Alot of British girlgroups have been emerging as of late, but none as appealing as Girls Can't Catch. The group first appeared in early 2009 with their debut single, "Keep Your Head Up" which made waves on the Internet. They surprised and impressed us with their deeper, edgier Pop sound and unique voices and looks, and since then, we were hooked!
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The girls have just released their second single, "Echo", on January 18th, and it's looking to be doing really well for them. Their still untitled debut album is set for release this March, and will include production from Johnny Douglas and Shaznay Lewis,
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We recently had the opportunity to interview our favorite member, the amazing Jess Stickley. Check out what she had to say about everything from Kanye West and Taylor Swift to touring with the JoBros to making it in the US. Check it out below!
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SPM: Congratulations! I heard "Echo"'s just been A-Listed on Radio 1, right?
Jess: We heard about that yesterday. We were very, very happy! It's really, really cool, and it
made my week.
SPM: Why was the group called 'Girls Can't Catch'?
Jess: Basically, we had lots and lots of meetings where we got together and tried to come up with a name. The name that we'd chosen was put forward in one of the meetings, and we all loved it. We were like "That's a wicked name!" and we just went ahead with it, and it stuck with us
from then.
SPM: It's quite a cool name!
Jess: Thank you! I think it's quite different. Some people either hate it, but some people love it.
SPM: We've been following you on Twitter for awhile now, and you've mentioned alot of hip hop
artists, i.e. Gucci Mane and Wale. What would be your dream hip hop collaboration?
Jess: Definitely Kanye West! I've loved him for years. I've actually seen him five times, and I
just find him so inspirational. He's an amazing producer and performer so I think he'd be wicked to work with.
SPM: What did you think of the whole Taylor Swift incident?
Jess: I watched that, and what he said was what quite what alot of people were thinking. I just think the way he did it, going up there on stage, he did it politely. He said sorry, and people didn't agree with him. I actually found it quite funny and humorous. He's actually quite funny.
SPM: People were taking it too seriously, weren't they?
Jess: Totally, about the backlash, alot of people who knew that I love him said to me "How can you still like him, we're disappointed in you" and I just thought 'He said what everyone else was thinking.' I think he's a great artist, and Beyonce should've won after all, but maybe I'm a little bit biased.
SPM: His music should speak for itself. He's a great artist, and it shouldn't matter what he said or did.
Jess: Exactly. He's allowed to do what he wants, which is the reason why he's become so massive, because he's so different. He's groundbreaking and his opinions, people don't agree with them, but he gets people talking about him.
SPM: What's your favorite song off the album?
Jess: A song called "Unconditional". Also, another song called "Alone", which is more of a ballad. It was actually written by Pixie Lott, that's quite a big favorite. We actually did "Unconditional" on tour when we were supporting Girls Aloud. When the album gets released, I'd really like to hear what people think about it. Hopefully, they love it as much as I do.
SPM: How is it like having Pixie Lott write a song for you?
Jess: It was amazing! I love her. I'm a really big fan of hers. I got her album and I think she's really talented, especially since she's been writing from an early age. It was really nice saying we got a song written by her, and I've heard from people who know her that she's really pleased that we got the song, so it was good.
SPM: She's very talented. She can sing, she can write. She's the whole package.
Jess: Totally. I think she's gorgeous, as well. She's got a really good look. I've seen her perform live, we've done a couple of gigs where she happened to be performing as well. I think she's got a wicked style, and I love her songs.
SPM: There are alot of rumors on the internet. Was "Echo" actually meant for Rihanna?
Jess: Apparently, that was on a story that was released this week on the papers. I don't know for sure if it was meant for Rihanna. I don't actually know the true facts, but when we were given it, we heard it was meant for her. It might've been, I don't know.
SPM: It doesn't actually sound like a Rihanna song. Good it went to you.
Jess: Oh, yeah, totally! I remember the first day we heard it. Someone played it for us; our A&R guy said "How about this song?" and we loved it. We said "Oh my gosh, that's just amazing!" and there was this buzz around if we were gonna get to record it. Then, it actually got to be the single. We were so, so happy.
SPM: It's an amazing song, and you girls did it justice.
Jess: Thank you! I'm really glad everyone's quite loving it. Hopefully, they really do. Everything seems to be going in the right direction, which is good for us.
SPM: How was it like supporting Girls Aloud on tour?
Jess: That was amazing. That was right in the beginning, when we first got together. They said "Look, you're gonna go out on tour and have a blast" and it really was amazing. First night, I'll never ever forget it 'cause I was so nervous. I've never done anything on that scale. I just stood backstage, shaking so much, but when you get out there and play arenas like Wembley, it's such an amazing experience. Just actually being with the girls, and seeing them backstage. We spent quite alot of time with them and they were very supportive. When we were doing soundcheck at 5 o'clock or whatever, when the arena was empty, they would come and watch. That was quite nerveracking. One of them sat front row. They actually knew who we were, and were so supportive.
SPM: It was your first time performing together, right?
Jess: Actually, we played G-A-Y sorta as a warm-up to get is going, but yes, it was a real first performance of us as a group, and it was six weeks that I'll never forget.
SPM: How about the Jonas Brothers?
