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Mel and Kim were a British recording act that achieved success in the late 1980s.
Sisters Melanie (July 11, 1966 - January 18, 1990) and Kim Appleby (born August 28, 1961) were spotted dancing in a nightclub in their native London and signed to a recording contract with production team Stock Aitken Waterman in 1985, and began releasing records under the name of Mel and Kim.
They achieved success as a dance act with their first single Showing Out (Get Fresh At The Weekend) reaching number three on the British charts and becoming a minor hit in the USA. Their next single Respectable reached number one in Britain and became one of the year's biggest hits. They became well known celebrities, particularly in Britain, and were known for their visual style which combined urban street wear with high fashion.
Subsequent hits followed, but the sisters were eclipsed by two new Stock Aitken Waterman acts, Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley who became the production team's major focus in 1988. At this time, Mel began to withdraw from publicity, claiming to have suffered a debilitating back injury. While the media speculated that she was terminally ill, both sisters categorically denied this.
Mel died of liver cancer in 1990 at the age of 23. Kim Appleby launched a solo career which brought her a few hit records including Dont Worry which reached number two on the British charts in November 1990. Her popularity quickly faded and by the end of 1991 her career as a pop star appeared to be over.
