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 Tiffanie Anderson, Natalie Mejia, Chrystina Sayers and Nichole Cordova. (Greg Henkenhaf, Sun Media) |
Getting a young band to talk without giving rehearsed answers can be a challenge at times, but the four young ladies that make up pop band Girlicious are quite jovial, often finishing each other's sentences.
They are also rather informative, trying to bridge the age gap between this thirtysomething writer and their youthful selves.
"Montreal last night was great," singer Tiffanie Anderson says alongside her three band mates.
"Montreal was our sickest show on tour."
"That (sickest) means good," vocalist Chrystina Sayers quickly informs me, perhaps believing a line of medical questions will begin if she doesn't toss that in for good measure.
Regardless, Girlicious -- who opened for the Backstreet Boys last night at the Molson Amphitheatreare -- are currently riding a wave of popularity thanks to the television reality series Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious, which ultimately formed the band.
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The talent competition, created by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin and which aired earlier this year on The CW, pitted 15 young female singers and dancers vying for positions in the band "Girlicious".
Now the quartet of Anderson, Sayers, Natalie Mejia and Nichole Cordova are on the cusp of releasing their self-titled debut album out in stores Tuesday.
"It's been everything that I've dreamed of and more because it's doing really well and we've come here and the fans are enjoying our songs," Cordova says. "They're singing all the words -- they freak out."
Although Anderson says she was a bit hesitant about the way in which the band originated, she feels there's definitely chemistry between the foursome, something show creator Antin stressed from the beginning.
"We work well together because we have a lot in common," Anderson says. "We respect each other and one thing that is key is that we're actually friends. If we weren't friends we'd be ignoring each other and it would be hard to work together."
The women also agree that making the record was hard work but resulted in having about 30 songs to choose from for Girlicious.
The album features appearances by hip-hop stars Flo Rida, Sean Kingston and Canadian talent Kardinal Offishall.
As for their favourite songs, each one mentions a different track such as My Boo and the "breakup" number Already Gone.
"That song by the way has all the elements musically," Sayers says of Already Gone.
"It has the electronic techno, it has hip-hop, it has crunk, it has all those elements."
"It's the backbone," Anderson adds. "It's a very powerful song."
Girlicious have also made a few videos for the singles Like Me and Stupid S---.
"They're really hard work too," Mejia says.
"They're only about three minutes long but it takes about 24 hours to make. And at the end of Stupid
S--- we have a feather scene and that was really hard because I'm allergic to down feathers. So what happens is the pillows burst open and we were coughing. They were in our throats -- but we kept going."
Following this North American jaunt, Girlicious will see what the response is in other markets in Europe and the U.S. before going out on a solo tour.
Something they also received word of recently is the chance to become involved in some kind of humanitarian charity but they're quiet regarding the actual details.
"You're the first person to know," Anderson says while the others wonder whether it should be mentioned at all. "Something that is really important to us is spreading awareness about things that are going on around the world. We're not just singers that like to go up on stage and perform. We're really smart and we care about people who are in poverty."
But for now they're happy playing shows and honing their craft.
"Every time we're on stage we get crazier and crazier," Mejia says.
"It gets easier and easier," Anderson says. "The thing I was looking forward to the most was that we're getting better. It's much easier."
Famous uncle told her to run with it
Girlicious member Chrystina Sayers wasn't sure what to do in terms of a career but got some guidance from her uncle --legendary Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers.
"He's just like my dad, he's very supportive," Sayers says of her famous uncle. "I don't tell this to a lot of people, but when I was a ninth-grader or a tenth-grader I was deciding whether I wanted to take on this career or not -- being an entertainer.
"I remember talking to him and asking him, 'What do you think I should do? Do you think I should go into the entertainment business and try and become a singer -- or go and try athletics?' He was the one who actually said, 'I think you should try and go forward in the entertainment business, I think you should do it.
"Because he's an athlete I thought he might say, 'Try the WNBA.' But I'm way too short for the WNBA. Even for a point guard you have to be five-foot-seven or something like that -- and I'm only five-foot-two, well five-foot-one-and-a-half. I just tell them I'm bringing the Sayers name back to the limelight because he's still a legend in football."
Perhaps the biggest challenge Girlicious will soon face is how to celebrate three birthdays in a span of four days. Sayers turns 21 on Thursday, Tiffanie Anderson turns 20 the following day and Nichole Cordova turns 19 on Aug. 17.
"I'm just going to do something really special for all of them," Natalie Mejia says. "I'll sing Happy Birthday to each of them."