Author name: Emily

digital spy Monday, October 13 2008, 06:58 BST

By Nick Levine, Music Editor

The Saturdays proved an instant hit with pop fans when their debut single, the Yazoo-sampling ‘If This Is Love’, cracked the top ten in August. Now the effervescent five-piece are aiming to make it two in a row with ‘Up’, an electropop track that’s even more infectious than their debut. Are they feeling nervous? We hooked up with the girls to find out.

How have things changed for The Saturdays since you first spoke to DS in July?
Rochelle: “There’s more to do now, but in a good way! More people are recognising us and because our single charted well we’re wanted for more TV shows and gigs.”
Una: “It’s just got really busy for us, but that’s the way we want it.”

Were you pleased with ‘If This Is Love’s chart position?
Mollie: “We were thrilled! Nobody really knew The Saturdays at that point and for a new girl group to go straight into the top ten is fantastic.”
Frankie: “It just really puts the pressure on us now for the next one.”

What’s the aim for ‘Up’?
Rochelle: “Top ten again definitely, but it seems like everyone who’s anyone has got a single out right now. Loads of girls are making a comeback at the moment, so we’re even more scared than last time.”

Your album’s coming out in a couple of weeks too. Is ‘Up’ or ‘If This Is Love’ a better indication of what we should expect?
Frankie: “Actually I think ‘Up’ is a better representation than ‘If This Is Love’.”
Una: “But the album’s got a bit of everything – pop, hints of R&B, a bit of electro and some really strong ballads too.”
Frankie: “We worked with Rihanna’s producers on a couple of songs and one of our writers has written for the Pussycat Dolls, so we feel like we’ve worked with some of the best people around. We’re just dead excited.”

Who chose the album title, “Chasing Lights“?
Una: “It’s actually one of the tracks on the album, so we all just thought, ‘Aha! That would be a good title’.”
Rochelle: “It’s a very apt title and it explains a bit about us, because we’re chasing our names in lights.”
Una: “We’re still chasing the dream, aren’t we? It’s still very early days for us. We haven’t really been established yet and it’s up to the public to decide whether we’re still going to be around in a year.”
Vanessa: “We kinda feel like we’re still on trial. We know we’ve got a long way to go.”

What was the worst album title that was suggested?
Rochelle: “Probably ‘Saturday Night Fever’.”
Frankie: “And people made up a rumour on the internet that the album was going to be called ‘Taking Back Sunday’ – you know, like the band. They put it on our Wikipedia page so everyone thought it was true. We were like, ‘Oh no, is that really going to be our title without us even knowing? Please don’t let that be our title!'”

You’re about to shoot an episode of Late Night Hollyoaks. What can you tell us about that?
Una: “Even though we’re playing us in the episode we’re still acting. It’s all top secret though, so we can’t say very much.”
Vanessa: “And we will be performing during the episode, but they’ll probably just show some clips instead of the whole performance.”

Finally, what do you think of Britney’s new single?
Rochelle: “I love it, I’ve got it on my MySpace page now! Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer…”
Mollie: “She always comes out with great songs – she never fails to do that, even when her personal life’s not going so well.”

Do you think she can pull off the comeback?
Una: “Oh, it’s definitely going to happen. She seems to be cleaning up, doesn’t she? She’s looking better every time we see her.”
Mollie: “I think it was really good for her to appear at the VMAs. She looked really well and winning all those awards was just what she needed.”

‘Up’ by The Saturdays is out now. The group’s debut album, Chasing Lights, follows on October 27.

The Saturdays need little introduction here. Consisting of Mollie, Vannesa, Rochelle, Una and Frankie, the five recently toured with Girls Aloud and saw their single go top ten in the UK. Borrowing from the 1980’s and the early synth moog movement fostered circa 1978, The Saturdays symbolise a rather brilliant slice of pop that saw radio play from the likes of Radio One but also set the forums in a daze since they appeared on the stage earlier this year. From the ambers of the Spice Girls reunion, The Saturdays sound very much like the obvious torchbearers of the next generation of girlbands. As such, it was thus very necessary Dontstopthepop got to know a little something about the girls…

How long have The Saturdays been together?

Vanessa – The Saturdays have been together for about 1 year now

And what has it been like?

Mollie – Without sounding too cheesy it has been the best year of my life!!!

You’ve supported Girls Aloud. What was that like?

Frankie – We were so lucky to go on tour so quickly! Some bands never get to perform in arenas. The girls were awesome and it was so fun traveling around. I really miss it!

Rochelle – The best experience we could have ever asked for. It was AMAZING and the girls are lovely and were so nice to us!

Previous girlbands (such as Cookie) supported the Girls Aloud and they vanished without a trace. One might say there’s a curse, and if so…the top ten placing of If This Is Love has arguably broken it. Congratulations! Some might say that it’s a passing of a torch!

Una – hahaahahaha a curse? That’s funny…if there was a curse it’s definitely been broken now!!

Mollie – If Girls Aloud can pass on anything at all to us I would grab it with open arms!! Come on The Sats!!!!

The music industry is a funny place at the moment. Indies getting better results than the majors. The demise of CDUK, Top Of the Pops and the arrival of the internet….where do you think The Saturdays fit in to this ever changing world of pop?

Rochelle – The internet has proved great for us and we’ve really got on board with logging onto the forums, filming video clips and write blogs. We keep in touch with everyone that way!

Frankie – I think it’s a real shame that shows like CDUK have vanished! What do we have to watch on a Saturday morning now?! I think its all down to Indie being big but Pop is definitely coming back and I’m hoping we can help to be a part of that! Once its back things like CDUK will be around for sure!!!

You had a taste of touring with Girls Aloud. Will you be going on the road solo and taking the album to the people before its released?

