La Bouche
La Bouche | |
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  Original members Melanie Thornton & Lane McCray | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | officiallabouche |
La Bouche (pronounced [la buʃ]) is a German-American music duo. Formed by music producer Frank Farian in 1994, the duo originally comprised Lane McCray and Melanie Thornton.
The duo began their musical career as part of Groovin' Affairs, a German band. After years of limited success, McCray and Thornton were signed to Frank Farian's music label MCI Records, distributed by Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). After gaining recognition with the top-charting single "Sweet Dreams", they released their best-selling album Sweet Dreams (1995), which spawned the international Top 10 single "Be My Lover".[1] Friction between Farian and the distributor label BMG resulted in La Bouche's follow-up album, A Moment of Love (1997), performing less successful than its predecessor, respectively. After the poor performance of the second album, Thornton embarked on a solo career and was briefly replaced by Natascha Wright in 2000.
Thornton's debut solo album, Ready to Fly, was released in May 2001 on X-Cell Records. However several months later in November 2001, Thornton was killed in a plane crash in Bassersdorf, Switzerland. Following the news of Thornton's death, McCray stopped performing and went on a musical hiatus. In 2007, McCray reformed La Bouche with several female counterparts including Kayo Shekoni, Dana Rayne, Deidra Jones, Sophie Cairo, Belle Johnson, and Melissa Bonilla.
La Bouche has sold over 12 million records worldwide. La Bouche has received several accolades, including a Echo Award, a Goldene Europa, and three MTV Video Music Awards nominations.
History
1992–1994: Early beginnings and Groovin' Affairs
After traveling to Germany to pursue a music career February 1992, Melanie Thornton formed a R&B band called Groovin' Affairs.[2] The group began performing locally in various parts of Germany.[2] During one of the group's tours, one of the band members was unable to continue performing and recommended Lane McCray as his replacement.[2][3] After McCray became a permanent member of the band, Thornton began doing studio session work for several production companies including Click Productions.[2] One of the demo songs "Sweet Dreams" was sent to music producer Frank Farian and the remaining song "Tonight Is the Night" was released on Logic Records under the group name Le Click.[2] Upon receiving the song, Farian asked Thornton if she knew of a male rapper to join her as if he was only interested in signing a male/female duo to his label.[2] Originally Robert Haynes, the rapper on the song "Sweet Dreams", was asked to join Melanie but Haynes declined as he only wanted to be a music producer and songwriter.[4] After Thornton later brought in Lane McCray, the group was signed to Farian's music label MCI Records as La Bouche.[2] The name stemmed from their music producers watching Melanie sing in studio sessions and noticing that her was really big when she was singing.[3] One of the producers thought of "la bouche", which means "the mouth" in French.[3]
1994–1996: Sweet Dreams
On 13 April 1994, La Bouche released their debut single, titled "Sweet Dreams". The song, which features vocals from Thornton and rap vocals from session rapper Robert Haynes, became their first major hit, peaking in the top ten in various countries. The song preceded their debut studio album, Sweet Dreams, which was released on 12 June 1995. The album is a mixture of Eurodance and R&B, and its production was overseen by Frank Farian. Sweet Dreams peaked at number twenty-eight on the Billboard 200 and number three on the German Albums chart.[5] The album's second single, "Be My Lover" became international success, selling over six million copies worldwide and peaking at number one in various European countries including Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, and Sweden. "Be My Lover" also won an ASCAP award for the "Most Played Song in America", as well as an Echo Award for "Best National Dance Single" in 1996.[6]
La Bouche's success continued with the release of the singles "Fallin' in Love" and "I Love to Love"; the latter of which earned a certified gold record by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[7] By September 1996, the album Sweet Dreams had sold millions of copies worldwide. In December 1996, they issued a remix album titled All Mixed Up, which also included "Tonight Is the Night"; which had been released under Le Click with Thornton's vocals.[8]
