carmitforever

I recently had the opportunity to meet with the Pussycat Dolls in their Manhattan hotel suite (minus Nicole due to a flight delay). We talked about what it really means to be a Pussycat Doll, & whether or not beauty has anything to do with their fast-rising star. Sometimes my job doesn't suck. This is one of those times.

Are the Pussycat Dolls living proofs that sex really does sell?
ASHLEY: (Yells) We're lucky if we're sexy!
KIMBERLY: Confidence makes you sexy to an audience.
MELODY: Nicole always says that music is our engine. If we come off as sexy, then we're just lucky.

Sorry, but I'm not buying it. As a guy, I can promise you that how you look is a big part of the Pussycat Dolls' appeal. That's not to say the music isn't great too. But come on.
MELODY: We hope that's not the case, because we have a real message to give. Our new album has a song for everyone. Everyone can find an outlet for whatever they're going through.

For instance?
MELODY: "I Don't Need a Man" is perfect if you just broke up with someone. Or there's "Bite the Dust" if there's some girl who's just in your way trying to do her thing on your time. There's old school & there's new school. There's a little bit of everything.
CARMIT: Our message is about fashion, style, & dance. It's about self-expression & movement. So maybe that does come off as sexy. But I don't think that being sexy overrules the music. They say guys want to be with us & girls want to be like us. It's flattering.

Who makes up the majority of your fans?
(Everyone): All girls!
ASHLEY: We are a very visual group. So I think it's cool that girls can come to our show & see us having crazy fun on stage. That's part of our sex appeal. We're a very visual group.

No kidding. Clear this up for me, because I'm a little confused. There's a Pussycat Dolls cabaret group that started in Vegas & featured Carmen Electra & dozens of hot, young celebrities. How is your group different from that group?
CARMIT: Okay, I can explain. The Dolls started in 1995. I'm an original member of that group. But it's evolved. We started as a very underground L.A. group of girls & we had a lot of very famous guest performers like Carmen & Charlize Theron, Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears ... the whole thing was very underground. It's not like everyone knew about it. You had to be hanging out at the Viper Room, which is a small, intimate place. You were lucky if you even got in. That kind of paved the path to where we are now. Now we're signed to a record label & this is the official group. What you see here is the Pussycat Dolls. What you see in Vegas is a hired cast of dancers that do homage to our old show. That's the choreographed show with the fishnet stockings & gloves. It's a fusion of dance styles. What we do is add that to our music along with our own style.

Have the six of you all performed at the Viper room at one time or another? Pussycat Doll boot camp, so to speak.
KIMBERLY: Yeah! We all have at one time or another.

Was Carmen Electra an official member of the Pussycat Dolls or a celebrity guest?
CARMIT: She really helped us a lot early on. Carmen has been in the public eye for a long time, & she was a guest Doll for a very long time when it wasn't popular. She always had her own career, but she really helped us get on the map.
JESSICA: She helped pave the path for us. She got our name out there.
MELODY: I like to say that Carmen donated her celebrity to the group. She always plugged the Pussycat Dolls whenever she got interviewed, back when we were still underground.
KIMBERLY: It took guts to get up on stage with the image that she had & wear a corset on stage. She really put a lot on the line for us. She's a great girl.

Was it hard getting a legit record label to sign you as a music group?
CARMIT: The people from the record label came to the Viper Room show, so they knew what they were getting. They saw the show & saw something in us. They believed they could take us & market us & show the world we have talent. That's how we got signed.
JESSICA: I think people have preconceived notions about us because of the name & because it sounds risqué. They just didn't know what to think. But then we came out with a hit song & it started to go up the charts. I think we proved ourselves when our song went to number one. The album is so incredible. I think that was enough to show that we have talent.

You almost get the sense that some critics want to dismiss you, but can't because the music really is that good. Billboard recently wrote: "'Stickwitu' is a beautiful song & craft fully produced, not to be expected from a novelty act." That's a bit of a backhanded compliment. Does the phrase "novelty act" bother you?
MELODY: You know what? People are always going to have something to say. You have to be thick-skinned in this business. People are going to say what they want. But they don't know us. If you listen to our album & get into us, you're going to like us. We're going to stand the test of time.
ASHLEY: We've heard worse than "novelty," that's for sure! The ones who wrote those things are the ones who are usually in the car blasting our music!

What's the worst thing you've heard about the group?
KIMBERLY: We've been called a "strip club act"!
MELODY: We've also been called a "cheesecake act"!
ASHLEY: (Laughs) But cheesecake tastes good, so that's not so bad!

How often are you compared to the Spice Girls?
(Everyone) A lot!

How do you feel about that?
JESSICA: We love it.
CARMIT: It's a compliment.

But let's not forget what happened to the Spice Girls. They were on top of the world, just like you are now. Then one day, they were gone. It ended as fast as it began. Any worry about becoming too big too fast?
CARMIT: We always say, the music is our engine & the Pussycat Dolls are a brand. It's a movement. There are so many things that we plan to do. If you go to our Web site, you can actually buy the same clothes that we wear. Girls can identify with us & dress like us & feel good & have fun. A girl can dress like us & feel like she's on stage too. In fact, there's going to be a Pussycat Doll doll coming out! We're definitely a huge movement! But right now we're focusing on the music. People have to understand what our music is.
KIMBERLY: We hope that people will get to know us better by all of the stuff we're doing besides the music.

