A lot has changed his since the Pussycat Dolls released their first album just over two years ago. Following a brief hiatus they’re ready to send temperatures soaring with their new single taken from their new album, Doll Domination. Emmanuel Ezugwu chats with Melody Thornton about Carmit’s shock departure, Nicole’s surprise return and those rumours about her dating rapper, Bow Wow!
Hi Melody. Where are all the other Pussycat Dolls?
[Laughs] Well I’ve just not long woken up and the rest of the girls are really tired as we stayed up all night in the studio recording.
Can you tell YV readers about your new album, Doll Domination?
We’re still recording Doll Domination at the moment. We have been very blessed to work with [producer] Timbaland who has been amazing and - he executively produced half of the album. We’ve done six songs in six days so we’re on a roll. We’ve also worked with Cee-Lo who produced Don’t Cha on out first album and Sean Garrett who wrote Buttons. We’ve also worked with Rodney Jerkins who produced our first single When I Grow Up. We have a lot of diverse songs that would surprise a lot of people – songs that you don’t think the Pussycat Dolls can pull off.
Do you have any collaborations on the album yet?
We’ve done a collaboration with R Kelly on a song called Outta This Club but we’re still recording so I’m not sure what’s set in stone. The possibilities are endless though and we’re definitely trying to work with new people on this album.
What do you think of R Kelly’s recent legal drama?
Well, I think that it’s really interesting how the law works if you’re an artist within the industry. I wasn’t there so I can’t really pass judgment or make comments regarding the situation, but I know it can be really hard when the media can get into your personal life.
With Carmit leaving the Pussycat Dolls and Nicole returning after a failed solo attempt, how is group morale at the moment?
To clarify one thing I don’t think Nicole had any intentions of leaving the group permanently. She was definitely pursuing and making a solo effort, but her intentions were definitely to do both side by side – Fergie [from the Black Eye Peas] did the same thing with her solo album. Carmit left the group and is working her solo effort and we support her 100%. She is a very creative person and we have lost a major asset to the group because she was a firecracker on stage.
Were you shocked when Carmit told you she wanted to leave?
Yeah. It came as a surprise to me. I knew that she had a number of things that she was working on, one of them being a television show, but it was one of those things were she couldn’t do both at the same time. I still get sad when we perform songs like Stick Wit Chu, but I can’t help but feel really happy and proud for her.
Why do you think Nicole’s solo project failed to sell well?
I don’t know if it’s a matter of her not selling, but Nicole decided not to do it. I think that everything comes with timing.
Is it true that most of the tracks from Nicole’s album have been re-recorded by the Pussycat Dolls?
I don’t know. Nicole did record a lot of songs for her solo effort but you never know what songs may end up on the album. Like I said we’re not finished recording yet.
You’ve got an amazing voice but a constant criticism shared by Pussycat Doll fans is that no one seems to share singing duties apart from Nicole. How will the singing be shared out on the album this time?
Thank you. Well, I’m recording more now then I did on the first album. On the first album I was very young and inexperienced so it’s understandable that they wanted to give Nicole the responsibility as she had been in two groups prior. All of us are recording songs we’ll just have to see if they make it.
With groups like Danity Kane and Girlicious, how do you see yourself as the competition?
That’s the thing. I definitely believe that there is room for everybody. I admire Danity Kane because we were on tour together with Christina Aguilera and they’ve grown so much since then. I absolutely love their new song, Damaged. There’s room for everyone.
Your new single is called When I Grow Up. How would you say you’ve grown up personally?
Wow! When I got into PCD I was 19 years old and I was very unaware of just the world and how to deal with people. I’ve grown a lot spiritually and I definitely feel a lot more confident that I will get exactly where I’m going as long as I maintain my integrity which I have thus far.
Do you think you’re sending out a positive message on When I Grow Up? You talk about being famous for famous sake…
That’s the one thing that we’ve been asked over and over again and I can only speak for myself. I never wanted to be famous I always said that I wanted to be a singer, but with singing comes fame. I would still like to be appreciated as a vocalist for the music I make.
What would you say is the best thing about being famous?
I would say that one of the best things that we always joke about is that we don’t have to wait in line, especially at the clubs [laughs]. In LA waiting in line for the clubs is not cool.
Finally there’s been a whole lot of speculation about you dating Bow Wow and Nicole dating Lewis Hamilton. Can you clarify?
Well, I don’t think it’s my place to talk about Nicole and Lewis’s relationship, but she has confirmed that she is with Lewis Hamilton and I’m so happy for them - that’s as far as I’ll go on that topic. As for Bow Wow we are just friends. I think he’s a wonderful person, but he is just a great friend of mine - that’s about it.
When I Grow Up is out now MySpace.com/PussycatDolls
