Mel and Kim

Mel and Kim (stylized as MӗL & KIM) were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Melanie lost her battle with cancer in January 1990 at the age of 23.

The duo reached number one in the UK Singles Chart with their 1987 single "Respectable",<ref name=uk/> which also topped the US dance chart.<ref name=dance/> They had three other UK Top 10 hits with "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" (1986), "F.L.M." (1987) and "That's the Way It Is" (1988).<ref name=uk/> In 1988, they were nominated for a Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act. After Mel's death, Kim embarked on a solo career and had two UK Top 10 hits with "Don't Worry" (1990) and "G.L.A.D." (1991).

History

Mel & Kim were born to English and Jamaican parents. In 1985, Mel recorded two demos solo, under Alan Whitehead's management. Soon after, her sister Kim joined her and they performed as a duo, recording some demos. The demos got them signed with Supreme Records, and Nick East – president of Supreme – put them in touch with producers Stock Aitken Waterman. They were managed at the time by Alan Whitehead, but as soon as their first single charted he was sacked.

"I remember we were shocked that these were the guys who produced the Princess track "Say I'm Your Number One" because we were expecting someone like Quincy Jones," Kim said of her first meeting with the production team.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "We were convinced that they had some young groovy guy who was doing all the work, and they were just fronting it."<ref name=":0" />

A sedate soul-pop track "System" was intended as their first single, but their producers were unhappy with it, and it became the "B-side" of their first release "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)". After getting to know the girls, producer Pete Waterman became convinced the act's music should reflect their feisty and streetwise personalities, with the then-emerging Chicago House sound chosen as a perfect vehicle.<ref name=":0" />

"We got a call from Nick East, saying they had decided to scrap 'System' and we were devastated," Kim said. "We thought we had done something wrong, but he explained that after hanging with us in the pub, Pete went back to the studio the next day and said, we need something completely tough; we need something with an attitude."<ref name=":0" />

The reorientation worked; "Showing Out" reached number three on the British charts in 1986. It was a minor hit in America peaking at #78, but did peak at #1 on the Dance Chart there. Their next single "Respectable" reached number one in Britain, and sold in excess of 800,000 copies there.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "The follow up was genius," recalled Kim "It started to go global; 'Respectable' just took it to another level."<ref name=":1" /> The sisters became well-known celebrities in Europe, particularly in Britain, and were known for their visual style which combined urban street wear with high fashion (prior to their music career Mel had worked as a glamour model). Their third single "F.L.M." reached number seven in the UK, while their final single "That's the Way It Is" reached number ten, giving them an unbroken run of top ten hits in the UK.<ref name="uk" /> In February 1988, they were nominated for Best British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards, losing out to Wet Wet Wet.Template:Citation needed

In 1985, prior to the duo's recording career, Mel was treated for malignant paraganglioma,<ref name="Daily Express 25th Mar 1988">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a form of cancer, on her liver.<ref name=Trisha>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> By January 1987,<ref name="Daily Express 7th Jan 1987">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mel was experiencing back problems, delaying the filming of the "Respectable" music video.<ref name="Daily Express 6th Feb 1987">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During a promotional visit to Japan in June 1987, Mel's back pain worsened, rendering her unable to perform,<ref name=Trisha/> and she returned to the UK in a wheelchair.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A recurrence of the cancer was detected in Mel's spine after undergoing tests at Barts.<ref name=Trisha/> The sisters withdrew from publicity while Mel underwent treatment, while trying to keep the diagnosis secret from the public and many colleagues. Planned studio time with PWL engineer Yoyo, where the sisters intended to work on developing their own compositions, was cancelled.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Footage from their Montreux Festival performance was used to compile the "F.L.M." music video, with the sisters mainly represented by a pair of lookalike marionettes. While the media speculated that Mel was being treated for cancer, both sisters categorically denied this, stating that Mel had suffered a debilitating back injury.

