Biography:
1989 saw Joop Walters, Mar Van Mierco, and Barend Tromp form an instrumental trio they dubbed Arabesque. They released their first demo, 1992's Pistache Express, with this lineup, and two years later, they followed it up with another demo, Paragraph. This recording, although created by the same group, showcased a harder sound for the band, reflecting a new direction. The demo paid off with Arabesque landing a contract with the German label Shark Records. That label released their debut CD, Beyond the Veil, later the same year. By 1996, the group had opted to leave their instrumental label behind, adding the vocal talents of Nicole de Seriere du Bizournet. Two years later, Tromp left and was replaced by Frank de Groot. They released a new demo (their contract with Shark expired), entitled Naked, that year. The demo featured their new keyboardist, Thijs Cuppan, who was recruited specifically for the recording. By 2000, though, Cuppan had left the group and was replaced by Rene Ubachs. Not the only change in the lineup, Bizournet also left, her replacement coming in the form of Katja Salemi. At the time, she was considered only a temporary member, but has since remained with the band. In an interesting twist, though, Bizournet returned in 2001. Rather than send Salemi packing, the band opted to adapt the format to feature two female lead singers. 2002 found the band with both a new label (Lion Music) and a new album (Unity). ~ Gary Hill, All Music Guide