ShareJessica Sutta, (seen here second from the right), a member of The Pussycat Dolls, chats with Kevin Cooper about the door always being open for Melody Thornton to return, the possibility of a new studio album, The Pussycat Dolls’ reunion appearance on The X Factor and their forthcoming tour of the UK.
Jessica Sutta is a member of the American girl group The Pussycat Dolls. Born in Miami she moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and three months later at a dance audition she came to the attention of choreographer Robin Antin who cast her in the group along with Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bacher, Ashley Roberts, Melody Thornton and Kimberly Wyatt.
She left the group in January 2010 to embark upon a solo career and she released her debut solo album, I Say Yes, in March 2017.
The Pussycat Dolls achieved worldwide success with Don’t Cha, Stickwitu and Buttons which all went to number one in the UK charts. Their debut album, PCD, which was released in 2005 achieved multi platinum success. Their debut single Sway was featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 film, Shall we Dance? With only two studio albums, the group became the best selling girl group of the 2000’s, having sold fifty four million records worldwide.
Group member Carmit Bacher left the group before the release of their second album, Doll Domination in 2008, which contained hit singles When I Grow Up, I Hate This Part and Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny).
Following the completion of their 2009 world tour, the group went on a hiatus and they fully disbanded in 2010.
In 2019 the group announced their reunion, minus Melody Thornton, and there are plans for the release of a third album after their comeback single, React, was released in February 2020.
Whilst busy rehearsing for their forthcoming UK tour she took some time out to have a chat with Kevin Cooper and this is what she had to say.
Hi Jessica, how are you today?
I’m great thanks Kevin, how are you today?
I’m fine thank you and before we move on let me thank you for taking the time to speak to me today.
No problem, it’s my pleasure, thanks for having me.
Just how is life treating you at this moment in time?
To be totally honest with you, life is currently treating me amazingly. It is totally amazing to be back with the girls, back doing our thing, back with our fans; it has been totally incredible.
I think that we can safely say that it is the return of Doll Domination.
(Laughter) yes, it is. We are well and truly back.
How long has it taken Robin (Antin) to get you guys to agree to do it all over again?
Let me tell you, it has taken her quite a while but what you have to remember is that there was a lot happening outside of The Pussycat Dolls. Careers were happening; I got married, Kimberly (Wyatt) had three babies, Carmit (Bachar) also had a baby so to be honest it has never been the right time for us to even consider getting back together. However, the good news is that the time is right now. There is divine timing occurring right now; we are here, we are ready to do it, we want to do it, we are ready to once again, take over the world.
Will there be a tinge of sadness that it won’t actually be a full reunion with Melody (Thornton) refusing to be a part of the forthcoming tour?
Yes, that’s right; there most definitely will be a tinge of sadness because Melody won’t be joining the rest of us on this incredible journey. She has told the press that, for her, the timing simply wasn’t right, and the rest of the girls respect her decision.
Melody has been quoted as saying, ‘the idea of getting together again sounds like a nightmare’. What would you say to that?
What can I say, despite what you may have seen or heard, I can categorically tell you that there is most definitely no feud whatsoever between Melody and any of the other members of The Pussycat Dolls. If Melody would like to join us at some later stage, then that door is always open.
Since you announced the reunion, what has the reaction been like from the fans?
The reaction from the fans has been so overwhelming; it has been so beautiful. Everyone has been so excited to have us back. The fans have been pushing for it for the last ten years now, and we are finally giving them what they want. It really is so exciting.
It’s been ten years since you last performed together. You recently got together to perform on The X Factor; were there any backstage nerves?
(Laughter) oh my god, there were a lot of nerves backstage because we only had three days to prepare for that show after not being together for ten years. We got ourselves into rehearsals and it felt like no time had passed at all. It was like the most amazing experience; we remembered the choreography, and everything just fell into place. But The X Factor was really scary because we had to do a death drop. We were dancing in water, there were a hell of a lot of pyrotechnics, and all of these new things were happening. But thankfully, it all turned out amazing; it really was the ultimate high.
Are you looking forward to being back out on the road here in the UK?
I love being on tour and I am so looking forward to being back on the road over there in the UK. I really do love the time that I get to spend in the UK; everything is so small and quaint. Also, I can’t wait to spend more time with the rest of the girls, it really is a sisterhood and it is such a lot of fun.
What about your UK fans, have they adopted you yet?