Kim later confessed she was "devastated" by the widely-panned "F.L.M." video, having not been consulted on its contents, and only seeing it for the first time when it was aired on TV.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The singer, who said that her sister Mel was equally dissatisfied with the clip, added that she would have preferred that no video was released at all.<ref name=":2" /> Nick East retrospectively described the video as a "mistake."<ref name=":2" />

Mel and Kim released a new single in February 1988, "That's the Way It Is", becoming their fourth consecutive UK top 10 hit.<ref name=uk/> Mel discharged herself from hospital to record the vocals for the track.<ref name="pwl-empire.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The B-side, "You Changed My Life", was composed by the sisters during Mel's treatment and was submitted to the producers as a potential single.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Work on a second album produced by Stock Aitken Waterman was not continued, due to Mel's illness. Both sisters appeared on the Wogan show in April 1988 while Mel was still undergoing treatment, as part of European Cancer Week.<ref>Mel & Kim interview on the Wogan show, April 1988</ref> Later in late summer 1988, after Mel had finished chemotherapy, the duo appeared on Good Morning Britain to promote the need for teenage cancer wards in British hospitals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>

The sisters then again withdrew from publicity while writing songs for a second album; several of these songs later appeared on Kim's debut solo album. In a TV interview with Trisha Goddard in 2005, Kim revealed that she knew Mel's illness was terminal in mid-1989.<ref name=Trisha/> On 18 January 1990, Mel died suddenly of pneumonia after contracting a cold; her immune system weakened by chemotherapy.

In January 2018, the release of a previously unreleased unfinished demo track, "Where Is Love", was announced on the official Mel & Kim website. It was released in February 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After Mel and Kim

With the aid of her then boyfriend, ex-Bros bassist Craig Logan, Kim launched a solo career with much of her debut solo album composed of songs co-written with Mel, for what was intended to be the next "Mel and Kim" album. The album, Kim Appleby, contained her debut solo single "Don't Worry", which reached number two on the British charts in November 1990. A follow-up single "G.L.A.D" was also a UK Top 10 hit. Subsequent singles from her debut album were "Mama" [#19] and "If You Cared" [#44]. Kim's second album Breakaway was not a commercial success and had a limited release. She released three further singles, "Light of the World" [#41, 1993], "Breakaway" [#56, 1993], and "Free Spirit" [#51, 1994]. A download-only single called "High" was released in 2007.

In 2010, a deluxe double-disc edition of F.L.M. was released, which included extended bonus tracks as well as the single "That's The Way It Is" and various remixes of the original hits.

In October 2019, Cherry Red Records released a seven-disc Mel & Kim CD singles box set.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected details, chart positions, and certifications

Title	Details	Peak chart positions								Certifications
		UK <ref name=uk/>	AUS <ref name=aus/>	GER <ref name=ger/>	NLD <ref name=ned>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	NOR <ref name=nor>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	NZ <ref name=nz/>		SWE <ref name=swe>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	SWI <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
F.L.M.	Released: 13 April 1987 Label: Supreme	3	2	16	12	7	2	20	4	BPI: Platinum<ref name=bpi/>

Compilation albums

• The Best of Mel & Kim (1996)
• That's the Way It Is – The Best of Mel & Kim/Kim Appleby (2001)
• F.L.M. – The Best of Mel & Kim/Kim Appleby (2002)

Remix albums

• Something Special (1989)

Box sets

• The Singles Box Set (2019)

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions											Certifications	Album
		UK <ref name=uk>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	AUS <ref name=aus>Australian chart peaks: Template:Cite book N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988. "Showing Out": {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "Respectable": {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "F.L.M." (single): {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "That's the Way It Is": {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	BEL (FLA) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	FRA <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>			GER <ref name=ger>German chart peaks: "Showing Out": {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "Respectable": {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} F.L.M. (album): {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "F.L.M." (single): {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "That's the Way It Is": {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	IRE <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	NED <ref name=ned/>	NZ <ref name=nz>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	SWI <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	US <ref name=hot100>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	US Dance <ref name=dance>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
"Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)"	1986	3	12	1	18	1	—	1	8	1	78	1	BPI: Silver<ref name=bpi>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	F.L.M.
"Respectable"	1987	1	1	1	14	1	2	1	1	1	—	1	BPI: Gold<ref name=bpi/>
"F.L.M."		7	19	7	—	17	4	11	7	16	—	—
"I'm the One Who Really Loves You" Template:Small		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	11
"That's the Way It Is"	1988	10	28	4	36	18	11	5	10	9	—	9		Template:Non-album single
"More Than Words Can Say" Template:Small	1989	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Something Special
"Megamix Ninety!" Template:Small	1990	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		rowspan="2" Template:Non-album singles
"Where Is Love"	2018	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

External links

• Mel & Kim website
• Kim Appleby official website