Wild Orchid (band) - History

History

Wild Orchid began in 1990 when Renee Sandstrom and Stefanie Ridel met in their southern California high school's drama department. They decided to form a music group based on their shared love of music and poetry, and they initially called themselves New Rhythm Generation or NRG (energy). Mike Hill (who had co-starred with Renee in the Disney Channel singing TV show Kids Incorporated from 1984 to 1987) and Stacy Ann Ferguson soon joined the group and the girls began searching for a record contract. As they wrote their songs and recorded their first single entitled "Get Crazy – Work It", the girls also began coming up with choreographies for their music. Knowing full well that beauty and talent would go a long way, Renee, Stefanie and Stacy sent a portfolio of photographs out along with their demo tapes. Without waiting around for a record company to call, the girls began performing and singing at nightclubs, charity functions, and began hanging out and singing live at local radio stations.

In February 1991, the then NRG performed at a local LA nightclub for the first time. It was at this time that Heather decided that she wanted to return to college, in which case, the three girls began holding auditions to recruit a fourth member. Micki Duran became the newest member of NRG and she had to endure many late nights of learning new lyrics and dance moves since they were set to perform at a large venue in a couple of months.

In July 1991, NRG performed to a sold out crowd at a BMI showcase and the audience embraced the group instantly. After this performance, however, the group began searching for a new manager and managers came pouring in for a chance. Because their previous manager was making claims that he owned the rights to the group's name, the group decided to change it as soon as possible. By 1992, the girls had found their new manager, Marta Marrero (mother of fellow Kids Incorporated alumna Martika), and a new name: "Wild Orchid".

Wild Orchid began meeting with a vast amount of record labels including RCA, EMI, and Capitol, but they still could not manage to get a recording contract. They eventually signed a music publishing deal with Sony Publishing before signing a record contract with RCA Records in 1994. Unfortunately, just before doing so, Micki decided to leave the group because she was working on a television show called Roundhouse. So the quartet became a trio consisting of Stacy, Stefanie, and Renee.

In 1995, the girls spent the year writing music with the support of Renee's songwriter brother Bobby Sandstrom, and their debut album took approximately 9 months to complete. That same year, they recorded the theme song for the NBC sitcom Hope & Gloria which aired between March 1995 and June 1996.

Their first single "At Night I Pray" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts in September 1996. A video directed by Marcus Nispel, known for his work with Janet Jackson, was in heavy rotation on MTV and VH-1.