Getting acquainted with the ladies.
Duchess are a UK manufactured four-piece pop/electro/RnB group. Their newly released single ‘All the Boyz’ is pretty funky, a bit sassy, a bit Pussycat Dolls. We catch up with them in Central London ahead of their gig supporting Wretch 32 on tour.
Could you each describe yourselves in six words?
Shanie: I would say I am ambitious, loyal, feisty, a chatterbox, organised and I have a serious case of OCD.
Annie: Loud, funny, with over the top make-up and my hair needs to be big. Caring, sassy and naughty, as I always misbehave.
Jamie: Bubbly, scatty, kind.
Nadine: She’s very blonde [haha]
Jamie: Yeah I do exaggerate sometimes. Probably because I was hit by a car when I was eleven. So I tend to be dramatic about a lot of things.
Nadine: I'm shy offstage yet confident onstage, Quirky, eccentric, creative, and humble.
You didn’t all know each other before Duchess. Would you say you’re a manufactured group?
Annie: Well, it’s funny because people say we're a manufactured group but the auditions were really hard. The process was about six months. Us three (Shanie, Jamie and Annie) were together first and then Nadine joined after.
Shanie: We wanted someone who fitted our personality vocally and when we saw the video of Nadine on YouTube – spotted by Talay Riley – we thought yes.
You all seem really close, considering you haven’t known each other long…
Annie: The reason why I think we are so close is because we were together for a year before we got signed. We definitely haven’t had the journey of a manufactured band.
Would you say you’re like a modern day Spice Girls?
Annie: Do you know what? I read their book on holiday and I couldn’t believe how similar their story was to ours.
Shanie: We all need to read that book.
Annie: They had it hard, they got their first three singles exactly the same as us and they made their first three singles before their deal and with no budget.
What was it like working with Scorcher?
Shanie: Well I worked with Scorcher, Bashy and Wretch 32 on the Ransom video. I sent him [Scorcher] our single and was, like, “What do you think of this track?” He said, like, “Wait, there is definitely room for me on the track.” It was a pleasure to work with him and we will be doing a couple of shows with him.
The song is fun, sexy, fierce and promotes female domination, but how would you describe what ‘All The Boyz’ is about’? Especially since most of you already boyfriends?
Annie: The song isn’t about us. It was never about the boys all loving Duchess. ‘All the Boyz’, is a song that is no different to ‘Dontcha’ and ‘Single Ladies’. It’s a song you are meant to sing along to in a club or whilst getting ready. A girl tweeted the other day saying: “I got my hair done, my nails done, make-up done and listening to 'All The Boyz' in my room.” That’s the perfect example of what the single is all about. It’s a club track. It’s probably the only song in our catalogue of songs that could have been taken the wrong way.
Nadine: When we are performing we always tweak the chorus to “All the boyz love you” instead of 'me'.
Jamie: Some people automatically don’t like us if they don’t understand what the song is about.
Finally, who runs the world?
All: Girls
Jamie: And Duchess
‘All The Boyz’ debut single out now. Also look out for the Duchess ladies' picks for our weekly Dancefloor Bombs this Friday.
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