La Bouche
vocalist Melanie Thornton
, who was also on the plane, while Debby St. Maarten survived with serious injuries along with eight other people.
In December 2001, Passion Fruit’s management decided to donate all the proceeds from their single “I’m Dreaming of...a Winter Wonderland” to the victims and survivors of the crash.
No new formation of the band has been planned.
The album was never finished due to the planecrash on 24 November 2001.
The comeback CD was never finished due to Debby's treatments and personal issues around that time.
The single "P.A.S.S.I.O.N." was recorded by the first line-up in 1999 for the album Spanglish Love Affairs, but was later cut. It was later released on the singles CD Sun Fun Baby (Looky Looky) as a bonus track.
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
/bubblegum dance
Bubblegum Dance
Bubblegum dance is a subgenre of Eurodance music. The genre is characterized by cute lyrics and happy sounds. Bubblegum dance usually has a more pop sound than other Eurodance. The lyrics and style are often light-hearted and are not intended to be taken seriously. They are often amusing and...
group consisting of three girls of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
descent:
- Maria Serrano Serrano (November 26, 1973 - November 24, 2001)
- Nathaly(ie) van het Ende (January 2, 1975 - November 24, 2001)
- Debby (Deborah St. Maarten) (born 1973 in DelftDelftDelft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
)
Named after the tropical fruit, Passion Fruit got their start in June 1999 with the top ten dance-pop “The Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song”. “Wonderland”, “Sun Fun Baby” and “Bongo Man” followed in 2000 and 2001, all making the top 40 on the German singles chart.
Original Formation
Established in 1999, Passion Fruit originally consisted of three females and a male who performed the rapping parts. It was this group that performed "The Rigga Ding Dong Song", which was the group’s most successful single, reaching the top 10 in 14 countries, including number 9 in Germany and number 1 in Mexico. The original line-up can be seen in the single’s cover sleeve and video.The four original members were:
- Blade (Manye Thompson)
- Dawn (Viola Schubbe)
- Pearl (Carla Sinclair)
- MC Steve (Mario Tub)
Following MC Steve leaving in October 1999 and tensions within the group, record company X-Cell Records decided not to continue with the project. Subsequently, the management team that created the group found a new line-up and a new record company and kept the name Passion Fruit to leverage the success of the first single.
Second line-up
- Nathaly(ie) van het Ende – a background singer, dancer and much sought-after model, who was the second runner up in the 1995 Miss Holland pageant and appeared in many music videos
- Debby (Deborah) St. Maarten – a dancer and model who appeared in many music videos for Dutch and Belgian artists
- Maria Serrano Serrano – a trained nurse who was also a dancer, model and background singer for various artists
While Marie, Debby and Nathaly sang some vocals, the lead vocals for the songs, including "The Rigga Ding Dong Song", were performed by Cuban-German singer Leticia Pareja-Padron.
Plane crash
On November 24, 2001, the group was on board Crossair Flight 3597Crossair Flight 3597
Crossair Flight LX 3597 was an Avro RJ100 regional airliner, registration HB-IXM, on a scheduled flight from Berlin, Germany to Zurich, Switzerland that crashed during its approach to land at Zurich Airport on 24 November 2001...
from Berlin to Zurich when it crashed into a wooded range of hills four kilometres (2.5 miles) short of the runway on approach towards Zurich International Airport
Zürich International Airport
Zurich Airport also called Kloten Airport, is located in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, and managed by Flughafen Zürich AG. It is Switzerland's largest international flight gateway and hub to Swiss International Air Lines. It is partially in Kloten, Rümlang, Oberglatt, Winkel and Opfikon...
, near the town of Bassersdorf
Bassersdorf
Bassersdorf is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Zurich, located in the district of Bülach, and belongs to the Glatt Valley .- History :...
. Maria Serrano-Serrano and Nathaly van het Ende died along with former La Bouche
La Bouche
La Bouche was a Eurodance/Dance-pop duo formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1994, originally consisting of Melanie Thornton and Lane McCray, scoring two major worldwide hits in the mid-1990s with "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams"....
vocalist Melanie Thornton
Melanie Thornton
Melanie Janene Thornton was an American pop singer who found fame in Germany and fronted the Eurodance group La Bouche, who found success with the singles "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams" in the mid-1990s. She forged a moderately successful solo career in Germany before her death...
, who was also on the plane, while Debby St. Maarten survived with serious injuries along with eight other people.
