After 23 years of silence, Appleton are making music again – and they’re doing it in perfect harmony.
Today (January 15th) Sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton return with ‘Falling Into You’, their first new single since 2003, and it’s a song shaped by time, survival and sisterhood. Emotive and beautifully majestic, the track unfolds with a quiet, graceful confidence, reflecting not only where the duo have been, but everything they’ve lived through to get here.
From the opening notes, it’s clear this isn’t a gimmicky reunion project – it’s a mature, fully realised piece of pop craftsmanship. The track swells with lush strings and a warm, fluid arrangement that evokes the sister’s early-2000s vibe without feeling retrograde. There’s a timelessness here that hints at the emotional core of their earlier ballad ‘Don’t Worry’, yet ‘Falling Into You’ expands that palette with broader sonic textures and a subtly modern production sheen.
Vocally, Nicole and Natalie’s harmonies are the song’s heartbeat. Their voices – once the hallmark of Appleton’s ‘Everything’s Eventual’ era – intertwine with a sense of lived experience, lending the lyrics a wistful gravity. The track deals in vulnerability and surrender, themes that feel all the more resonant given the siblings return to this project after two decades apart.
In terms of its message, ‘Falling Into You’ operates as something deeper than a love song – it feels like a quiet pact between the sisters themselves. The past is acknowledged but never dwelled on; what matters is the choice to move forward, together. There’s a tenderness in that sentiment, as lines about surrender and trust take on a dual meaning, reframing the act of “falling” not as risk, but as resolve.
‘Falling Into You’ feels like a reckoning – a graceful reintroduction from two artists who have weathered fame, loss and reinvention, and emerged with something deeply honest to say. Co-written by Nic and Nat along with Gareth Young, the producer of their 2002 debut ‘Fantasy’, and his new songwriting partner Bnann, the single is available to download / stream now.
Watch the official visualiser for ‘Falling Into You’ below:
It’s been more than two decades since Natalie and Nicole last stood onstage as a duo, and nearly five years since they toured with All Saints – the 90s girl group with whom the Appletons recorded five albums. They remain fiercely proud of that legacy: five UK Number One singles, including the immortal ‘Pure Shores’ and ‘Never Ever’, two BRIT Awards, and more than 12 million records sold worldwide.
“The entire music scene has changed since we put out the first Appleton album” Nicole says on the eve of their new era. “We’re going into this with no expectations and enjoying the process of writing and performing again for the love of it.”
“It was actually our kids Gene and Ace who suggested we reunite! Gene said out of the blue: ‘why don’t you do something with Auntie Nat again?’ And as soon as the idea was out there, we both realised how much fun it could be. I’m just so excited to be singing with Nat again.”
To celebrate their return, Appleton will perform on BBC Radio 2’s Piano Rooms with the BBC Concert Orchestra on Thursday, February 19th.
From there the pair will make their much anticipated return to the stage, when they play the iconic Mighty Hoopla festival in May. “We’re planning on throwing in a fun cover or two,” Nicole teases of their set, “but you’ll definitely hear all the songs you expect from us”.
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