eil.com / esprit : TV Soap Stars.Pop Stars.Singing Soap Stars.British Soap Operas.Australian Soap Operas.US Soap Operas.

view basket

your personal EIL

contact

help

about

SEARCH:

extended search >>

browse by artist: 0-9 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z or genre or top artists

It's the classic tale of 'always wanting to be a singer' or 'only concentrating on acting for a while'. For some the adoration of millions of fans wasn't enough, others just tried their hand for another stab at infamy. Whichever it was, and however they left the show, there have been dozens and dozens of TV Soap Stars turned Pop Stars over the years. Some good, some OK and many many awful ones.

We are taking a look at the phenomenon, highlighting small-screen stars from around the globe, choosing the best, and the worst. As well as bringing some rare records, CDs, memorabilia and collectables from soap stars old and new.

· Worldwide Singing Soap Sensations ...it's a global phenomenon!
· Super Suds & Dreary Duds ...charts and music collectables from the best and worst!
· Settle the Soap Opera debates ...nasty Neighbours or excellent Eastenders?
· Well I Never! ...discover a few fascinating Soap Opera Singers facts
· Soap Operas on the Net ...links to fan-sites, Soap Opera sites and more

WORLDWIDE SOAP OPERA SINGING SENSATIONS

Everything was going well before the car crash/sordid affair/killer disease/(add other soap opera exit story lines here) mean you are out of a job. What happens next one-time small screen soap-er stars? They launch a singing career of course! It doesn't matter if it's the grey sky dramas of Britain, the sun kissed fluff of Australia or the melodramatic insanity of the USA, when the soap bubble bursts pop careers appear.

The UK loves it's soap operas. Every night hours of television are dedicated to delving into these other lives. From Eastenders to Coronation Street, Emmerdale to Brookside, we cannot get enough of them. We love them so much should a character leave the fans keep following, for a while at least.

By far the most successful soap opera in terms of chart success is Eastenders. Albert Square has seen pop stars emerge in the shape of Anita Dobson, Sid Owen and Michelle Gayle. Ex-'Enders Martine McCutcheon and Nick Berry even scored number ones. The hit potential of Eastenders has even led to some musicians moving into the Square. Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet was a cast member, as was drum'n'bass guru Goldie.

Click Here to search the customised ex-Eastenders catalogue

Click on the Albert Square sign to see our catalogue list of singing stars to have graced Eastenders.

The competition for viewers between Eastenders and Coronation Street may be fierce but in the Soap Pop stakes Wetherfield is not that wonderful. The most famous pop star to walk the cobbles actually did it in reverse. Keith Duffy was a worldwide million seller member of Boyzone before joining the Corrie cast. And what a stellar musical cast he met!
	Matthew Marsden, Tracy Shaw, Adam Rickett and Bill Tarmey all tried their hands at a music career but to no degree of success. Corrie loser Kevin Kennedy, who played Curly Watts, has had some success in New Zealand of all places.
Click on the sign to see our catalogue list of singing stars to have starred in the Street.

If Wetherfield isn't the place to learn the pop trade then even further from chart topping success come Emmerdale Farm and Brookside Close.
	Emmerdale tried with The Woolpackers to set the nation line-dance crazy, it failed. As did the pop career of Miss Malandra Burrows.
	Brookside fairs slightly better spawning Claire Sweeney and Jennifer Ellison. As well as letting a lonely Nolan sister move in.

Much of the Soap star to Pop Star route can be traced back to Australia. In the 1985 a series called Neighbours made the move from Down Under TV to screens in the UK. Since then the show has been a constant favourite on British screens and spawned one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

With the insane devotion of the English for all things Neighbours when Kylie Minogue hit #1 in Australia with a version of the 'Locomotion' it made sense to release the track here too. And so the rest is history... Kylie was followed by Jason Donovan, Craig McLachlan and Stefan Dennis. Every Ramsey Street resident seemed guaranteed to have a UK chart hit throughout the late 80s and early 90s.
As the 1990s carried on so did the Ozzie pop star production line. Kylie was followed by her little sister Dannii, who starred in another soap Home & Away. Natalie Imbruglia left the street and topped the charts, and even in the new millennium new stars keep coming. Holly Valance and Delta Goodrem have both had UK hits after exiting the soap.
Click on the Ramsay St. sign to see our catalogue list of the Australian Soapy Singers.

VARIOUS Neighbours: The Music
KYLIE MINOGUE/VARIOUS Neighbours: The Music (Deleted 2003 Australian exclusive 2-disc set comprised of 17-track CD album featuring a fantastic collection of music from the show, including previously unreleased Grundy tracks and music from top Sony artists featured in the series, plus bonus PAL All Region 10-track DVD featuring music videos from actors who over the years have used Neighbours to launch a musical career!)
VARIOUS catalogue | more info | only £19.99

In America they have a different class of soap opera all together. And with that comes another class of Soap Singers. While we reward plucky ex-soap stars with a few hits or allow defunct pop stars a chance at small screen glory, in the USA and especially in South America the route from Soap to Superstar is a well worn one.
International mega-stars such as Ricky Martin, Shakira or Paulina Rubio all made their way to the top of the charts via huge success in soaps. Other notable chart successes have included Rick Springfield, who went from music to TV and then back again, Michael Damian and another latin starlet Thalia. New stars from the casts of 'General Hospital','Days of Our Lives' and The Bold and the Beautiful' include Kassie DePaiva, Jacob Young and Jonathan Jackson. Many of the American stars have yet to really hit the worldwide music market instead winning over country and pop fans at home.
Click here for the biggest Soap to Pop Stars from the USA and South America.