Clea girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Clear Interview: Clea girls Just Wanna Have Fun!
October 11, 2005, 10:30:36
Just when you thought pops shiny bubble was about to burst with the new wave of angst ridden singer-song writers taking over the British charts, girl group Clea make their return.

If they look familiar that may be because you have seen them before. Original members Emma, Aimee, Lynsey, and Chloe (all their Christian names, make Clea) were the giggly girls who struck up a friendship three years ago at the Pop Stars: The Rivals auditions, only to be dropped at the last minute in favour of Girls Aloud. After the auditions and a few nights out, the girls realised they got along so well and shared the same aspirations that it made sense to form a band, and so Clea was born. After releasing two well received singles 'Download' and 'Stuck In The Middle' and losing a member (Chloe) Clea have spent the last 18 months working in Sweden and LA on their new album, due out early next year.After experiencing a taste of what the business has in store, the newly refreshed Clea girls are determined to bring a little bit of uplifting, classic pop back into our lives with the release of their new single 'We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off.' The song due for release on the 17th of October, is a remake of the 80s Jermaine Stewart classic that has been revamped by Da Playaz for the new millennium and is complete with a sexy video, that makes the boys get naked for a change!


Your name is taken from the original four members of the band - but Chloe left so why did you decide to keep the name?

Emma: Chloe left about a year and half ago. It was a really hard decision to make. Because we had been Clea for about a year and a half, we wanted to keep the fan base that we already had, aware that we still going. I think that if we had changed the name they might not have known it was us and we love the name.

Your new single is a remake of the Jermaine Stuart classic 'We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off' were you girls even born when that came out?

Emma: Well Lynsey was two, I was two and Aimee was one. When we heard the record we were in Sweden recording the album and we were approached by Da Playaz. They asked what we thought of the record and as soon as they played it Lynsey was like' oh my god I remember this!' Me and Aimee were looking at her thinking, 'we have never heard of this record' but we loved it. We didn't even know that it was going to be our next single but as soon as we recorded it we thought, this is definitely got to be the relaunch single for the band and we have had such an amazing reaction to it.

You have been working on your album in LA that must have been great?

Emma: Yeah we did, it's so great to be back releasing a record because the last 18 months we've been in LA and Sweden making the new album. We didn't want to release anything that the record company wanted us to which happened with the first album; we wanted it to be us. So it's really poppy and got a lot of energy, a lot of really heavy beats that go through but then you have a really poppy melody over the top.

Did you bump into any celebs while over there?

Emma: No we didn't unfortunately. When we went there we were all pasty white and when we came back we were pasty white because all we did was work in the studio. But we did have some opportunities to go to some premiers where Will Smith and Beyonce were. When we were in Sweden doing our video we met Anastasia, so that was cool. We have been put up in some beautiful hotels so we are really lucky. We go in there like little kids on Christmas.

Is it true Simon Cowell wanted you to audition for this years X-Factor?

Emma: Yeah, what happened was, we were on the brink of being signed with Simon about six months ago. Basically he was like 'look girls they've told me I am doing another X Factor and so the only way I can sign you is if you audition for the program because whatever band that comes out of it, I'll be managing.' And we where like, 'well we don't want to do another reality program because we have already been there, its going to be like going back to primary school again.' We've learnt the trade, we have been doing it for three years, we have been gigging it and been on Top Of The Pops. I think if we had of gone on it people would have thought we've had our chance and it gives opportunities to people who haven't. We felt like it wasn't right for us.

What makes you different from most other girl groups like Girls Aloud or The Sugar Babes?

Emma: Well the music is really poppy, and unlike Sugar Babes who are quite urban, were just a pure pop band. The difference with Girls Aloud is, we have personalities and we are just out to have fun. A lot of our songs have quite a heavy beat going through them, it's a different style, and it's got a lot of attitude and life and soul to it. I think ours is an album that you put on before a night out with the girls or the boys, its one of those uplifting albums.



And you girls genuinely seem to get along - which is a bonus?

Emma: Yeah, a lot of people say to us, 'god I can't believe how well you lot get on.' But we have been together for three years, if we didn't get on then we would have sacked it off after the first program and then just gone and done other things. We are like sisters now, we live and breathe together and we have such a giggle. We take our career seriously but we are out to have fun and enjoy ourselves. I think that's what is different about this band, we are actually mates and luckily, we do get on.

If you could give yourselves different personas like in the Spice Girls, what would
they be?

Emma: Lynsey is the joker of the band she is a really cocky northerner from Manchester. Aimee is very creative. She's really into writing songs and very focused. She always wants to be involved in everything, like choreography. Where as me and Lynsey stand in the back and piss around, she is like 'come on girls lets make this the best.' And I'm like the drive of the band.

Have you written some of the tracks on the album then?

Emma: We have written two tracks solely from the band and we co-wrote a couple. All the songs we haven't written, we have chosen ourselves. We have been able to put ourselves into the album, which is fantastic because the first time we didn't get to have much of a say in what we released. We have written one track called 'Innie Meanie' which we hope will be our next single.

The Video for your new single has lots of sexy boys running around with not much on - that must have been a laugh to make?

Emma: Yeah, the video was so funny! We had so many people saying that they wanted us semi naked and we were liked 'for god's sake,' playing off the title that 'we don't have to take our clothes off' we were like 'we don't want to take our clothes off!' There are so many girls in their bikinis and it gets a bit boring so we were like 'why don't we have the boys doing that and have like a calendar girl's sort of thing?' And obviously we'll have their bits covered. Aimee kept looking at all the boy's butts and the sights we saw were so funny. But its just really tongue in cheek.

Did you girls have the pleasure of picking the boys yourself?

Emma: Yeah we did. We picked a couple of them off the street. We were on our way to film it and Lynsey was like 'oh my god that guy has got to be our video!' So we just pulled up and were like right, 'do you want to be in our music video' and he was like 'yeah definitely.' A lot of them were brought in. We had little Polaroid's of boys and we got to chose them.

You girls are all sexy ladies yourselves - do you have boyfriends?

Emma: I'm single and Aimee and Lynsey are dating boys. I broke up with my boyfriend about three months ago but I am in my element. A few weeks ago we went to the GQ awards all and I could eye up the boys - well we were all eyeing up the boys. But we are so busy; their boyfriends (Aimee and Lynsey) are like 'when are we going to see you next' and their like 'never'! It's difficult for the girls and boys who are in the industry because there partners don't understand what its like, it's fickle and it's hard to keep a relationship.

If you hadn't gone to that audition what do you think you would be doing now?

Emma: All of us had just come out of school so we probably would have gone to university, but I think we are all so ambitious, so if we had any regular job we would have been auditioning to be a singer or an actress. So I think we would have all been aiming to do what we are doing now. I would never knock the reality program because it has gotten us to where we are. We have been really fortunate to have had that. I think at first we were like we were lucky to be here, but now I think we deserve to be because we have been working our butts off!
We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off is released the 17th of October.

Interview by: Sarah Williams femalefirst