Yes, they have, they really have (laughter).
The tour starts here in the UK on Monday 6th April. Just what can we expect?
You can expect a lot of elements, fire, water, LED screens; it is going to be fun and energetic. We all have a lot of beautiful costumes for this tour. We intend to take it back to the old school burlesque days. I’m excited because I helped to create the show and let me tell you, it is going to be a blast.
Will you be having any support on the tour with you?
To be totally honest with you, I have to say that I do not know of any support yet. As far as I am aware it is just going to be us right now.
We have mention that it is ten years since you last performed together, and we have mentioned that you only had three days to prepare for The X Factor. Is it getting harder; are you now feeling a few more aches and pains?
(Hysterical laughter) yes, I most definitely feel like I have more aches and pains than I did ten years ago now (laughter). Having said that, I feel like I know my body better now than I ever did and I feel stronger as a woman now. It is a different experience performing in The Pussycat Dolls now than it was ten years ago. It is so much more fulfilling, it is more exciting, and I just cannot wait to perform onstage once again.
On Friday 7th February you released the new singe React, which I have to say I love. Are you and the rest of the girls happy with it?
Yes, we are, we really are so excited with React. A soon as we heard it, we all agreed that it should be our new, comeback single. We all feel that the beat is intoxicating and that it makes you want to dance. The hook is catchy, it makes you want to sing it, and visually we all knew exactly what we wanted to do with it. So, yes, I personally feel that it was the perfect match for The Pussycat Dolls. The coolest thing is that we recently played a show after announcing the reunion, and when we started singing React everyone was singing the song; they were singing every single word. It’s one thing when they sing our hits, but it’s another thing when they start singing our new songs. Everyone loved it, and that really does mean so much to us.
I have seen the video which accompanies React and whilst it looked like a lot of fun, it also looked like a lot of very hard work.
(Laughter) well let me tell you, that was the hardest shoot that I have ever done in my whole life. Don’t get me wrong, it was a blast, but it was also very intense. Again, we didn’t have much preparation or rehearsal time for that either. Like with The X Factor we had around three days preparation time for the video. Believe me when I say that three days to learn a whole load of new choreography really isn’t that long at all (laughter). Again, there were all of the elements, the fire, the water, everything, it was most definitely a very difficult shoot. It was hot, it was wet, but it really was a lot of fun at the end and I personally think that it turned out really well (laughter).
As viewers, we only see the three minutes or so of the finished video. Just how long did it take you to film?
You most probably won’t believe me, but it took around twenty hours for us to record the video. Let me tell you, it was a very long day (laughter).
Will we be seeing a new studio album in time to accompany the tour?
At this moment in time I would have to say no. We are taking one day at a time. We are starting out with this first single, but we really do want to give the fans exactly what they want. So, taking that on board, there is a possibility that, at some stage, we might record a new album. We just don’t know as yet.
As The Pussycat Dolls are now officially back together, does that mean that your solo career will be put on hold for the time being?
Yes, that’s right; my solo career is on hold for the time being, yes. I love doing music, dance music is my passion, and one day I will go back to it but, for now, I am totally and fully committed to The Pussycat Dolls.
I must tell you that I loved your 2017 album I Say Yes; I thought that it was fantastic.
Did you really, well thank you so much. I really did work so hard on that album.
My favourite track on the album is Willing To Beg. I personally think that track stands head and shoulders about the rest of the album.
That is amazing. That was such a great track. Thanks for saying that, it means such a lot to me.
Putting you on the spot, what would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?
I would have to say that it was right now and performing on The X Factor. It was so nostalgic for me to be on the stage with the girls once again, it felt so good. It just felt as though we were destined to be there right then and there.
And is a certain Mr Cowell a believer in Doll Domination?
(Laughter) absolutely. Simon totally is a Pussycat, in his own way of course (laughter).
What was the first record that you bought?
That was Only In My Dreams by Debbie Gibson.
Who did you first see performing live?
That was The New Kids On The Block.
What was the last song or piece of music that made you cry?
That was a couple of days ago now when we were performing Stick With You. I just couldn’t stop balling; I was crying so much (laughter).
On that note Jessica let me once again thank you for taking the time to speak to me today, it’s been delightful. You take care and I will see you in Nottingham.
Thank you so much for your time Kevin, I really do appreciate it. This has been fun, so thank you for that and I will see you in Nottingham.