The Pussycat Dolls get their claws out

18 August 2008

She's one fifth of one of the biggest and sexiest girl groups around so we caught up with Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts for a chat about the groups new single When I Grow Up and album Doll Domination. Hi Ashley. What have you been up to recently?

Just promoting the album, Doll Domination. it drops September 15th and we've just been basically on a promo tour getting the word out!

You've taken the music industry by storm, you're one of the most popular girl groups around. When did you realise that the Pussycat Dolls had made it?

I think when we just started to get to travel to so many places around the world and have so many different cultures know our music and know the words to our songs. I think that was when we were like, 'Wow this thing is so much bigger than we ever expected it to be!' It's pretty cool.

Your new single When I Grow Up is out in the UK in September but it's already been released in the US. What was the reaction like to it?

The reaction so far has been really great. The video's doing really well. the kids seem to like it a lot. It's been up and down the top ten in the states. We love the UK they've always been so supportive of us so I can't wait to see how they take to the song and how they like it.

Your new album Doll Domination comes out in September too. What can we expect from it?

I think you can expect a lot of different kinds of music. You know we have our up tempo dance songs of course that all the PCD fans want but we also have some really nice slow ballad songs that are really vulnerable and I think it's a different side of the Pussycat Dolls that maybe some people haven't seen.

Do you have a favourite track from the album?

Everybody asks me that but it changes every day! I really really love the music on this next album. Right now there's a song that we have called Elevator that i just love. i think the words are awesome and i think the kids will really relate to it.

You've worked with many people, Timberland, Will.i.am, Busta Rhymes, well everyone really! Is there anyone left that you would like to work with?

Yeah I'd love to work with Pharrell or Kanye that would be awesome. Even get some girls involved like Beyonce, Shakira would be fun!

Nicole, melody and Jessica have all done some solo work away from the band. Do you have any plans to?

Yeah i actually did a small role in a movie called Make It Happen. The Weinestein Brothers were part of it, Darren Grant was the director. And I actually had to turn down the lead in a movie due the Dolls schedule so I guess you can look forward to seeing that. And each of us are doing a solo song that will be released as kind of like a bonus, a separate part to the album. So I know the fans have been really anxious to hear each of us sing so it will be a really cool way just to get to know us as individuals.

Is that something you'd like to get into then, acting?

Yeah defiantly. I really wanna get involved in some romantic comedy stuff where I just get to have fun on screen and hopefully people will come and watch it and laugh and just enjoy themselves.

You haven't released a bad song yet so what is your favourite of them all?

Gosh, that's a tough one. it's pretty awesome whenever Don't Cha comes on just because it was the first song we ever released off the first album. As soon as that bass line hits it's like all the audience and the fans know the song so well so I guess I would have to say that.

You’re now a five piece since Carmit left, is there a big difference between being five and being six?

Yeah we definitely miss Carmit. She was a strong performer and one of our sisters and we definitely had to each step it up a notch having one girl gone. But we support her, i just recently talked to her when I was back home, she's working on her show. We all love her so much but the five of us have really come together and we're really close right now so I think it's stronger than ever.

What other music acts are around at the moment do you like?

I love Adele, I love Coldplay's new album. Lil Wayne's got some fun stuff out right now. i love Alicia Keys's new album. A little bit of everything, you know i love music so anything that touches me.

Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

Oh gosh ten years. I hope that I'm having a good acting career, maybe a family. A little bit of everything! Happiness and success in life.

What's in store for the Pussycat Dolls in the near future?

Well you know we drop the album September 15th so we're gonna be out promoting that and our world tour starts January 09 so we're gonna be hitting everywhere around the world and taking over!

We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview....and Yolanda from Phantom Limb wants to know; “Are you happy with your record deal?”

Well it's definitely different, I feel like we kinda opened up a can of worms on starting record deals in a different way. But you know it's tricky but we do actually embrace the record deal because it has its pro's and con's in other situations that maybe other people don't have so each to their own. I'm happy with it and right now were renegotiating so we're trying to make everybody happy and get what everybody deserves.