Helen DeMacque facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pepsi DeMacque
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Pepsi DeMacque performing as part of Pepsi & Shirlie at the Liverpool Echo Arena on 25 June 2011.
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Pepsi |
| Born | 10 December 1958 Paddington, London, England |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | |
Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque-Crockett (born on December 10, 1958) is a British pop singer. She became famous as a backing singer for the popular group Wham! and later as half of the duo Pepsi & Shirlie in the 1980s.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque was born in London, England. Her parents had moved to Britain in the 1950s from the island of St. Lucia.
Music Career Highlights
Singing with Wham!
In 1983, Pepsi DeMacque joined the famous pop group Wham!. She became one of their two main backing singers and dancers. Pepsi took over from Dee C. Lee, who left to join another band called The Style Council. She performed alongside Shirlie Holliman, and you can see her in the music video for the hit song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".
Forming Pepsi & Shirlie
After their time with Wham! ended, Pepsi and Shirlie Holliman decided to form their own music group. They called themselves Pepsi & Shirlie. This new duo started right after Wham!'s last big concert. Their music had a fun, upbeat pop sound.
Pepsi & Shirlie had two songs that became big hits in the UK. Their song "Heartache" reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Another song, "Goodbye Stranger," made it to number 9.
Later Music Projects
Pepsi & Shirlie took a break from music in 1989. However, they came back briefly in 2000. They sang backing vocals for Geri Halliwell's song "Bag It Up," which became a number one hit. The duo also reunited in 2011 for the "Here and Now" 10th Anniversary tour.
Pepsi also worked with musician Mike Oldfield in 1998 and 1999. She joined his "Then & Now" tour. She also performed at the premiere of his album Tubular Bells III in London. She sang at a special concert in Berlin for the year 2000. In 2011, she sang with a group of producers and mixers in London called Forthright.
Acting and Stage Work
Besides singing, Pepsi DeMacque has also worked as an actor. She has appeared in films and on TV. One of her roles was playing the famous performer Josephine Baker. She also acted in the musical Hair at the Old Vic Theatre in London.
Life Outside Music
Pepsi DeMacque lived in Wellington, New Zealand, for several years. There, she worked at a gift shop. She also worked with New Zealand electronic artist Jeremy Geor (50Hz). She performed live with composer Rhian Sheehan early in his career.
By 2006, she had moved back to England, settling in Daventry. She worked for a medical aid business until 2010. Later, she moved to St Lucia, a beautiful island. There, she and her husband, James Crockett, run a business that offers sailing trips.
Pepsi's nephew is Cesár Sampson, who represented Austria in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.
In 2021, Pepsi and Shirlie Kemp (formerly Holliman) wrote a book together. It's called Pepsi & Shirlie: It's All in Black and White. The book shares stories about their time touring the world. They talk about performing with Wham! and then as the duo Pepsi & Shirlie.
