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Vernie (Vernett) Bennett was born in Croydon, England. She is a British singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the R&B girl group Eternal.
In 1992, she formed Eternal alongside her sister Easther Bennett, Kéllé Bryan, and Louise Redknapp (née Nurding). Their debut single, "Stay," entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 4. It was followed by their debut album, Always & Forever, released in November 1993. The album reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and sold over one million copies in the UK, making them the first all-girl group to do so, achieving four-times platinum status.
The group went on to release a string of successful singles including "Save Our Love," "Just a Step from Heaven," "So Good," "Crazy," and "Oh Baby I...," and received four Brit Award nominations. In 1995, Louise Redknapp left the group to pursue a solo career. As a trio, Eternal released "Power of a Woman," the lead single from their second album of the same name. Further singles included "I Am Blessed," "Good Thing," and "Secrets." The single "Who Are You" was released exclusively in Japan for a Toyota advertising campaign and reached No. 1 on the Japanese Singles Chart.
In 1996, Eternal recorded "Someday" for the soundtrack of Disney’s animated feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, featuring Eric Clapton on guitar. The track later appeared on their third studio album, Before the Rain (1997). The album produced their UK No. 1 single "I Wanna Be the Only One," featuring gospel singer BeBe Winans. The group won a MOBO Award in 1997. Following the release of their Greatest Hits album, Kéllé Bryan departed the group.
Vernie and Easther continued as a duo and released the self-titled album Eternal in 1999. The lead single, "What’cha Gonna Do," co-written by the Bennett sisters, reached the UK Top 20. A follow-up single, "Free to Live," produced by Emilio Estefan, was scheduled for release but was ultimately withdrawn.
In 2000, Vernie stepped away from the music industry to focus on family life. She later completed a law degree and passed her Bar finals in 2005. In June 2024, she co-launched the podcast Big Chat Small Talk with longtime friend Louise Anderson. The podcast reached the UK Top 10 during its first week of release and is available on major streaming platforms.