Una – Wow good idea we’d love too…maybe we should have a word haha

Mollie – I would hope so! That would be awesome! Our album tracks are all so strong, so to perform those too would be fantastic!

Will you be involved in the songwriting of the album or will you be taking a seatback for the debut?

Rochelle – The first album for us was about finding our sound but for the next we’d love to!

How much of the album is done and when can we see a release date?

Mollie – The album is done done done! I can’t believe it!!! We’ve actually got AN ALBUM! Wow! It’s set to release in October! So get saving!!! Hehe!

How important are places like Popjustice to The Saturdays?

Frankie – As you said the internet is where it’s at now so to have support from sites like you guys is huge for us!! We need you guys!

Mollie – It’s always great to receive feedback and a lot of the time we can learn from it!! We try to keep in touch with our fans as much as possible, which is why our forum is so important to us too!!

There is another girlband demanding some attention at the mo called Red Blooded Women. They sound amazing (check them out here). You’ve both sampled Yazoo and have that similar eighties sound to your direction. Perhaps a super collaboration could be in order?

Una – I haven’t heard them yet but I’m going to You Tube them now!

Frankie – ooo ill have to check them out! the 80s theme is only in If This Is Love so at least we will be slightly different from them… and as for a collaboration you never know i guess!

Talking of red…Here come the quickfire questions! What colour is……….Tuesday?

R&U – Pink!
F&V – Green
M – Definitely Brown because it’s pretty boring, but not quite as boring as a Monday, which is SO grey!

Who is gonna win this years X Factor. Dannii or Cheryl?!
ALL – CHERYL —–Whoop!
The Spice Girls or a Banana?

Spice Girls!!!!!!

With Every Heartbeat (Robyn), Black and White(Michael Jackson) , Gimmie More (Britney), Love Machine (GA): Which one would you girls cover if you could go wild in the studio?

Vanessa – Black and White by Michael Jackson as people would never expect it

Mollie – As much as I want to say Britney, I think I’d have to go with the King of Pop! WHAT a tune!!! And I could even bring out my moonwalk for the music video (much to the girl’s amusement!)

V/U/R – Definitely Black or White. We love MJ!!!!

What did you think of the Kylie album?

Mollie – I think Kylie is great!! I’m sure the album is just what her fans wanted!!

Last question then! Why pop, girls?

Frankie – Because it doesn’t get much better than Pop!! Its fun and you can really play around with your sound!!! Bring it back people!

Una – Because it’s the most fun and we don’t have to be so serious which is great!!

http://dontstopthepop.blogspot.com/2008/08/saturdays-dontstopthepop-interview.html

Sexy Saturdays lace up for chart success
Interview by ANDREI HARMSWORTH – Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Move over Sugababes, Girls Aloud and any other spent Spice Girls still willing to challenge.

There’s a new girl band tweeting high in the charts and they’re hard working, ferociously ambitious and hot as Hades – they are the Saturdays.

These five foxes could be big, so we got them out for lunch to hear them unveil plans for record-breaking success.

They’re looking a good five years ahead after insatiable single ‘If This Is Love’ blasted straight into this week’s top 10 on debut.

‘We can definitely have a number one. Loads’, says smouldering Rochelle, 19. ‘We can be bigger than the others’ says Sienna lookalike Mollie, 21.

‘I’ve been dreaming of my teary Brit Awards speech since I was eight so we have to’, she adds.

So not just another five minute pop band? ‘No! We want to do something different. People are scared of pop but it needs a shake up’ warns Vanessa, 18.

Ready to snare the limelight, Una says: ‘We’re not frightened of being papped. It hasn’t happened loads yet but we have to put ourselves out there.’

‘We’ll love it’, Una reveals. ‘I was in the loos of a club and a girl whipped out a camera and took my picture right in my face. Weird. She was showing it to her friends. I’d say that was rude.’

Frankie and Rochelle scored success as kids as part of S Club Juniors but know the ride’s a whole lot different this time round.

Confidently side stepping the looming threat of tabloid lies, Frankie says: ‘It won’t really bother me what people write. As long as I know the truth. Most of it is made up lies anyway.’

‘I don’t really read trash mags and know who my real friends are. I have three or four best friends I can trust. You can tell the people who want something’, tells the 19-year-old.

Impressed by Cheryl Cole and Sienna Miller’s bullet-dodging abilities, Una, 26, says: ‘They handle it so well. They never actually say anything.’

Rochelle jumps in to defend one Girls Aloud idol, size zero singer Nadine Coyle, recently cellulite bashed in the rags. ‘That was so stupid. They criticise her for being too thin and then turn around and attack a dimple.’

Vanessa reveals: ‘We don’t really work out or have routines. We just eat what we like and don’t worry about it.’

Una insists the girls are far more than the latest trolley full of pretty faces.

‘It’s a lot more than just being pretty’ she says.

‘After supporting Girls Aloud they taught us it’s about working really hard at everything you do. We’re up early and are none stop until about 8pm each night.’

As for the queue of fellas, well only two of them are single. Frankie and Mollie.

‘I go for the tall, grungy guys’ says Mollie. ‘I hope Frankie doesn’t get a guy then I’ll have to sit by myself. We had to sit away from the others and their boys at YO! Sushi.’

Frankie warns the lads she won’t take any eager beaver. As for re-writing the record books, they’ve had a good start being the second most downloaded British act on YouTube last week, they say.

‘We get on so well. We have the advantage of not living together’ says Mollie. ‘But there aren’t the fights which people may want’, adds Rochelle.

‘We’re past nerves and just want to really give it every time we’re on stage. We’re ready for anything’ roars Philippine beauty Vanessa.

They certainly have fire in their well painted cats eyes so we better believe it!
www.metro.co.uk

The Saturdays on the 5:19 Show