TOP girl band Eternal unleashed their new single on Preston's public last week - then thanked locals for their continued support.

For the past five years the group, which has transformed from a four-piece band to a duo of sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, have topped the charts with hit after hit.

So, after taking two years out to record their new self-titled album, they decided to go back to the places where the support has been strongest to show off their new single - and Preston was top of their list. They spent almost an hour chatting with Rock FM DJ Brian Moore on his breakfast show, then told the Citizen how they were delighted to back in Preston.

Vernie said: "When we were preparing this promotional tour, we were determined to make sure we got to the fans who have supported us throughout.

"There is no point in going to one place when you are starting out, then ditching it for somewhere else when you are famous. That is why we are here, because the public have been fantastic." Over the years, Eternal have had three super-selling albums and a handful of hits, including Save Our Love, I Am Blessed and Power of A Woman.

Their new single, Watcha Gonna Do, is released in October, and is the first sign of the new style Eternal have adopted.

Easther added: "This single has a lot more R&B in it and it reflects the way our music is developing. That is part of the reason we split up from Kelle, because we were pulling in different directions. The split was amicable.

"We are still incredibly proud of our earlier work because it worked. The support we received then was fantastic and we are so chuffed so many people are still supporting us."

While recording the new album in America, Eternal teamed up with Emilo Estefan, son of Gloria, to sing one of their tracks in Spanish.

Vernie said: "We have a lot of support in Spain, so we thought we would try to sing in their language.

"After all, they have made the effort to learn English to understand the music.

"It was very strange but it was worth it. We just appreciate the support we have had for the past five years."

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