Jess: That was really good. That was different, but just amazing. Actually, in some respect, nothing can beat our Girls Aloud tour since it was our first time as a group, but it was good. About the Jonas Brothers, we didn't know what to expect. We actually got warned beforehand. They told us "You have never met fans like the Jonas Brothers fans", they were just crazy. They were so supportive. I've never heard screams like that. It was such a big buzz being there. It was so lovely, 'cause, like, a couple of nights, I watched the show after and people knew who we were. On the GA tour, we were unknown, but this time, people knew who were were and we were like "Wow!".
SPM: That's a huge deal. The Jonas Brothers are huge all over the world.
Jess: We didn't know alot about them before, but after what we saw every night, they're so talented. They're genuinly lovely guys. On the first night of the tour, they actually came out to introduce us. That was huge. It was an amazing opportunity, and they're really genuine guys, so friendly when we saw them backstage and stuff. I'd go back and do it again.
SPM: Have you decided on a title and release date for the album yet?
Jess: We haven't actually! We've had a few brainstorming sessions, nothing really serious, talking about names and stuff and we came up with a few ideas. We'll find one when the time is right. About a release date, there's not one set at the moment. Probably around March time, I think? We may release another single after "Echo", or it may come after "Echo". We'll see.
SPM: Sugababes 4.0 are coming out with an album in March too.
Jess: Really? I love them. They're really, really good. I'm definitely gonna be buying that, I love them. They're kinda more hip hop and R&B, which is why I like them.
SPM: What do you think sets you apart from other British girl groups, like The Saturdays.
Jess: Fundamentaly, we're all girls and we're all groups, so there really isn't a huge difference. From day one, we were really focused on the vocals. We've always said we have three leads, no specific lead. We're all partaking together. We were scouted for the fact that each of us could hold her own.
SPM: I think you have a different, deeper sound than the other groups. Plus, as you said, there's no lead, which is refreshing.
Jess: Exactly. I really enjoyed that, and I think because we all had the passion. I wanted to do this since I was three years old, I used to sing in my room for hours and hours. All I wanted to do was be in music. Plus, we can all sing. I think it's worked out really, really well.
SPM: Who have you worked with, in terms of producers?
Jess: There's one producer who did quite alot of songs for us, like, as I mentioned, my favorite song, "Unconditional". They were done by Johnny Douglas, and he's worked heavily with George Michael and Estelle. It was really cool working with him. He's got a real hip hop vibe to him. We all loved him, actually. We've also worked with Shaznay Lewis. She's written a couple of our tracks. One day, she came while we were recording one of her songs, she was so lovely. She was in the biggest girl group in the UK for awhile, she's still amazing, and her songs are brilliant.
SPM: All Saints were great. I miss them.
Jess: Me too. I'd love them to come back. I was quite young when they came out but I still had all their albums. They were really cool 'cause they were different. They never tried to be anything. They were who they wanted to be, and they didn't dress up and weren't all glamorous. They were different in a good way. Girls Aloud are wicked, they dress really well, but All Saints dressed down and it worked really well.
SPM: Can you catch?
Jess: I can! We did a show once before, and the TV host had eggs thrown at us, and I managed to catch it with one hand. It was caught on TV. It's one of my proudest moments. They were like "I can't believe you were able to catch it!" so it was really cool.
SPM: Who, or what, is your biggest influence?
Jess: Definitely Kanye West. I've had all his mixtapes from an early age, and I love the way he dresses, and everything about him. Femalewise, someone like Beyonce. I've seen her a couple of times, she's so powerful. She's groundbreaking, too, and I just think people like her and Kanye have really made an impression on music, which influenced me.
SPM: Have you decided on a third single yet?
Jess: We haven't decided for sure, but there's "Turn Me Up", which we did on tour. It was written by Shaznay Lewis. Quite alot of people are liking the sound of it, but we don't know for sure. We just have to wait and see, I guess.
SPM: I love that song.
Jess: Thank you! It's actually weird, 'cause when we do gigs and stuff, it's mainly guys that love that song. It's guys that come up to us and tell us that. It's funny how I've noticed that that's the one that's popular with guys. I don't know why, but it's really cool.
SPM: What did you think of 2009's X-Factor?
Jess: Well, it was definitely hilarious with Jedward. They were really cool, and I think good on them for doing it. They were shown alot of hatred. They were booed all the time, but they carried on. I'm really glad, though, that Joe [McElderly] won. I really think he's actually the most talented. I did love Olly [Murs] as well, but I think Joe was very different, I think he can go far.
SPM: What do you think of: Lady Gaga?
Jess: Love her. I think her songs were the songs of the Summer, like "Poker Face". What she's doing is extremely different to everyone else. I think she's awesome. I'd love to see her on tour.
SPM: Ke$ha?
Jess: She's really cool. Haven't heard much of her, I've heard two or three tracks. I'd like to see more of her, and I think her look's really cool.
SPM: Lily Allen?
Jess: I think she's great. I really do like her. She's really cool, and as a lyricist. she's really funny. I find myself laughing when I hear her songs.
SPM: Susan Boyle?
Jess: I don't even know what to say about her. I know she's doing really well in America, which is crazy. It's really unfair about how everyone had opinions about her looks and her age. She can sing, but I haven't heard any of her stuff.
SPM: Any plans to crack the US?
Jess: It would be amazing, but we'll see. I've only been there twice, I went to New York last year, which was amazing. I'd love to go back and see all the places.
SPM: Congrats on everything!
Jess: Thanks so much!
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