So who's keeping track of all the money?
ASHLEY: (Laughs) We keep a close eye on it!
MELODY: We have a very powerful record label & some awesome people behind us, so we're not worried.
KIMBERLY: Speaking of money, if you go to our Web site, PCDmusic.com, you can sign up for our fan club & check out our merchandise like hats, tank tops, & things.

Not to change the subject, but do all of you get along? No fights?
(Everyone laughs)

If you say no, I won't believe you.
ASHLEY: Well, it helps that they give us our own rooms on the road. It's nice to work together & then be able to have your own space. You can come back to the hotel & take a bath, listen to music, whatever you want. It's your time.
KIMBERLY: I think we've all been chasing our dream & going on our own journeys. A lot of us were acting, dancing, & singing before we were even in this group. So I think we have a sense of business when we're together. That helps. We know it's a business & that it doesn't help to fight.

In other words, for the Pussycat Dolls to survive, you all have to get along. End of story.
KIMBERLY: Right.
CARMIT: There are so many people involved, so we have to work as a team. You have to look at the bigger picture. It would be silly to have chaos when we're all working toward the same goal.
MELODY: But at the end of the day, we all love each other. Absolutely. There's no cattiness. We know each other well enough to know that when somebody is having a bad day to stay away! (Everyone laughs)

What about men? Are guys allowed near the band? Because let's face it, if anything messes up what you got going, it's going to be a boyfriend. A Mr. Yoko Ono, if you will.
JESSICA: You're right! Guys mess everything up!
CARMIT: Guys aren't allowed around!
MELODY: Yeah, guys mess everything up!
JESSICA: The thing is, we don't get approached by guys a lot. We walked into an interview the other day & the person said we were like a gang! I think guys are intimidated.

Let's talk about some of the celebrities that have performed with the Pussycat Dolls. Who are some that stand out?
JESSICA: Scarlett Johansson was my favorite.
ASHLEY: I think we'll agree on this, Nikka Costa did "Fever" like I've never heard it before. She's amazing!
KIMBERLY: Britney Spears was my favorite!

Now that Britney has had her baby, is there a job waiting for her with the Pussycat Dolls?
JESSICA: That would be awesome!
CARMIT: But right now it's just us. We're just doing promotion for the album & making a name for ourselves.

Let's talk about some controversy. The back-up singer for Outkast, Tori Alamaze, recorded "Don't Cha" & it got little airplay. You guys recorded it & it became a big hit for you. Now Alamaze is trash-talking you.
MELODY: What's her problem!

She calls you the Copy Cat Dolls & that your version of "Don't Cha" is just a watered-down version of hers. I smell a catfight.
CARMIT: You know what, we have to give props to anyone who's been there & has been around like she has. She did sing a version of "Don't Cha," but we took it to another level. She shouldn't be mad. There are no hard feelings here. It's all love!

What did you do to "Don't Cha" to make it a hit that Alamaze didn't?
MELODY: Busta Rhymes baby! (Laughs)
ASHLEY: & we did our own twist on it. It has our own unique sound.

Which of you is the troublemaker of the group?
JESSICA: We don't have time to get into trouble!

What about groupies?
KIMBERLY: There was a group of girls that was following us all over London. But we don't have rock star kind of groupies yet.

What about Leonardo DiCaprio? Doesn't he come to a lot of your shows?
CARMIT: Yeah, he does! Justin Timberlake, who performs on our new album, used to always come to our shows as well.
JESSICA: Marilyn Manson told me I was his favorite girl!

Out of all of you, who has the best gossip stories to tell?
CARMIT: That would be Melody!
MELODY: I'm just very observant! I'm always reading the gossip pages. So I know what's up. Plus my sister's boyfriend is always telling me who's gay! Whatever.

Playboy calls today & offers a million dollars to pose nude. Well?
(All together) No!

Image is everything. What's the image of the Pussycat Dolls?
JESSICA: Confidence.
ASHLEY: World domination!

If one of you says "girl power," I'm jumping out the window.
ASHLEY: (Laughs) We're confident & we like to have fun! That's our message.

Okay, be honest. Name at least one celebrity who hopped on stage & was so bad you wanted to kick them off.
(Everyone laughs)
ASHLEY: Honestly, I don't know if there was one.

Carmit's smirking. I know you have a name. Start talking.
CARMIT: I would never say the name. But, there was someone who might have gotten a little too drunk before the show. So she wasn't at her peak as far as performing is concerned. She was an A-list celebrity. That's all I'm saying! But I will tell you the best celebrity Pussycat Doll to ever perform on stage with us was Gwen Stefani. I feel she more than anyone else really captured the essence of what the Pussycat Dolls are about. She's the ultimate Pussycat Doll!

So how are you enjoying the fame? Is it what you expected?
JESSICA: It's so surreal. It feels like it's not even happening. My mom always hears people talking about us, but we all still feel like us.
MELODY: All my friends back home think of Ashley, Nicole, Jessica, Kimberly, & Carmit as celebrities. It's so odd to hear my friends go crazy when they see videos that I've taken on tour. You really start to understand that you're part of something special. You don't see it until an outsider comes in & gets excited.
CARMIT: We do realize it, but we're just working so hard it's hard to step away & really understand what's going on. But we're having a great time, that's for sure.

Before we end this, care to share your Christmas wish list with me?
CARMIT: I want a house.
JESSICA: I would just love to see my family on Christmas.
KIMBERLY: A Porsche!
ASHLEY: I want a really great collar for my dog!
MELODY: I would like some credit so I can buy a car! I've never had a credit card until now!

Finally, is it true inside every woman there's a Pussycat Doll?
(Everyone)Yeah!
MELODY: You just have to kind of find it!

Piczo