Sexing The Cherry

Sexing The Cherry was the Brisbane, Australia based duo of the late, much loved and respected DJ/producer/musician Edwin Morrow (1968 – 2014) and vocalist/musician Cherryn Lomas.

Luke Paramor was an early collaborator and co-wrote the original version of the group’s biggest hit, “Steppin’ On”, also co-writing “This Is A Dream”, both of which were included on the 1992 Volition/Second Nature compilation “High (A Dance Compilation)” (VOLTCD88).

Edwin, as a solo artist under the name Mister Morrow, also had the track “You On My Mind” included on “High (A Dance Compilation)”.

Sexing The Cherry’s first single on Volition was “Steppin’ On Remix”, which peaked at 42 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in May 1994. The follow up was the single “Glamorous”.

An email interview with Cherryn Lomas (August 2023)

VOLT 2023: What was your musical background before Sexing The Cherry?

Cherryn: I studied at Northern Rivers CAE (now Southern Cross University) in Lismore, NSW, for a B.A. Voice Major and areas of contemporary music, jazz, experimental, musicals and some forms of classical.

I moved from northern NSW to Brisbane with Luke Paramor, who also graduated with a B.A. Composition Major. We were very interested in writing dance and techno music with computer music writing and recording programs, as musicians.

VOLT 2023: How did you meet Edwin Morrow?

Cherryn: We would buy records at Central Station Records in Brisbane and asked about any DJ who was interested in composing with us. Not only did Edwin work there but he was also a respected DJ in Fortitude Valley, and we were referred to him.

He was interested in writing dance music with us, so we worked together in a room with keyboards, samplers and our Apple music writing program. Edwin was also a capable drummer, so he worked on sampling beats and breaks which is an artform. We would add the bass line, keyboards – chords, melodies, harmonies – but we all came together with the ideas. Lyrics were mainly Edwin’s ideas.

VOLT 2023: Tell me about the collaboration that resulted in your hit “Steppin’ On”.

Cherryn: Initially, “Steppin’ On” had a very industrial sounding drum line with a fantastic piano chordal sequence, other melodic sequences and great vocal production of harmony and chorus-hook that we recorded in a Brisbane studio. Edwin came up with the idea of “gotta keep on… keep on steppin on”. We sent this with our track “This Is A Dream” to Volition Records in Sydney.

The three of us would gig in Fortitude Valley and we were surprised with the audience response of dancing and cheering at the end of our sets. Edwin and I would also gig in major dance parties like Adrenalin in Brisbane.

VOLT 2023: After recording “Steppin’ On” did you have any idea you had such a hit on your hands?

Cherryn: No, not really. A prominent producer and DJ Robert Racic in Sydney was interested in re-recording our song in a more popular style and wasn’t convinced I could sing it still. We re-recorded the song in Sony Studios, Sydney, and I wanted to prove to him it was a hit. I sang for seven to eight hours in the studio – with breaks of course – doing melody, my own harmonies… and just wanted to hit out with the extremely high note at the end. Robert knew Sexing The Cherry had a hit, and he ended up mixing a few different successful versions of the song.

VOLT 2023: How did you feel at the time?

Cherryn: Absolutely elated with the result, and by that stage it was only Edwin and I. We knew we had to work hard at promoting the song around Australia. I was proud of the drive and enthusiasm Edwin and I showed with writing new tracks and live performances, for example the TV show Coca-Cola Hits Australia in Melbourne, and dance parties, radio shows, CD shop promos… everywhere that Volition and Sony Records would take us.

We were support act for Take That and M People, and travelled Australia promoting our song and playing other anthemic original songs with a disco, house and driving beat sound!

VOLT 2023: Did Sexing the Cherry have any impacts on your life?

Cherryn: Greatly! We did the hard yards of promoting fresh, exciting, original music. We loved and believed in our songs.

Edwin was an absolute perfectionist with beats and breaks. I loved seeing the collaboration of Edwin and Robert (Racic) in the Sony Studios for our next single “Glamorous”. I only wish we’d collaborated on others.

Compared to social media today, it would’ve been a lot more accessible, current and easier to promote on today’s marketing platforms. Sexing The Cherry was included on the “Pride 2000” collaborative CD which I’m still proud of. It gave me a sense of acceptance and belief in writing music, style and fashion which was all part of the scene.

Sexing The Cherry’s music style would easily today still be classified as current dance music with a bit of tweaking and layers of other sounds and melodies. There are three unfinished originals that come to mind… “Imagination”, “Music / Winning Takes Me Higher” and “Hear What I Say Now”.

I still find it hard to think the lives of both Robert Racic and Edwin were cut short… their talents were immeasurable. They know how talented and unique they were to me, and were deeply invested in the fantastic house music scene that was still emerging.

I still somehow must work towards releasing the previously mentioned songs, with the ideas written down and will collaborate in a recording studio. This must be done… for their sake.

VOLT 2023: Did you meet Andy Penhallow? If so, how do you remember him?

Cherryn: Of course we met Andrew. He phoned, encouraged us to keep writing and believed in our original songs. He put us in touch with Robert Racic to re-mix “Steppin’ On” and was representative of our band with promoting the song and its success. He had a talent… an eye and ear for songs that would do well In the Australian charts. We wrote other songs, for example, “This Is a Dream” which Volition promoted on one of their successful collaborative CDs.