1996–2003: A Moment of Love, Melanie Thornton's departure, and aftermath
Frank Farian began to shift his focus away from La Bouche to concentrate on his other music acts including No Mercy.[8] La Bouche release a single "Forget Me Nots", a cover of Patrice Rushen's song, but the single failed to chart. They follow-upped with the release of another single "Bolingo (Love Is in the Air)" in October 1996, which landed in the top twenty of a few European countries. In May 1997, La Bouche released the lead single, "You Won't Forget Me", from their forthcoming album. The song managed to chart within the top thirty of a few countries but ultimately considered a minor success when the song failed to rise to the level of "Sweet Dreams" and "Be My Lover".[8] The duo's second album, A Moment of Love, was released in November 1997. Attempting to appeal to the American market, the album featured a lighter sound than the standard Eurodance sound.[8] Despite this, the album was not considered a commercial success. The album's singles "A Moment of Love" and "S.O.S." failed to chart when tensions between Frank Farian and record company BMG began to surface.[8] BMG withdrew their financial marketing of the album A Moment of Love.[8]
In February 2000, Thornton left La Bouche to focus on her solo career and was replaced with South American singer Natascha Wright. Wright's debut vocals are featured on the single "All I Want", released in August 2000.[9] Wright was later dismissed from La Bouche after due to her limited vocal ability and work ethic.[10][11] She was replaced by Sweden singer Kayo Shekoni, a familiar singer from Le Click.[11] By May 2001, Melanie Thornton had released her debut solo album Ready to Fly on X-Cell Records. Her album was a success in Germany and Switzerland, achieving gold certifications in both countries.[12][13] While promoting her album on tour, she made her final performance in Leipzig on 24 November 2001. Several hours later, Thornton took a flight from Berlin to Zürich, Switzerland on Crossair Flight #3597 for upcoming nightclub performances and television appearances, however she was among several passengers killed when the plane crashed into a hill in a local forest in the town of Bassersdorf, Switzerland.[14][15] In May 2002, Frank Farian released a compilation album titled Best of La Bouche feat. Melanie Thornton.[16] The compilation album spawned a single "In Your Life", an previously unreleased song featuring Thornton's vocals, which was released on anniversary on her death. Shortly after, McCray disbanded La Bouche and went on hiatus.
2007–present: Lineup changes and recent projects
In 2007, McCray attempted to return to music and reformed La Bouche. After reaching out to management who told him that La Bouche had died with Melanie Thornton, he reunited his former manager Ruben Martinez and began performing again.[11] While working under the same management, McCray was introduced to singer Dana Rayne a few hours before an upcoming show in Orlando, Florida.[10] After rehearsing for a few hours, the duo made their first performance together on-stage.[10] Rayne toured as the female vocalist of the music duo until 2014.[11] She departed from La Bouche in favor of starting a family.[11] With Rayne's departure, Kayo Shekoni briefly re-joined La Bouche.[11] In 2015, Shekoni was briefly replaced with Deidra Jones for a few performances. The following year, Hungarian singer Sophie Cairo joined the lineup. The duo released two singles titled "Sweet Dreams 2017" (2017) and "Night after Night" (2018).
In 2020, La Bouche released several singles: "One Night in Heaven",[17] "Rhythm of Love",[18] "Ringing the Bells of Christmas".[19] In 2022, Cairo left the group and was replaced by Belle Johnson, who performed with La Bouche until 2024. In December 2023, Kayo Shekoni rejoined and toured with the group throughout 2024. In 2025, Dana Rayne and Melissa Bonilla began alternating as the female vocalists of La Bouche.
Legacy
La Bouche has sold over 12 million records worldwide.[8] They have received several accolades, including a Echo Award and a Goldene Europa. Furthermore, they have garnered three MTV Video Music Awards nominations.
