Louise Redknapp

While out clubbing at the age of 15, Redknapp met the music producer Denis Ingoldsby, who was forming an all-girl group.[3][6] She subsequently introduced Denis to Kéllé Bryan.[6][7] Kéllé and Redknapp, together with sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, formed the band Eternal in 1992.[6] The group performed R&B, and recorded a number of hits during the 1990s.[8] Eternal's debut single "Stay" entered the UK charts at number sixteen and climbed to number four.[2] Redknapp left the group in 1995 to pursue a solo career,[9] amid unsubstantiated rumours that she was forced to leave because a radio station in the United States dedicated to black music would not promote the racially mixed group.[10] Redknapp says that she left because she was miserable and homesick.[4]

In late 1995, Redknapp signed a record deal with First Avenue management and EMI Records. Now professionally known simply as "Louise", her debut solo single was the orchestral ballad "Light of My Life" (which reached number eight on the UK charts). Her second solo release, "In Walked Love" (previously a hit from the self-titled 1992 album by the dance/pop group Exposé), fared less well and missed the UK top ten. However, Redknapp's third single, "Naked", turned things around and became her biggest hit to date, peaking at number five in the UK. Redknapp's debut solo album, also entitled Naked, was subsequently released in 1996 on the back of the single's success. The album received lukewarm reviews, but nevertheless peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart. It was later certified Platinum by the BPI for over 400,000 copies sold in the UK alone and over a million copies worldwide. Two further singles were released: "Undivided Love" (UK No. 5) and "One Kiss from Heaven" (UK No. 9).

In 1997, Redknapp returned with the single "Arms Around the World", which reached number four in the UK. Her second solo album, Woman in Me, peaked at number five in the UK and went on to gain platinum status in the UK and sold over a million units worldwide. The album also made an impact across Europe, charting in a number of countries. To support and celebrate the success of the album, Redknapp embarked on a UK-wide 'sell-out' arena tour of over twenty dates, including Wembley Arena. "Let's Go Round Again" (a cover of a song by the Average White Band) was the second single released from the album, which reached number ten. She was voted "Sexiest Woman in the World" by the readers of SKY Magazine in 1997.[11]

At the start of 1998, Redknapp's career was at a high point: her second album had gone platinum, she was on the cover of magazines such as Smash Hits and GQ, and she had been voted Sexiest Woman in the World by the readers of FHM magazine.

In 1998, Redknapp focused on making what she described as her "most personal album to date", Elbow Beach, released in 2000. Redknapp was more involved in the process of this album than her previous two, co-writing all 12 tracks and co-producing most of them.

The lead single from Elbow Beach, the R&B-styled "2 Faced" went straight into the charts at number three, and became Redknapp's highest-charting single. Despite initial hype and critical praise, total sales for Elbow Beach were weaker than the previous two productions, and the album peaked at number twelve. The same year, Redknapp was hired to 'sex up' the 2000 National Egg Awareness Campaign.

After Elbow Beach was released, Redknapp had one album left on her five-album deal with EMI (including Eternal's Always and Forever). In 2001, the label decided to release a greatest hits compilation, incorporating all of her top ten hit singles (including those she had performed with Eternal), called Changing Faces – The Best of Louise. The collection featured three new tracks, including a cover of Five Star's 1987 hit "The Slightest Touch". The album peaked at number nine in the UK, and she embarked on the second solo tour of her career.

EMI later released a second greatest hits album entitled Finest Moments, with a slightly different track listing.

In 2002, Redknapp signed a £1.5 million contract with her manager Oliver Smallman's Positive Records (a division of Universal Music) to record her fourth solo album. The album was due for release in 2004 alongside the single "Bounce Back". However, due to the singer becoming pregnant with her son Charley, the album was never released. The only single released from the album was the double A-side "Pandora's Kiss"/"Don't Give Up", which peaked at number five and raised money for Tickled Pink/Breast Cancer Care. The unreleased album saw Redknapp work with the likes of Sylvia Bennett Smith and Marc 'M2E' Smith, Mark Hill and Pete Martin. The album would also have included Redknapp's first duet with boy band 3rd Wish on the track "Don't Ever Change". In the July 2004 edition of FHM magazine, Redknapp was named the "Sexiest Woman of the Decade".[12][13]

In August 2017, Redknapp posted a picture of herself in the recording studio on her Instagram account, showing that she had been working on new music. On 13 September 2017, Redknapp revealed she would be returning to the music industry by announcing her first live show in more than 15 years at Under The Bridge in London on 22 December 2017. Titled 'Intimate & Live', the show had enough demand for tickets selling out in under 5 minutes, leading promoters and Redknapp to announce additional dates for January 2018 in Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham. On 1 February 2018, Warner/Chappell UK confirmed Redknapp had signed a deal with them to release new material later in the year.[14] In February 2019, Redknapp announced she had signed a global record deal with ADA / Warner Music. On 25 March 2019, Redknapp announced that her fourth solo album Heavy Love would be released on 18 October 2019. The lead single, "Stretch", was released on 26 March 2019 to critical acclaim. She then released follow-up singles "Lead Me On", "Small Talk", "Breaking Back Together", "Not the Same" and "Hurt" as a bonus single after announcing Heavy Love was to be pushed back to a 2020 release.

On 10 November 2022, Redknapp released the single "Super Magic".[15][16][17] In an interview with Fault magazine, Redknapp shared, "I wanted to make music I loved rather than just ticking a box for what worked in the industry. I think I’ve forever had to fight to prove myself [...] I’m still fighting to prove myself. I feel that the hardest hurdle is to keep on knocking down those doors to prove myself."[18] "Super Magic" is Redknapp's first release under BMG.[19] It debuted at number 89 on the UK Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 on 18 November 2022.[20]

On 12 January 2023, Redknapp announced that her Greatest Hits collection, spanning thirty years in the music industry, would be released in June 2023. The compilation will contain five new songs, including a cover of Janet Jackson's 1997 single "Together Again".[21][22][23] In the same month, Louise revealed she had been cast as Teen Angel in the summer 2023 production of Grease.[24] Louise released reimagined versions of her singles "Just A Step From Heaven" and "Naked" as promotional singles from her Greatest Hits compilation.[25][26] Her single "High Hopes" was released on 27 April 2023.[27] On 1 June 2023, Louise performed in concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire;[28][29] Michelle Gayle appeared as a guest and former Eternal bandmate Kéllé Bryan made a surprise appearance on stage to perform 1994 single "Crazy".[30] Louise's compilation album Greatest Hits was released on 2 June 2023.[31]

On 25 September 2023, it was reported that Louise and her former bandmate Kéllé Bryan had pulled out of a planned Eternal reunion tour scheduled for 2024 after a row occurred because their former bandmates, sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, refused to play at LGBTQ and Pride events.[32]