EMF Announces Death of Founding Keyboardist Derry Brownson: ‘Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again’
The founding member of the "Unbelievable" dance-pop group was 55.
English dance-pop band EMF announced Friday morning that their co-founder and keyboardist Derry Brownson has died. The 55-year-old Brownson formed the group alongside singer James Atkin in 1989. In an Instagram post, the band expressed their devastation, saying, "Nothing will ever be the same again without our band mate and friend."
Brownson had been battling a brain tumor and undergoing treatment. Born in 1971, Brownson rose to fame in the early 1990s U.K. dance scene with the group's hit single "Unbelievable." The song, featuring a prominent bass line and Atkin's deadpan vocals, topped the U.K. singles chart and Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. EMF's debut album, Schubert Dip, was released the same year.
The band went on hiatus in 1995 after releasing their third album, Cha Cha Cha. Brownson briefly joined the alternative rock group LK before the band reunited in 2001 for a reunion gig and greatest hits album. They disbanded again in 2022 following the death of guitarist Zac Foley, but reunited briefly in 2007 and 2012. EMF recently revealed they were working on a new 14-song album, following Brownson's death.
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