Jacquie O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan joined the country/punk/rockabilly group Shillelagh Sisters in early 1983. It was "a sort of a fun band, a kind of trendy band". The band name came about courtesy of their Irish connections. They released their first single "Give Me My Freedom" in April 1984. The band's dissatisfaction with their record label CBS, along with differences between the band members, led to the band's demise in late 1984. O'Sullivan later stated that she felt the records they released "weren't very good".

In March 1988, she was chosen by Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward (who had known O'Sullivan since they were eighteen) to become a member of Bananarama, as a replacement for outgoing member Siobhan Fahey, who also approved of the choice. Bananarama's hit streak continued with the addition of O'Sullivan. They re-recorded the vocals for the songs "I Want You Back" and "Nathan Jones" with O'Sullivan to replace versions previously recorded by Fahey. The group scored eight consecutive Top 40 hits in the UK with O'Sullivan.

She appeared on Bananarama's fund-raising cover of The Beatles' "Help!" for Comic Relief alongside comedians French and Saunders and Kathy Burke, who appeared as Lananeeneenoonoo. The record peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in 1989. She also participated in Band Aid II's 1989 re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

O'Sullivan's only songwriting credit with Bananarama appeared on the song "Love, Truth and Honesty" from the compilation album Greatest Hits Collection.

In 1991, Bananarama recorded the album Pop Life, the only full-length album on which O'Sullivan appeared. Later that year, O'Sullivan left the group, a decision that was amicable with Dallin and Woodward. O'Sullivan later stated in interviews that her role in Bananarama was that of a paid employee and that she was given no say in the creative, musical or visual direction of the group. She said that this lack of input, along with the continued emphasis by the music press that she was the "new girl" and constant questions of "How does it feel to replace Siobhan?", contributed to her exit.

When French and Saunders parodied Bananarama in their 1988 Christmas special as "Lananenenoonoo", O'Sullivan was portrayed by Kathy Burke as "Kim". O'Sullivan's perceived lack of input into the group was used as a source of humour, with Kim ignored and dismissed in interviews and group discussions.

When she left Bananarama, O'Sullivan was invited to join the disco act Slippry Feet from 1992 to 1996. They recorded songs for a record titled Freak Time Viewing and then disbanded. ...

Source: Article "Jacquie O'Sullivan" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.