T'pau

T'Pau is a British pop-rock band formed in 1986 in Shrewsbury, England, around singer Carol Decker and guitarist Ronnie Rogers. The band takes its name from a Vulcan character in the Star Trek series. T'Pau enjoyed dazzling success with their debut album Bridge of Spies (#4 in the U.K. and titled T'Pau in the U.S.), released in 1987, boosted by the worldwide hit "China in Your Hand", which stayed at number one for five weeks in the U.K. and became a classic of the 1980s. The album's other big hit was "Heart and Soul", released a little earlier, which reached the top 5 in the U.S. thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, before becoming a hit in Europe too. The band followed this up with the singles "Valentine" (#9), "I Will Be with You" (#14) and "Sex Talk" (#23). Their second album, Rage (1988), sells well in the UK (No. 4), including the tracks "Secret Garden" (No. 18), "Road to Our Dream" (No. 42) and "Only the Lonely " (No. 28), although the international impact is less. The third album, The Promise (1991), ranked No. 10 in the UK, was less well received, despite the singles "Whenever You Need Me" (No. 16) and "Walk on Air" (No. 62). T'Pau broke up in 1992, but Carol Decker relaunched the project in 1998 with a compilation and new tracks. Since then, she has continued to use the T'Pau name for nostalgic tours and occasional releases, including the 2015 album Pleasure & Pain (no. 98). With a pop-rock aesthetic mixed with power ballads, a powerful voice and a recognizable style, T'Pau remains associated with the golden age of British pop in the 1980s.