Honeyz

Honeyz, a British R&B trio, weathered more frequent lineup shifts than Sugababes and Destiny's Child combined, yet ranked among the most commercially durable acts to emerge from the late-'90s girl-group wave. The act assembled in 1997 around Heavenli Abdi, Naima Belkhiati, and Celena Cherry. A year afterward they issued their first single, the U.K. number-four hit "Finally Found." Their immediate follow-up, "End of the Line," secured another Top Five placing. Once debut album Wonder No. 8 appeared, however, Abdi announced her exit so she could devote more time to her boyfriend, pop star and actor Matthew Marsden. Mariama Goodman, formerly of Solid HarmoniE, stepped in, allowing the revised lineup to release third single "Love of a Lifetime," which reached number nine. Fourth single "Never Let You Down" climbed to number seven. The album was then reissued with additional tracks; although it never rose above its prior number-33 peak, sales remained consistent enough that, by the arrival of final single "Won't Take It Lying Down" at number seven, more than 200,000 copies had sold. In summer 2000 Goodman departed, yet a chance meeting with Abdi restored the original trio. October of the same year brought "Not Even Gonna Trip," drawn from the Nutty Professor 2 soundtrack; it became the group's first single to miss the Top Ten, stalling at number 24. "I Don't Know" fared still worse, peaking at number 28 in 2001. A video was shot for "Talk to the Hand," but Mercury Records dropped the act before the track could be released. In June 2003 Celena Cherry joined forces with sister Alani to form Anotherside; their debut single, "This Is Your Night," failed to reach the Top 40. Early in 2005 the trio reassembled to record an Asian tsunami relief charity single and performed on the ITV series Hit Me Baby One More Time, a contest offering former pop acts a fresh recording contract. The group did not advance to the final, prompting Belkhiati to exit. Celena's other sister, Candii, took her place, and the revised lineup maintained a schedule of charity gigs throughout 2006. By year's end Abdi left for a second time, only to be succeeded once more by Goodman. Celena subsequently issued her self-titled debut album, a collection of re-recorded Honeyz songs alongside new material, through her official website.