Twenty 4 Seven
Encyclopedia
Twenty 4 Seven is a Eurodance
act, created by Dutch record producer
Ruud van Rijen in 1989. Active sporadically ever since, the act has featured nine different vocalists, has performed across Europe
and Africa
, and as of 2010 is fronted by Li Ann and Stacey "Stay-C" Paton.
One of the earliest popular Eurodance
projects, the project originated as a hip hop
group, and transitioned to the mainstream Eurodance sound in the early 90s with Slave to the Music
, the band's most successful single to date. The group originally featured rapper Tony Dawson-Harrison, who created the Captain Hollywood Project
in 1992.
project. To set Twenty 4 Seven apart from other similar groups, van Rijen decided to hire female singer Nancy Coolen
. The combination of traditional rapping with female choruses proved to be a success, with their first single, "I Can't Stand It!" reaching #7 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1990. The next single, "Are You Dreaming", did similarly well, reaching #17 in the United Kingdom. In mid-1990, Street Moves, the project's debut album, was released.
By 1990, rappers MC Fixx it and Hanks & Janks had stopped contributing to the group altogether, and by 1991, Dawson-Harrison left the group after a dispute with van Rijen to front Captain Hollywood Project
, his already successful solo project. After Dawson-Harrison's departure, Twenty 4 Seven remained dormant for several years.
. In late 1993, Is It Love, a full length studio album, was released worldwide, and was accompanied by a worldwide tour with stops in Europe
, Australia
, and Africa
.
After the success of Is It Love, the band quickly capitalized on their success by readying material for another new album. In 1994, "Oh Baby!" and "Keep on Tryin'" were released. Although the singles did not chart in the United Kingdom, where they had experienced large success before, the band continued its success throughout the rest of Europe. After both singles were released, the band released I Wanna Show You, their third studio album, in mid-1994. After several live performances across Europe, the band once again went silent, releasing no new material for the next two years.
and Netherlands
, but was unable to continue the band's large success.
In 1997, "If You Want My Love" and "Friday Night" were released, with both songs charting poorly in countries where they had once experienced success. Although the Netherlands remained a constant area of success for the band, interest throughout the rest of Europe had waned considerably. Following a few live performances and the release of the band's fourth studio album, 24 Hours 7 Days A Week, Stella left the group, leaving Paton the lone collaborator with van Rijen.
In 1999, the band released "Ne Ne", a brand new single, which failed to enter even the Dutch charts. After three years on the decline, van Rijen finally decided to put the group to rest in late 1999.
cover of the Berlin
song "Like Flames
". The song entered the Dutch charts in November at #45, and peaked at #20 in late 2007. Although the group announced they would soon be performing live again, nothing materialized. Following the single's success, Elle left the group.
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...
act, created by Dutch record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Ruud van Rijen in 1989. Active sporadically ever since, the act has featured nine different vocalists, has performed across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and as of 2010 is fronted by Li Ann and Stacey "Stay-C" Paton.
One of the earliest popular Eurodance
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...
projects, the project originated as a hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group, and transitioned to the mainstream Eurodance sound in the early 90s with Slave to the Music
Slave to the music
Originally released in 1993 by Twenty 4 Seven. Covered by Nick Skitz in 2003.-Track listing:# "Skitz Airplay Mixx"# "S-Cape Radio Edit"# "DJ Schwede Radio Edit"# "Skitz Clubb Mixx"# "S-Cape Extended Remix"# "DJ Schwede Remix"# "Question Mark"...
, the band's most successful single to date. The group originally featured rapper Tony Dawson-Harrison, who created the Captain Hollywood Project
Captain Hollywood Project
Captain Hollywood Project is a German Eurodance project fronted by Tony Dawson Harrison.Harrison, a United States Army captain, was nicknamed Captain Hollywood, because he danced even when in uniform. He first started in the break dance scene in Europe as he performed on early '80s music TV shows...
in 1992.
Formation and Street Moves
Twenty 4 Seven was founded in 1989, when Dutch producer Ruud van Rijen hired rappers Tony Dawson-Harrison, Hanks & Jacks, and MC Fixxit to front a new danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
project. To set Twenty 4 Seven apart from other similar groups, van Rijen decided to hire female singer Nancy Coolen
Nancy Coolen
Nancy Anna Francina Coolen, known as Nance is a Dutch TV host who was previously the lead-singer of a Eurodance group called Twenty 4 Seven....
. The combination of traditional rapping with female choruses proved to be a success, with their first single, "I Can't Stand It!" reaching #7 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1990. The next single, "Are You Dreaming", did similarly well, reaching #17 in the United Kingdom. In mid-1990, Street Moves, the project's debut album, was released.
By 1990, rappers MC Fixx it and Hanks & Janks had stopped contributing to the group altogether, and by 1991, Dawson-Harrison left the group after a dispute with van Rijen to front Captain Hollywood Project
Captain Hollywood Project
Captain Hollywood Project is a German Eurodance project fronted by Tony Dawson Harrison.Harrison, a United States Army captain, was nicknamed Captain Hollywood, because he danced even when in uniform. He first started in the break dance scene in Europe as he performed on early '80s music TV shows...
