- I5 (girl group)
Infobox musical artist
Name = I5
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Background = group_or_band
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Origin =United States
Genre = Pop
Years_active =2000 -2001
Label = Giant/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records
Associated_acts =
URL = See External Links
Past_members = Tal B. Hajek
Gaby Equiz
Kate Macalino
Christina Rumbley
Andi MurphyI5 was a US American-based
girl group whose name stood for International Five.History
In
2000 ,Giant Records , a mainlydance music label, sought to create agirl group to rival other such groups of the time, such as Dream,3LW , andEden's Crush . The label's hook for this new group would be that its members were international to appeal to a larger fan base. Auditions were held, and the five members selected represented five distinct nationalities.Kate Macalino, from the
Philippines , had worked as a model in her home country. Tal B. Hajek, fromIsrael , was a devoutJew who moved to theUSA in1997 and admired rock singers. Christina Rumbley, from the United States, had moved fromFlorida toLos Angeles to pursue a music career. Andi Murphy M. was from the UK and had a passion for dancing. Gaby Equiz, from Mexico, dreamed of fame. Together, these girls became the International 5, more commonly referred to as I5.In the spring of 2000, I5 was featured on the soundtrack to the dance film "
Center stage " with their song, "First Kiss." By the summer of 2000, the girls had almost completed their debut album and began touring with Nickelodeon's All That Music and More tour. On this tour, I5 promoted its single, "Distracted," which was written bySteve Kipner , who had previously written hits forChristina Aguilera ("Genie in a Bottle ") and Dream ("He Loves U Not ").On September 12th, 2000,
Giant Records released I5's self-titled CD. However, the label was not able to release any more singles or significantly promote the album due to its imminent folding. Once Giant Records folded,Warner Bros. Records , its parent, absorbed it, and I5 no longer had a label.Though the members of i5 initially sought a new record label, they failed to find one, and Tal, Gaby, Christina, Kate, and Andi parted ways in 2001.
After i5
After the
2001 disbanding of I5:* Kate is pursing acting, songwriting, and dance while attending college, and is currently working for a video game company. She has been doing lots of acting from stage to film, mostly musical theater, including the shows "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Godspell", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "The Pirates of Penzance", some student plays and films, and some dance concerts. In music, she has been writing some songs and collaborating with other songwriters, for future projects as well as her own solo project.
* Tal, along with her husband and guitarist Vee Vaknin, drummer Eran Cohen, and bassist
Pascual Romero , formed a rock band called Public Recipe, which performed around Los Angeles in the early 2000s and disbanded in 2004. Since then, Tal has worked on solo material, including a fusion of her nativeIsrael i and Hebrew music with rock music. She also had a stint as a VJ and TV host.* Christina eloped in 2000 when i5 served as the opening act for
boy band NSYNC . She has since had a daughter and a career in songwriting and voice-overs. Most notably, she is credited for writingLeAnn Rimes 's hit "Tic Toc." Since then, she has left the LA scene and moved to Asheville, NC, where she owns and operates a day spa called Spa Theology.* Andi owns a dance studio in Los Angeles called Penny Lane Dance Academy and is developing a children's television program.
* Gaby had a stint as a television host in
California for such programs as TMT and U4Ria. Though Gaby had previously been romantically connected to Ricky of boy bandNo Authority , they have since broken up. As of 2005, Gaby now lives inMexico . She currently owns her own dance studio, Alma Latina, and is a professional salsa dancer. She recently won the San Diego Salsa Competition of 2006.Trivia
* Some of i5's songs have been covered by other artists. "Cinderella" was covered by Swedish
girl group Play on its 2002 self-titled debut album. Later, the song was covered byDisney 'sthe Cheetah Girls , and also by Thai Pop SingerTata Young . "First Kiss" was covered by Philippine singerNina Girado . "If I Ever See Heaven Again" was covered byAmerican Idol season-three finalistJasmine Trias on her debut album.
* I5's song "Ladidi Ladida" was released previously on girl group S.O.A.P.'s 1998 album.
* I5's song "If I Ever See Heaven Again" (written byDiane Warren ) was originally recorded by Swedish singerJessica Folcker on her 1998 debut album, "Jessica".
* Gaby co-wrote two songs that appeared on i5's debut: "Sweet N Sassy" and "Scream Shout."Discography
Albums
* "I5" (2000)
ingles
* "Distracted" (2000)
External links
* [http://www.angelfire.com/indie/i5forever Fan site]
* [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/i5forever Fan forum]
* [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=I5&sql=11:travqj6lojaa~T0 i5 on All Music]
* [http://www.spatheology.com/ Christina's Spa Site]
* [http://www.talb.tv/intro.htm Tal B's official site]
* [http://www.almalatina.com.mx/ Gaby's Dance Studio Site]
* [http://www.pennylanedance.com/ Andi's Dance Studio Site]
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