Kéllé Bryan

Kéllé Bryan (born 12 March 1975, in Lewisham, London, England) is a a British singer turned actress and television personality, best known as a member of the girl group Eternal.

Biography

Aged 11, Bryan joined the Italia Conti Academy stage school, where she completed eight years of performing arts and qualified as a dance teacher. On her first day at Italia Conti, Kelle met Louise Nurding - the pair spent almost everyday together for ten years, and remain friends today. While out illegally clubbing aged sixteen one night, the pair met record producer Denis Ingoldsby, who was forming a girl band

In 1993 Bryan and Nurding, together with sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett formed the 1990s award-winning, multi-million selling, chart-topping British R&B girl group Eternal. Eternal sold millions of albums and had many international hits, including 16 consecutive top 15 UK chart singles such as "Stay", "Just a Step from Heaven", "Oh Baby I", "Power of a Woman", "I Am Blessed", "Someday", "Don't You Love Me", "I Wanna Be the Only One" and "Angel of Mine".

After Louise Nurding left Eternal in 1995 to pursue a solo career, the three members continued to enjoy success as a three piece until 1997 when, after the release of their multi-million selling greatest hits package, the Bennett sisters sacked Kelle via a letter from their solicitor. Following her departure from Eternal, Kéllé signed a £1.2 million deal with Mercury Records and began work on her debut solo album, Breakfast In Bed.

Kéllé's first release from the album was the euphoric gospel track "Higher Than Heaven", that charted at an impressive number fourteen in the UK and was a massive hit on the R&B chart

A year later, this was followed by a second single, an accoustic, mid-tempo feel-good track called "I Wanna Know".

Unfortunately, following Kéllé's diagnoisis with lupus, she felt she was unable to complete the promotional obligations connected to the release of the album and decided to leave the label.

Because of this, the album has remained unheard until now. Click here to visit Kéllé's MySpace page to stream clips from the album and click the links below to hear to watch the brilliant videos to "Higher Than Heaven" and "I Wanna Know". In 2008, she contributed backing vocals to "I Found Love", the debut single by Lankai.

Non-singing career

Before finding success with Eternal, Bryan worked as an actor. She has appeared in ITV's The Bill, and on 31 March 1992 she appeared as Debbie in BBC's EastEnders—a college friend of Lloyd Tavernier (Garey Bridges). For a period Bryan hosted the music programme The N List for Nickelodeon with Dave Berry, but in the main concentrated on recovering from her health problems. She excelled in kick-boxing and launched a management company, "Red Hot Entertainment".

In 2004 Bryan appeared as a contestant on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link and in April 2005 performed as a guest in a school charity concert, organised by students, in aid of St. Thomas' Lupus Trust. At Christmas in 2005 she appeared as "Jill" in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at Buxton Opera House. In the summer of 2006 she was a contestant on Love Island 2, finishing as the female runner-up. In November 2006, Bryan presented the Urban Music Awards 2006 with Ras Kwame. In December 2006, Bryan appeared in Cinderella, at the Catford Theatre in London.

Bryan has hosted ITV Play's phone-in quiz programme Glitterball in 2007, and has recently been seen in a short run of Angie Le Mar's The Brothers at Hackney Empire opposite Richard Blackwood and Chucky Venice.

Personal life

Outlandish comedian Russell Brand dated both Bryan and her future band mate Louise Nurding while at Italia Conti academy. Bryan's other friends include actress Michelle Gayle, Big Brother runner-up Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and boxer Chris Eubank.