Members
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Discography
Studio albums
| Album | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [20] |
AUT | FIN | NLD | NOR | NZ | SWE | SWI | US | ||||||
| Sweet Dreams | 10 | 9 | 2 | 41 | 26 | 6 | 29 | 2 | 28 | |||||
| A Moment of Love S.O.S. (US version) |
|
— | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | 40 | 194 | ||||
| "—" denotes studio albums that did not chart. | ||||||||||||||
Remix albums
- All Mixed Up (1996)
Compilation albums
- Best of La Bouche feat. Melanie Thornton (2002)
- Greatest Hits (2007)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER [28] |
AUS [20] |
AUT [29] |
FRA [29] |
ITA [30] |
NLD [29] |
SWI [29] |
SWE [29] |
UK [31] |
US [32] | ||||
| 1994 | "Sweet Dreams (Ola Ola E)" | 8 | 8 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 31 | 5 | 13 | 44 | 13 | Sweet Dreams | |
| 1995 | "Be My Lover" | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 6 | ||
| "Fallin' in Love" | 13 | 39 | 13 | 24 | 13 | — | 19 | 13 | 43 | 111 | |||
| "I Love to Love" | 21 | 6 | 19 | 27 | 19 | 30 | 42 | — | — | — |
| ||
| 1996 | "Forget Me Nots" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Bolingo (Love Is in the Air)" | 26 | — | — | — | 19 | — | 15 | 15 | — | — | S.O.S. | ||
| 1997 | "You Won't Forget Me" | 29 | 80 | — | 28 | — | — | — | 24 | — | 48 | A Moment of Love | |
| 1998 | "A Moment of Love" | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | ||
| 1999 | "S.O.S." | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000 | "All I Want" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| 2002 | "In Your Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017 | "Sweet Dreams 2017" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018 | "Night After Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020 | "One Night in Heaven" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 1995
|
Best Dance Act | La Bouche | Nominated | |
| Breakthrough Artist | La Bouche | Nominated | |||
| Goldene Europa | Best Duo/Group | La Bouche | Won | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 1996
|
Best Dance Video | "Be My Lover" | Nominated | |
| Echo Awards | Best National Dance Single | "Be My Lover" | Won | ||
| ASCAP Awards | Most Played Song in America | "Be My Lover" | Won |
References
- ^ IMO Records. "La Bouche Biography" Deprecated link archived 2012-08-02 at archive.today, IMO Records' Retrieved on 08 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "'Fallin in Love' with La Bouche". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 28. 15 July 1995. p. 28. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ a b c La Bouche sings it like it is. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved on 19 March 2026
- ^ Chisolm, Lois (2014). Sweet Dreams Fulfilled, The Melanie Thornton Story.
- ^ La Bouche - Sweet Dreams album . Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved on 19 March 2026
- ^ a b c "Echo 1996 - The Winners" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 10. 9 March 1996. p. 15. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1996". ARIA. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Move Your Body (2 The 90's). BoD - Books on Demand. 2020. p. 45-46. ISBN 9789528026303.
- ^ La Bouche - All I Want (Single). AllMusic. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ a b c Sweet dreams: An interview with La Bouche. Go Pride. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ a b c d e f Stars of '90s Dance Pop. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. 2016. p. 130. ISBN 9781476667560.
- ^ Melanie Thornton - Ready to Fly Germany certification. Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ Melanie Thornton - Ready to Fly Germany certification. Hit Parade. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ "Melanie Thornton, 34; Singer With La Bouche Pop Duo Dies in Crash". Los Angeles Times. 27 November 2001.
- ^ "US singer dead in Swiss crash". BBC News. 26 November 2001.
- ^ Best of La Bouche album. AllMusic. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ La Bouche - One Night in Heaven - EP. Apple Music. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ La Bouche - Rhythm of Love - Single. Apple Music. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ La Bouche - Ringing the Bells of Christmas - Single. Apple Music. Retrieved on 20 March 2026
- ^ a b Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Discography La Bouche". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- Top 100 peaks: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (La Bouche)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ Music Canada: Certifications Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Certifications Albums Or – année 1995". Disque en France. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Vuonna myönnetyt kulta- ja platinalevyt: La Bouche". IFPI (Finland). Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "AWARDS 1995". IFPI (Switzerland). Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Les charts français". Lescharts.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single". Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 310. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "La Bouche chart history". Billboard.com. n.d. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "BVMI - Datenbank". Musikindustrie.de. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Be My Lover')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ "British certifications – La Bouche". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 June 2025. Type La Bouche in the "Search:" field.
- ^ Austrian certifications ifpi.at Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 28 July 2008)
- ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com Archived 2007-07-01 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 28 July 2008)
- ^ French certifications Disqueenfrance.com Archived 2011-12-12 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 28 July 2008)
- ^ November Awards Abound: Billboard Vid, MTV Europe. Billboard. Retrieved on April 1, 2026
- ^ Market Watch. Billboard. Retrieved on April 1, 2026
- ^ Pumpkin leads MTV Video Awards Noms. Billboard. Retrieved on April 1, 2026
