We spoke to Black Heart hitmakers, Stooshe!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or in Sutton, you can’t help but notice that Vauxhall is firmly on the ASCENT again! New clubs, new parties, new American embassies. It’s like 2009 all over again, isn’t it. Quick, slip into one of those American Apparel zip-through hoodies and put on a Pussycat Dolls MP3!
Well, here comes a new Friday night bash, courtesy of London fetish fiend Jamie HP. O-U-T is gonna be on every Friday at Protocol, melding together big-name DJs, sizzling gogo boys, regular special guest PAs, and plenty of dark corners; all culminating in a sexy, social destination!
Plus, if that wasn’t enough, they’ve got girl group Stooshe for the opening night. Remember Stooshe? Course ya do. They released a lorry load of bangers in 2013, left their major label to defiantly pursue their own direction, and are now ready to return. We spoke with the girls ahead of the launch party!
So, you’ve been away for a bit since you blew up first time round. What’ve you been up to?
Just a bit, right! It’s crazy how quickly time flies – it feels like yesterday that we released Black Heart! But honestly, we’ve just been living our lives! We got in the band quite young, so our early 20s were completely dedicated to Stooshe. So as much as we’ve still been creating music in the studio and performing all over the country pretty much every week, we’ve just really enjoyed stripping everything back and experimenting with sounds without any pressure, spending time with friends and family and working on ourselves individually.
When’s the next album coming out?
‘Soon’ seems to be our favourite word! Definitely SOON! We have tried not to put pressure on ourselves with deadlines and time limits, as you end up putting out music you aren’t 100% happy with. Every song we release now, we want it to be true to us and with our hearts all in. We have been experimenting with different sounds and are now looking to put out an EP of our favourites this year. Our fans have been waiting patiently for us and we would like to give them something back and let them hear what we have been working on.
Is it going to be more similar to the early ‘Fuck Me’ and ‘Betty Woz Gone’ era?
After experimenting with sounds for some time now and seeing what works for us, we’ve gone back to our Motown sound whilst still incorporating the fun, innuendo-based, tongue in cheek lyrics. We released ‘Lockdown’ & ‘Let it Go’ after our album. As much as we love singing cool pop tracks, what really works for us is rich Motown melodies with solid 3 part harmonies and lots of fun lyrics, which we can have a laugh with on stage and in the studio!
You’ve been together for over 7 years now. How long until the high-drama girl-group split?
LOL! For starters we respect each other’s privacy, so there would never be a ‘high drama split’ as that only happens when there’s a breakdown in the friendship. We’ve had a solid sisterhood for 7 years now and that’s not going to change any time soon. But that doesn’t mean we can’t embark on our own individual journeys in life too. We all have different dreams and passions, and really don’t think that we would ever officially ‘split up’ but we will definitely be pursuing our own personal dreams too. Stooshe will always remain, as we love performing together too much to ever split up!
Apart from yourselves obviously, who is your favourite girl band ever?
K: Mine has to be Destiny’s Child. As much as I absolutely LOVE our home grown Spice Girls & All Saints too. (Shaznay actually co-wrote Blackheart!) I’ve always been a lover of phenomenal vocals & harmonies and Destiny’s Child definitely lead the way for me when it comes to both. ‘The Writing’s On The Wall’ was my go to album throughout most of my teenage years and still is!
A: Spice Girls have got to be the most fun and bring back memories of when I was younger wanting to be Scary Spice with leopard print and platform boots! When you can still remember every word and dance move to the songs, then they must be one of the best girl groups ever!
C: Oohh this is a tough one! I think it’s safe to say there have been some pretty amazing girl bands over the years. This is hard to judge as I love old skool girl bands like The Supremes, but I think TLC have to be one of the top runners! They all brought their own thing to the group and stayed true to themselves as well as having amazing songs and style!
You’re playing on the launch night of O-U-T. Have you got a lot of LGBT fans?
Yes we have. Our LGBT fans have always stood by us and give us the best energy at our shows. We are big advocates for everyone being able to be their true selves and our LGBT fans are so fun at shows and one of our favourite crowds to perform to.
What can we expect at the show?
You guys can expect a lot of fun, crowd interaction, great harmonies and a few lil’ dance move grooves! We love performing together and being up on stage, and you can see that through our chemistry and performance. We can’t wait to perform for you guys and see everyone there!
What’s the best night you’ve had out EVER?
K: Collectively, we’ve had some really fun nights together, especially in the ‘bump’ days in Plan B in Brixton, and our show after parties when we were on tour, were always so much fun! But personally I’ve definitely had the best nights of my life while I was in Ibiza! That place is honestly magical, there’s just something in the air over there. Such a beautiful energy and everyone is just there to have fun. Nothing but good vibes!
C: Like Karis said, we have had some wicked nights out together, but I have to say Marbella is something else! Maybe it’s the being abroad aspect that makes everything just light hearted & fun!
A: Most nights we have out together have been funny. I have the worst memory and can’t think of just one night. I’d probably say the nights in which I can’t remember the second half and the girls have told me stories that will never be repeated! It’s always something to laugh about.
O-U-T is on Friday 28th July at Protocol (Lightbox entrance), 6A South Lambeth place, SW8 1RT. £8 OTD. 10pm-3am, stay free to A:M.