In December 2001, Passion Fruit’s management decided to donate all the proceeds from their single “I’m Dreaming of...a Winter Wonderland” to the victims and survivors of the crash.
No new formation of the band has been planned.
Debby, post-crash
In 2006, Debby was continuing to have treatment for her injuries. She occasionally posts messages on the official Passion Fruit website, usually each November around the anniversary of the plane crash to remember Maria and Nathaly. She currently lives in Zoetermeer in the Netherlands. On December 5, 2006, to mark the fifth anniversary, she appeared in an interview on the ZDF television show Hello Germany which showed her visiting the site of the crash.Debby St. Maarten Solo Career & Comeback
Before Passion Fruit, Debby St. Maarten worked as a model, appeared in numerous music videos throughout the 90s, and had even sung as a lead vocalist. All of the songs sung by Debby herself were released within Passion Fruit itself. In 2006, Debby St. Maarten planned a comeback as mentioned in the 2006 Passion Fruit special on ZDF in Germany, which aired on November 6. She had recorded some songs for her comeback, one of those being called "Girls" which can be heard at the beginning and end of the ZDF special. However, due to her injuries and other personal reasons Debby wasn't ready for her big comeback. Her management postponed the project that they decided to postpone until late 2007, however time went on and Debby never picked back up where she left off. It is uncertain when and if she will in the future. She currently lives in Zoetermeer in the Netherlands, and she still has to take weekly treatments for the injuries.Albums
- Spanglish Love Affairs (10 April 2000)
- 1. Wonderland (Radio Mix)
- 2. Rigga Ding Dong Song (Radio Edit)
- 3. Sun Fun Baby
- 4. Do You Remember
- 5. Xl Holiday
- 6. Tangomania
- 7. Hot Tongue Twister (Vamonos)
- 8. Let’s Go Crazy
- 9. Passion Gang (Ladadi)
- 10. Space Attack
- 11. I Feel So Blue
- 12. Shine On
- 13. Wonderland (Bonus)
- Bongo Man (Unreleased 2nd Album)
- 1.Bongo Man (Radio Edit)
- 2.I'm Dreaming Of...A White Christmas (Video Edit)
The album was never finished due to the planecrash on 24 November 2001.
- Debby St.Maarten - Girls (Unreleased)
- 1.Girls (Radio Edit)
- 2.Girls (Extended Edit)
The comeback CD was never finished due to Debby's treatments and personal issues around that time.
Singles
| Release Date | Title | Highest Chart Position | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
CH Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
NL Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
||||||||
| 24 June 1999 | The Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song | 9 | 7 | 9 | 15 | |||||
| 6 March 2000 | Wonderland | 22 | 69 | 11 | — | |||||
| 5 June 2000 | Sun Fun Baby (Looky Looky) | 34 | 81 | 33 | — | |||||
| 25 June 2001 | Bongo Man | 35 | 81 | 44 | — | |||||
| 3 December 2001 | I’m Dreaming of…A Winter Wonderland I’m Dreaming of…A Winter Wonderland "I'm Dreaming Of...A Winter Wonderland" is the fifth singles album release by Passion Fruit. It was to have been released on a 2nd album by Passion Fruit along with "Bongo Man" which would've started their career under the label Edel, but the album was never finished due to a plane crash on 24... |
72 | 56 | 63 | — | |||||
Music videos
Below is a list of music videos of Passion Fruit.- Rigga Ding Dong Song
- Sun Fun Baby
- Wonderland
- Bongo Man
- I'm Dreaming Of...A White Christmas
- I'm Dreaming Of...A Winter Wonderland
Second album release and unreleased single
Passion Fruit was working on their second studio album in 2001 shortly before the crash. Only two singles were recorded during the period: "Bongo Man" and "I'm Dreaming Of...A White Christmas". The new album was supposed to be a start for a new career under the label name Edel. Both singles were released on separate singles albums in December 2001. The single "Bongo Man" was released on the singles CD with the same name with mixes and featuring the song "Passion Gang" as a bonus track. The other single, "I'm Dreaming Of...A White Christmas", was released on a singles CD called "I'm Dreaming Of...A Winter Wonderland" featuring the song and a different version of it called "I'm Dreaming Of...A Winter Wonderland" with the same lyrics but different chorus lines, and featured two mixes of the Winter Wonderland version.The single "P.A.S.S.I.O.N." was recorded by the first line-up in 1999 for the album Spanglish Love Affairs, but was later cut. It was later released on the singles CD Sun Fun Baby (Looky Looky) as a bonus track.