As you may well have heard, the Pussycat Dolls are back. Yay!
In one of the worst-kept showbiz secrets of 2019, the girl group confirmed on Thursday that they had reformed, and would be heading off on a UK arena tour next year.
However, it hasn’t escaped some fans’ attention that the five-piece are looking a little different to when we last saw them.
Returning to the group is original band member Carmit Bachar – who left the Pussycat Dolls at the height of their fame – while Melody Thornton has opted not to return.
The Pussycat Dolls have not addressed Melody’s absence, saying only that the door “was and is always open” should she wish to return, but in an interview earlier this year, the former Dancing On Ice star explained why she had no interest in returning.
Speaking to Chart Show TV, Melody said: “What I want for myself, and for my bandmates, is to really enjoy their lives. And for me, when I was in the group, I was a kid, I have to explain this now more and more, especially releasing new music.
“I’m primarily a vocalist, and getting into that group and Nicole had been signed [by a label] twice, so it only made sense for her to sing the majority of the leads.
“But them, I kept being asked to wait my turn, and then my turn just never came, and we only released two albums.”
Melody added that there’s now “a case of mistaken identity” in which people assume she’s “a dancer”, clarifying: “I’m actually a really bad dancer. I’m a singer. So for me, there’s really nothing to go back to. Because the songs that we have are the songs that we have, you know?”
The Pussycat Dolls were formed as a burlesque troupe in 1995 and went on to release hits such as Don’t Cha, Buttons and Stickwitu.
They split in 2010 amid rumours of a rift over Nicole’s dominant role in both the recording studio and on stage.
Nicole said: “First of all, I hope it’s different because we are different. It is ten years on now. We all bring our own unique gifts to the group. I am so excited and we have grown so much.
“We are here to see each other shine. I think we are going to push each other.”
Nicole added that she believes many of their previous tensions were caused by her battle with the eating disorder bulimia, which she felt unable to tell them about.
“I hid it from the world,” she says. “I was extremely ashamed. When you’re battling your own demons and insecurities, it’s not something you want to share with other people.
“I am just so grateful I could come out of that. It’s our flaws that connect us.”
As well as performing a medley of their greatest hits on this weekend’s X Factor: Celebrity final, the Pussycat Dolls will also be embarking on a tour of the UK and Ireland in April 2020 – 10 years on from their split.