Alisha's Attic

Lore & Background

The duo released their first single 'Sugar Daddy' as Keren & Chelle in 1990. In July 1996, as Alisha's Attic, they released 'I Am, I Feel', which became a radio and chart hit in the UK. Their debut album 'Alisha Rules the World' followed in October 1996, produced by Dave Stewart, and spawned four top 15 UK hits. They were nominated for the Brit Award for Best New Artist at the Brit Awards 1997 and performed at the first Lilith Fair festival in July 1997.

Their second album 'Illumina' was released in September 1998, with singles 'The Incidentals', 'Wish I Were You', and 'Barbarella'. A third album 'The House We Built' came out in 2000, featuring singles 'Pretender Got My Heart' (used in the film 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason') and 'Push It All Aside'. The duo split in 2001.

After the split, both sisters became successful songwriters for artists including Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Will Young, and Sugababes. Shelly Poole also performs in the band Red Sky July.

Reader's Guide

Alisha's Attic represent a brief but notable chapter in 1990s British pop, achieving chart success with their debut album and earning a Brit Award nomination. Their music, produced by Dave Stewart, helped define a polished pop sound of the era. The duo's participation in the first Lilith Fair festival in 1997 connected them to the broader women-led music movement. Their legacy extends beyond their own recordings: both sisters transitioned into prolific songwriting careers, contributing hits for major pop acts. The inclusion of their song 'Pretender Got My Heart' in the film 'Bridget Jones's Diary' also gave them a lasting cultural touchpoint. Though their active period was brief, their influence persists through their songwriting and the continued work of Shelly Poole in Red Sky July.

Did You Know?

• Their father is Brian Poole of the 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.
• Their song 'Pretender Got My Heart' was featured in the film 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'.
• They recorded a cover of Suede's 'Still Life' for a 1996 ChildLine charity album.

Roots in a Musical Family

Shelly and Karen Poole grew up in east London, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively, into a household where popular music was woven into daily life. Their father, Brian Poole, was the namesake of the 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, meaning the sisters were raised in an environment where songwriting, performance, and the mechanics of the music industry were familiar territory. This musical inheritance did not, however, guarantee an easy path to the charts. As early as 1988, the sisters attempted to make their mark under the name Keren & Chelle, releasing a single called "Sugar Daddy." The track managed only number 167 on the UK charts, a modest result that nonetheless revealed their early determination to pursue a performing career. That first, largely unnoticed outing would lay the groundwork for the duo that would eventually adopt the name Alisha's Attic and become a recognizable fixture of British pop in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s.

The 1996 Breakthrough

The summer of 1996 marked the moment Alisha's Attic burst onto the British pop scene. Their debut single, "I Am, I Feel," dropped in July and rapidly climbed both radio playlists and the national charts, establishing the sisters as a force to be reckoned with almost overnight. By November of that same year, they followed up with their debut album, Alisha Rules the World, produced by Dave Stewart, known from Eurythmics. The album proved remarkably fertile, spawning four separate top-15 hits in the UK and cementing the duo's commercial credentials in a single release. The momentum carried them into 1997, where they earned a nomination for Best New Artist at the Brit Awards. That same year, in July, they took the stage at the inaugural Lilith Fair festival, a notable exposure that placed them alongside other prominent acts. Alongside their original material, the sisters also contributed cover versions to high-profile projects, including a rendition of Suede's "Still Life" for a 1996 ChildLine charity compilation and a take on The Crystals' "He's a Rebel" for the soundtrack of the 1997 comedy film Bean.

Sustaining Momentum and the 2001 Split

After the whirlwind of their debut, Alisha's Attic pressed forward with a second studio album, Illumina, released in October 1998. The record yielded three singles—"The Incidentals," "Wish I Were You," and "Barbarella"—each extending the duo's presence on the UK charts and in the public consciousness. The album represented a continuation of their pop foundations while exploring new textures and arrangements that broadened their sonic palette. The duo's final studio effort, The House We Built, arrived in 2001. From this album they released two singles: "Pretender Got My Heart," which gained additional exposure through its inclusion in the soundtrack of the widely seen romantic comedy Bridget Jones's Diary, and "Push It All Aside." Despite the film placement giving "Pretender Got My Heart" a broader audience, the commercial trajectory of the band had begun to wane. In 2001, the sisters decided to part ways, bringing to a close a period of roughly five years of active recording and performing under the Alisha's Attic name.

Life Beyond the Duo

Though the duo's recording career ended in 2001, the Poole sisters found a second act that proved equally demanding and rewarding. Both Shelly and Karen transitioned into the songwriting world, crafting material for a roster of high-profile artists across the pop and pop-rock spectrum. Their credits include work for Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Will Young, and the group Sugababes, demonstrating that their creative instincts remained in strong demand well after their own front-of-stage days had ended. Beyond songwriting, Shelly also pursued a performing career under a different banner, joining the band Red Sky July. This allowed her to remain active on stage and in the recording studio without the specific identity of Alisha's Attic. The sisters' post-duo work underscores a broader pattern in the music industry: artists who, after a period of public performance, channel their talents behind the scenes or into new collaborative projects, continuing to shape the sound of popular music from a less visible but no less influential position.

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