, his already successful solo project. After Dawson-Harrison's departure, Twenty 4 Seven remained dormant for several years.
Slave to the Music and height of popularity
In 1993, Twenty 4 Seven returned with "Slave to the Music", which charted impressively throughout Europe. The band quickly followed with "Is It Love", "Leave Them Alone", and "Take Me Away", the latter charting at #5 in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In late 1993, Is It Love, a full length studio album, was released worldwide, and was accompanied by a worldwide tour with stops in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
After the success of Is It Love, the band quickly capitalized on their success by readying material for another new album. In 1994, "Oh Baby!" and "Keep on Tryin'" were released. Although the singles did not chart in the United Kingdom, where they had experienced large success before, the band continued its success throughout the rest of Europe. After both singles were released, the band released I Wanna Show You, their third studio album, in mid-1994. After several live performances across Europe, the band once again went silent, releasing no new material for the next two years.
Lineup changes and decline
In 1996, the band returned featuring a new female vocalist, Stella, to replace veteran member Nancy Coolen, who had walked out on the group in favor of a solo career. The first single featuring Stella's vocals, "We Are The World", managed to break charts in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Netherlands
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...
, but was unable to continue the band's large success.
In 1997, "If You Want My Love" and "Friday Night" were released, with both songs charting poorly in countries where they had once experienced success. Although the Netherlands remained a constant area of success for the band, interest throughout the rest of Europe had waned considerably. Following a few live performances and the release of the band's fourth studio album, 24 Hours 7 Days A Week, Stella left the group, leaving Paton the lone collaborator with van Rijen.
In 1999, the band released "Ne Ne", a brand new single, which failed to enter even the Dutch charts. After three years on the decline, van Rijen finally decided to put the group to rest in late 1999.
New faces and sound
After nearly a decade of silence, Twenty 4 Seven was revived in 2007 by van Rijen, who had collaborated with vocalist Elle to create a jumpstyleJumpstyle
Jumpstyle is a rave dance and electronic music genre mainly practiced in Europe, specifically Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, northern France, and a few parts in the United States, specifically Indiana. The dance is also called Jumpen...
cover of the Berlin
Berlin (band)
Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...
song "Like Flames
Like Flames
"Like Flames" is a single released by Twenty 4 Seven on October 2007, the song was a House remix of the 1986 song by Berlin, it had featured the singer Elle ....
". The song entered the Dutch charts in November at #45, and peaked at #20 in late 2007. Although the group announced they would soon be performing live again, nothing materialized. Following the single's success, Elle left the group.
Lineup changes, returns and Slave to the Music 2010
In 2010, van Rijen announced that Stacey Paton had returned to the group, along with two new vocalists, Li Ann and Miss Cherry. In July 2010, van Rijen announced a brand new version of "Slave to the Music", titled "Slave to the Music 2010", would be released in late 2010. Following the recording of the single, Miss Cherry ended her involvement with the group, which was promptly re-recorded with only Li Ann and Stacey's voices. Although a teaser video was released in December 2010 with a "coming soon" teaser banner, no information about the exact release of the single has been released.Singles
| Year | Title | NL | CH | SE | A | AU | BE | FR | NZ | NO | D | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "I Can't Stand It!" | 17 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 22 | 3 | Gold: Spain, Italy, Germany, Scandinavian | |||
| 1990 | "Are You Dreaming?" | 18 | 4 | 22 | 16 | |||||||
| 1992 | "It Could Have Been You" | |||||||||||
| 1993 | "Slave to the Music" | 6 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 8 | Gold: Germany, Poland - Platinum: Australia | ||||
| 1993 | "Is It Love" | 6 | 24 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 5 | Gold: Germany | ||||
| 1994 | "Take Me Away" | 11 | 41 | 23 | 28 | 14 | ||||||
| 1994 | "Leave Them Alone" | 9 | 34 | 23 | 36 | |||||||
| 1994 | "Oh Baby" | 26 | 37 | 33 | ||||||||
| 1995 | "Keep On Tryin'" | 29 | 23 | |||||||||
| 1996 | "We Are the World" | 39 | 67 | |||||||||
| 1997 | "If You Want My Love" | 77 | ||||||||||
| 1997 | "Friday Night" | |||||||||||
| 1999 | "Ne Ne" | |||||||||||
| 2007 | "Like Flames Like Flames "Like Flames" is a single released by Twenty 4 Seven on October 2007, the song was a House remix of the 1986 song by Berlin, it had featured the singer Elle .... " |
20 | ||||||||||
| 2011 | "Slave To The Music Reloaded" |
Studio albums
| Year | Title | NL | CH | SE | A | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Street Moves | 25 | 50 | |||
| 1993 | Slave to the Music | 22 | 17 | 30 | 2x Platinum : South Africa - Platinum: Czech - Gold: Holland | |
| 1994 | I Wanna Show You | 64 | 31 | Gold: South Africa | ||
| 1997 | Twenty 4 Hours a Day, Seven Days a Week |