Whatever happened to... Cleopatra?

Thundering into the public consciousness in 1998 with their matching braids, ski goggles and trademark "Cleopatra - comin' atcha!" slogan, sisters Zainam, Cleo and Yonah went on to score six top 40 singles, a platinum-selling album, their own CITV sitcom and even got signed to Madonna's US label Maverick. But after their second album stalled in the charts, things went a bit quiet for the Higgins sisters. We caught up with Cleo and Yonah to find out what happened!

How did your success first come about?
Cleo: "We were always singing and dancing from an early age and actually got recognised by Mark Morrison at a competition in Manchester. We gave him a video of us singing and he got us signed up by Warner about a week later."
Yonah: "Not long after that we were in London travelling to a radio station and heard our song on the radio for the first time. We were screaming and shouting. It was weird that other people liked us and were buying our stuff - surreal!"

Do you still get people shouting "comin' atcha" in the streets?
Cleo: "Oh hell yeah, I can't get away from it. I wrote that song when I was eleven or 12 and never thought it would be a single! When I hear it now, I'm still amazed that something a child could come up with went on to be so catchy and memorable. It makes me pretty proud to be honest! Not everyone has a trademark like that."

What's your most memorable moment from that time?
Yonah: "We spent quite a bit of time with Madonna because she signed us over in America and got us our Covergirl shoot, but the number one for me would have to be when we performed at the Amphitheatre in Italy. There were fans literally shaking our van outside the venue and we were sh*tting ourselves. To hear thousands of fans chanting our name was amazing."
Cleo: "Even though we weren't out there as long as some other groups, we made a mark - a stamp on history that a lot of people who came out around that time never managed to do. All over the world they still remember that one phrase! It's kind of amazing really!"

What are you doing with yourselves now?
Cleo: "I'm doing both solo and group stuff. Right now I'm working on a soulful rock album in Germany. It's cool because at first I didn't think it was my sound, but they've come up with some good songs. I get to really be myself and sing my heart out and people can see what I'm capable off. But it's also time to get the group up again."
Yonah: "Because we're sisters we'll always be together. Our new stuff is amazing and we find it really easy to create songs together. A lot of people have commented on how different we now look. Back then we were all kids but now we've grown up to be voluptuous ladies and are a lot more rude than we were!"

Click below to watch the video to 'Cleopatra's Theme':



Click the links to watch new songs 'Get In Fit In' and 'Babysitting'.

What are your memories of Cleopatra? Do you want to see a Cleopatra revival? Use the space below to leave your comments.