{{short description|Melbourne-based pop group}} {{for|the locality in Sweden|Ilända}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Ilanda | image = | image_size = | landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank --> | alt = | caption = | background = group_or_band | alias = Past to Present | origin = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | genre = Vocal harmony, R&B, pop | years_active = {{start date|1991}}–{{end date|2000}} | label = Mushroom, APO | associated_acts = | website = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} --> | current_members = | past_members = * Leighton Hema * Frank Laga'aia * Lennie Keller * Norman Keller }}
'''Ilanda''' were an Australian-based vocal harmony and dance group who formed in 1991 as '''Past to Present'''. Initially a four-piece, with Leighton Hema, Frank Laga'aia, Lennie Keller and his brother, Norman. They are all New Zealand-born, though their heritage is Samoan. Past to Present teamed up with Peter Andre to feature on his single, "Get Down on It" (February 1996), which peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. When Hema left the group in 1998 they went into hiatus for a year and reconvened as a three-piece under the name, Ilanda, which had three top 40 Australian singles. Their last release was in May 2000.
==History== ===1991–1997: Past to Present=== All four Past to Present members: Leighton Hema, Frank Laga'aia, Lennie Keller and his brother, Norman Keller, were born in New Zealand of Samoan heritage. They grew up together and attended the same church choir.<ref name="Girl"/> Laga'aia's older brother, Jay, is an Australian-New Zealand actor and singer. The Keller brothers migrated to Melbourne in 1980. In 1991 the quartet formed there, after Hema and Laga'aia had also migrated, as a vocal harmony and dance group.<ref name="Girl"/><ref name="Eliezer">{{cite magazine | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9AwEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Frank+Laga%27aia%22+past+to+present&pg=PA32 | title = The Universal Language of R & B: Melbourne | via = Google Books | last = Eliezer | first = Christie | magazine = Billboard | date = 19 June 1999 | page = 32 | accessdate = 30 November 2016 }}</ref> Samoan band, the Katinas, were a major inspiration.
As Past to Present, they signed with Mushroom Records and issued their debut single, "Crazy" (June 1995), which reached the top 50 on both the ARIA Singles Chart and the New Zealand Singles Chart.<ref name="AUS Charts">Australian (ARIA) chart peaks: *Top 50 peaks: {{cite web | url=http://www.australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Ilanda | title = Discography Ilanda | work = Australian Charts Portal | publisher = Hung Medien | accessdate = 30 November 2016 }} Note: includes releases by Past to Present. *Top 100 peaks to December 2010: {{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia}} *"Sexuality": {{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/x61ZolT.jpg|title=The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 14 Jan 1996|publisher=Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA)|accessdate=20 July 2017}} N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.</ref><ref name="NZ Charts">{{cite web | url=https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Ilanda | title = Discography Ilanda | work = New Zealand Charts Portal | publisher = Hung Medien | accessdate = 30 November 2016 }} Note: includes releases by Past to Present.</ref> The track was co-written by the four band members.<ref name="APRA Crazy">{{cite web|publisher=Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) |title='Crazy' at APRA search engine |url=https://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch#axd?q=Crazy |accessdate=30 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020448/https://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch |archivedate=17 November 2015}} Note: User may have to click "Search again" and provide details at "Enter a title:" e.g. Crazy; or at "Performer:" Past to Present</ref> In the following month they issued an album, ''Four Noble Truths'', which was produced by Ant Dale and Vince Deltito.<ref name="Noble Truths">{{cite web | url=http://thumbs.picclick.com/00/s/OTYwWDk2Mg==/z/95UAAOSwZ8ZW4CNn/$/PAST-TO-PRESENT-Four-Noble-Truths-CD-1995-_57.jpg | title = Past to Present – ''Four Noble Truths'' CD 1995 | publisher = PicClick | accessdate = 30 November 2016 }}</ref><ref name="SMH Four">{{cite news | title = Smooth Sounding Suits | work = The Sydney Morning Herald| date = 30 June 1995 | page = 55 }}</ref>
In February 1996 they appeared on Peter Andre's cover version of Kool & the Gang's single, "Get Down on It", as featured vocalists.<ref name="AUS Charts"/> It peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.<ref name="AUS Charts"/><ref name="NZ Charts"/> On the ARIA end of the year charts it peaked in the top 50.<ref name="ARIA EoY96">{{cite web | url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1996.htm | title = ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1996 | publisher = Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) | accessdate = 30 November 2016 }}</ref>
