Belinda Chapple hints at a Bardot reunion and reflects on her time in the iconic band

Belinda Chapple has hinted at a Bardot reunion, 21 years after the iconic Australian girl band split.

Speaking exclusively to 9Honey this week to celebrate the release of her candid new memoir, the singer, 48, said the singers have been in talks to come back together for a special one-off performance for their devoted fans.

The girl group, consisting of Chapple, Sophie Monk, Katie Underwood, Sally Polihronas and Tiffani Wood (who replaced Chantelle Barry), formed back in 1999 after they were discovered on the now-defunct series Popstars but disbanded in 2002. 

READ MORE: Drew Barrymore dropped as host of award show

READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion hits back at 'heated exchange' rumours with Justin Timberlake

"We are talking about potentially getting back together to do a little concert or something," Chapple told 9Honey.

"It's purely just to sing together for the fans and whether we can make that happen."

"We have been on the phone discussing it, all of us, but not Sophie though," she said of her former bandmate.

"It'll be cool."

READ MORE: General Hospital star John J. York reveals heartbreaking reason for his hiatus

Reflecting on her time in Bardot, during which they released hits including Poison and Love Will Find a Way, Chapple said despite being naturally heartbroken when things came to an end, she loved her time in the girl group.

She was 24 years old when she auditioned for Popstars back in 1999 – the show then aired in 2000 – and said it now 'feels like a lifetime ago'.

"It's a distant memory, but it was a wonderful time, a tough time," she explained.

"It's like anything in life, nothing is easy and I've had lots of fond memories, hard work and lots of disappointment in the end.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here

"But just getting to do your dream job at a young age was incredible. The world's your oyster at 25."

Underwood left the band in 2001 to focus on her musical theatre career a year before they officially disbanded. In the years after the girls, besides from Polihronas, decided to release music with solo careers.

Chapple claims in her new tell-all, The Girl in the Band: Bardot - A Cautionary Tale, that Bardot found out they were disbanding in a meeting to give Monk a solo career.

Speaking about the breakup, she said it was a 'shock to the system' as it 'came out of nowhere.'

"Like anyone, when you lose your job, and especially one when you're so invested and in the public eye, it was a pretty tough time," she explained.

"I think for us, it was just such a big shock. It really was a shock to a system, that was the hardest part."

In her book, she claims the girls were made to sign a contract upon formation of the band, with a specific weight clause, and that she had to survive on just $35 per day.

However, she told 9Honey she struggled with body image thanks to the press, rather than the contract. 

"They didn't actually put it into the words saying 'you can't put on weight', but it was an appearance clause and it was clear that was what they were referring to," she said.

"At that age, I was working in the industry and it didn't bother me that much then, but the body image pressure came from the press each day, not so much the clause."

"It was tough, the pressure to look a certain way, to see yourself in the public domain at the time was pretty hard-going."

Chapple said she wrote her book to show the not-so-glamorous side of showbusiness and recounted in her work the grueling processes of auditions and the struggle of trying to make it as a performer in the early days. 

"I wanted to be a behind-the-scenes insight into the biz and people get an understanding about the reality of it," she said.

Chapple said she's 'proud' of her work, which she started writing through diary entries after her time in the band, and said it was ''very much an organic process".

"It's always nerve-wracking putting anything creative into the world, but the response has been incredible and I'm blown away at how many people are loving it," she said.

"It's a passion project for me and it's important to tell true stories especially in the world of the entertainment biz where people think it's quite glamorous and I think a lot of people have had the same experiences of me and it's important they don't feel alone."

In recent years, Chapple has been living in Singapore and London with her husband but now calls Sydney home.

Fans haven't been short of music though as Chapple and Underwood reunited in 2021 to form the duo Ka'Bel.

On Friday, they will celebrate the release of their new dance/pop single, Follow. 

Belinda Chapple's book The Girl in the Band is out now.

------------------------------------

Title: Belinda Chapple hints at a Bardot reunion and reflects on her time in the iconic band
Sourced From: celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/belinda-chapple-interview-bardot-singer-popstars-reunion-hint-exclusive/ca93f28c-62b7-4279-8886-a1835f25166f
Published Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2023 04:09:00 GMT