|  | Identical twins Monica and Gabriella (Gabriella being the oldest by 10 minutes) went to ballet academy in Romania.
They visited England on a holiday for the summer of 1998. Three years later, they moved to the UK for good. They then applied for "Popstars, the Rivals" for a laugh (as they had just finished the Ballet Academy and "...had nothing better to do!").
 | | The Cheeky Girls on stage at the NTU Student Union |
Their song went down like...a lead balloon, and now at just 20 years old, here they are making a lot of money and having a lot of fun. They've had a whirlwind of success since they were scouted last year; The "Cheeky" song has been released in Holland, Finland, Germany, Belgium and France. They have toured England, so far covering Student Unions in Leeds, Glasgow and Cardiff, and they are jetting off to Belgium to continue their tour this week.
I met up with Monica and Gabriella after their set at the Nottingham Trent Student Union, to get the low down on their musical career and what it takes to be a Cheeky Girl!
| The Cheeky Girls - The Interview | Do you enjoy being identical twins?
Monica: Yes, it is so much fun! I love looking the same as Gabby, we get a lot of attention for it.
Gabriella: Yeh I love it too. I think we are lucky to be identical twins and we take full advantage. We deliberately dress the same and we are very close. | Who is the cheekiest person you have ever met?
Monica: Pete Waterman!
Gabriella: ...and Brian from Westlife
Cheeky mammy: Yeh! When he shouted "Hello cheeky mom, do you have a fag?!" | What is next for the Cheeky Girls?
Monica: Our next song is out mid-April, just in time for Easter.
Cheeky mammy: Its title is a surprise, but I write all of their songs so you can guess what it will be like! [oh yeah, we are guessing alright!] | What is the cheekiest thing you have ever done?
Monica: Doing the song!
Gabriella: Yeh and did you see Jonathan Ross, 'The best moments of 2002'? We got the biggest coverage on the whole programme!
Cheeky mammy: [grinning] I wrote that song! It makes me very proud to see how far it has gone in such a short amount of time. | How many cheeky girls does it take to change a light bulb?
After repeating the question several times, a vacant expression appears on everyone's face. Oopps! What have I said! Then, cheeky manager starts to laugh.
Cheeky manager: How many Pre-menstrual women does it take to change a light bulb? 24...It just does!
[pheww! Just as I thought I had deeply offended the girls forever, cheeky manager lowers the tone to somewhere below Australia!] | Any chance of me becoming a third cheeky girl?
Everyone in unison: Err...no sorry! |
Although the girls have been working incredibly hard since their success in both the Europe and the UK charts, it is unnoticeable from their perfection and enthusiasm.
They were chatting away like I had known them forever, completely down to earth and not a whinge about anything.
They really enjoyed performing in front of our filled Student Union.
The girls will be back in Nottingham at the Royal Concert Hall, for the Popstars the Rival's tour later this year.
So, after being sent home in shame during the preliminary rounds of the programme, they are now appearing on the official tour!
Doesn't make much sense to me either! But I wish them all the best for the future, and as they say, 'if you've got it, flaunt it!'...
... (and if you can make a packet along the way, then good on ya!) |