Their next single was a cover version of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" (August 1996), which reached the ARIA Singles Top 50.<ref name="AUS Charts"/> Their album track "Sexuality", co-written by producers Dale and Deltito with M Stevens, was used on the soundtrack for the TV soap, ''Home and Away: The Sounds of Summer Bay'' (1996).<ref name="TVMem Home">{{cite web | url=http://www.tvmem.com/OZST/tv/H/HOMEANDA/HOMEANDA.html | title = ''Home and Away'' | work = Australian Television Memorabilia Guide | publisher = Nodette Enterprises | year = 1996 | accessdate = 30 November 2016 }}</ref> A non-album single, "Ready Willing & Able", was issued in August 1997, which reached the top 40 in New Zealand.<ref name="NZ Charts"/>
The group left Mushroom Records in late 1997.<ref name="Eliezer"/> According to Frank, "we had come to a crossroad [in 1997]. We just felt that if we were to carry on, we needed a 100 per cent control of our careers and felt like we knew how we wanted to be marketed from the promotional side of things – we'd been in the industry a good five years by then. We sat down with our management one day and decided to form APO records and APO International and then we got together our own production team."<ref name="Girl"/> APO International ran recording studios, a record label, a management company and modelling agency.<ref name="Eliezer"/> Leighton Hema left the group, citing personal reasons.<ref name="Girl"/>
===1998–2000: Ilanda=== Laga'aia and the Keller brothers resumed performing in early 1999 as a three-piece band under the name, Ilanda, (pronounced the same as "Islander") – a reference to their Samoan heritage.<ref name="Girl">{{cite web |url=http://www.girl.com.au/ilanda.htm |title=ilanda – Aug 2000 |author=Failla, Annemarie |work=girl.com.au |accessdate=4 August 2010}}</ref> The new line-up's first single, "It's Our Time" (February 1999), peaked at No. 30 in Australia and No. 21 in New Zealand.<ref name="AUS Charts"/><ref name="NZ Charts"/><ref name="Eliezer"/> In June of that year, Norman told Christie Eliezer of ''Billboard'' that "the music of Ilanda is obviously a statement of what we are. The Pacific feel is integral to our sound. The harmonies come from church choirs, and the way we play acoustic guitar reflects the fact that, at any Māori party, there's a tussle to grab the guitar for the inevitable sing along."<ref name="Eliezer"/>
Ilanda had further top 40 chart success in Australia with their next two singles "Tasty" (September 1999) and "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us" featuring Joanne Accom (May 2000).<ref name="AUS Charts"/><ref name="NZ Charts"/> In August 2000 the group were working on their next album, ''Experience'', which Frank described, "It's very eclectic to say the least... we've also got a touch of pop music in there as well as R&B, dance, ballads and up-tempo songs – so it's a very diverse album."<ref name="Girl"/>
==Members== *Frank Laga'aia *Lennie Keller *Norman Keller *Leighton Hema (departed whilst the band was still Past to Present)
== Discography == === Albums === {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ List of albums, with selected details ! Title ! Details |- ! scope="row" | ''Four Noble Truths'' | * Released: July 1995 * Label: Mushroom <small>(D31436, D24436)</small> * Format: CD |}
===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+List of singles, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="2"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certification ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| AUS<br /><ref name=aus>{{cite Ryan|page=136, 213}}</ref><ref name="AUS Charts"/> ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| NZ<br/><ref name="NZ Charts"/> |- |colspan=6|Credited as '''Past to Present''' |- ! scope="row"| "Slammin'" | 1994 | — || — | |rowspan="3"| ''Four Noble Truths'' |- ! scope="row"| "Crazy" |rowspan="2"| 1995 | 46 || 43 | |- ! scope="row"| "Sexuality" | 79 || — | |- ! scope="row"| "Get Down on It"<br />{{small|(with Peter Andre)}} |rowspan="2"| 1996 | 5 || 1 | * ARIA: Gold<ref name=aus/> * RMNZ: Platinum | ''Natural'' |- ! scope="row"| "September" | 42 || — | | ''Home and Away: The Sounds of Summer Bay'' |- ! scope="row"| "Ready Willing & Able" | 1997 | — || 32 | |{{n/a|non album single}} |- |colspan=6|Credited as '''Ilanda''' |- ! scope="row"| "It's Our Time" | 1998 | 30 || 21 | |rowspan="3" {{Non-album singles}} |- ! scope="row"| "Tasty" | 1998 | 25 || — | |- ! scope="row"| "Breakin' There's No Stoppin' Us"<br />{{small|(featuring Joanne Accom)}} | 2000 | 38 || — | |}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
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Category:Australian vocal groups Category:Australian contemporary R&B musical groups Category:Australian pop music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1991 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2000 Category:Musical groups from Melbourne Category:New Zealand people of Samoan descent Category:New Zealand emigrants to Australia Category:Sibling musical groups