| Dream | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop/R&B |
| Years active | 1998–2003 |
| Labels | Warner Music/Bad Boy/Clockwork (1998–2003) |
| Past members | |
| Holly Blake-Arnstein (1998–2003) Ashley Poole (1998–2003) Diana Ortiz (1999–2003) Kasey Sheridan (2002–2003) Melissa Schuman (1998–2002) Alex Chester (1998–1999) |
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Dream was an American pop girl group, active from 1998 until 2003. Their biggest success came in 2001 with their track, "He Loves U Not", a transatlantic hit single.
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The quartet was originally formed in October 1998 when talent scout Judith Fontaine selected Holly Blake-Arnstein (born August 3, 1985), Melissa Schuman (born August 21, 1984), Ashley Poole (born May 10, 1985), and Alex Chester (born December 28, 1984), four teens from California, to comprise a new girl group. The group's original name, First Warning, was later changed to Dream.
The outfit then left Fontaine and were signed by Sean Combs to his Bad Boy Records label. In January 1999, Chester was replaced by Diana Ortiz (born September 23, 1985). Fontaine later sued Combs and Blake-Arnstein, Schuman, and Poole, but lost her court case.[1]
Dream released their debut single, "He Loves U Not", remixed by Marc Mozart, in 2000 and their debut album, It Was All a Dream, was released on January 23, 2001. "He Loves U Not," peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at #17 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] The video for this single peaked at #2 on MTV's TRL. The subsequent single, "This Is Me," enjoyed a fair amount of success as well; the music video hit #1 on TRL. The final single and video from the album was "This Is Me (remix)" and featured rapper Kain as well as Sean Combs. The song was also featured on the compilation Totally Hits 2001.[3]
During this time, Dream participated in the 2001 TRL tour, and opened for Destiny's Child, Eve and Nelly.[4] They were featured in a segment of MTV Cribs. Play Along Toys released dolls of the group in 2001.
Though Bad Boy Records had planned to release "Miss You" and "In My Dreams" as the third and fourth singles from It Was All A Dream, and promotional copies of the latter were shipped, the singles were never released. According to Arnstein, this was partly due to the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.[5] Little was heard from Dream until April 2002, when Melissa Schuman left the group to pursue an acting career. Sean Combs appeared on TRL on April 3 to announce the news, noting that there were no bitter feelings.[6] A lengthy search conducted by Combs and the three remaining members led to 15-year-old Kasey Sheridan (born December 28, 1986) becoming the youngest member of the group in the early fall of 2002.[7]
Dream spent the subsequent months recording new songs for their second album. In the summer of 2003, the girls returned to the scene with a sexier image[5] and a new single featuring rapper Loon called "Krazy."[8] The single and its video did not receive the acclaim and success of "He Loves U Not," and the second single from the album, supposedly "That's OK," was never released. Dream's album Reality was to follow in May, but its release kept being postponed until, ultimately, it was never released. Bad Boy Records dropped Dream and they disbanded, although their dissolution was never formally announced.
Ashley Poole and Melissa Schuman are currently pursuing solo singing careers. Holly Blake-Arnstein has joined the California-based alternative band Whirl Magnet.[5]
In September 2005, a group of fans discovered that the unreleased Reality CD was available for purchase by Clockwork/2620/Universal Records from French Virgin Megastores. In April 2006, an MTV News article discussed the reasons behind Dream's break-up. Blake-Arnstein was interviewed for the article and noted that the sexier, more mature image pushed upon the group by Combs and their management was not a welcome change, and that she and the other members were no longer enjoying the music and the experience.[5]
On May 9, 2008, three years after their second album, Reality, leaked online, two unreleased albums became available to buy at iTunes Store: Daddy's Little Girl and Dream Never Land, which contains a Brandy song called Doesn't Matter.
On January 28, 2008, Melissa Schuman announced that after a failed attempt to reunite Dream's original lineup, she and Ashley Poole are starting a new band. They will have a new name and a reality show documenting their auditions for new members.[9] On July 27, 2008, she announced the name of their new group would be Lady Phoenix. On August 7, 2008, Schuman announced that Diana Ortiz, also from Dream, would be joining the group.
| Year | Title | Label | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | It Was All a Dream | Bad Boy Records | |
| 2008 | Reality | Universal Records |
| Album | Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| It Was All a Dream | U.S. Billboard 200 | 6 |
| Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 11 | |
| Singles | Chart (2001) | Peak position |
| "He Loves U Not" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2[11] |
| Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 15 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 17[2] | |
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart | 35 | |
| "This Is Me" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 39[11] |
| Hot R&B/Hip-hop Singles & Tracks | 80 |
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