April M. Coates (born 6 September 1970) is an Australian singer, songwriter and producer who performs as Cheyne Coates or Cheyne. Coates (lead vocals) and Andrew Van Dorsselaer (a.k.a. Andy Van) (DJ and background vocals) comprised the duo Madison Avenue (1998–2003). Their song "Don't Call Me Baby" peaked at number two on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Chart in 1999 and topped the charts in New Zealand and the United Kingdom in 2000, as well as the Billboard dance charts the United States. Since the break-up of Madison Avenue in 2003, Cheyne recorded an album, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and its first single "I've Got Your Number" which reached No. 26 in 2004.
Career
1998–2003: Madison Avenue
During the 1990s, Cheyne Coates was a choreographer and singer in Melbourne. She performed at album launches by other artists and at fashion shows. Their first single, "Fly", featured Kellie Wolfgram as lead vocalist. It was co-written by Coates and Van Dorsselaer. Coates sang on Madison Avenue's breakthrough single, "Don't Call Me Baby" (October 1999), because Van preferred her version, which was recorded to be used as the guide track for the intended singer. which bassline comes from "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead). Van Dorsselaer took the song to the MIDEM Conference which led to the group being signed by Virgin Records in the UK and Sony Music for the rest of the world. Coates became established as the public face of the band although Madison Avenue were intended to be a collective dance group, similar to C&C Music Factory or Soul II Soul. It sold 200,000 singles in Australia, the best singles sales achieved by any Australian act in that country for 1999. Madison Avenue were the first Australian dance act to top the ARIA Singles Chart.
Madison Avenue won the Best Dance Artist at the International Dance Awards in 2001 in Miami. Coates married and the couple had a child in 2002. It was added to the play list on BBC Radio 1. Her second single, "Taste You", peaked in the top 100 in July.
Discography
Albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of studio albums, with selected details
! scope="col" style="width:14em;"| Title
! scope="col" style="width:16em;"| Album details
|-
! scope="row"| Something Wicked This Way Comes
|
- Released: 4 October 2004
- Format: CD, digital download
- Label: Aperifit
|-
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of singles, with selected details
! scope="col" rowspan=2| Year
! scope="col" rowspan=2 style="width:12em;"| Title
! scope="col" colspan=1| Peak chart<br />positions
! scope="col" rowspan=2 | Album
|-
!style="width:3em; font-size:90%"|AUS<br />
|-
|rowspan=2|2004
! scope="row"| "I've Got Your Number"
|align="center"| 26
|rowspan=2|Something Wicked This Way Comes
|-
! scope="row"| "Taste You"
|align="center"| 69
|-
|}