Interview with the Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls have become a chart phenomenon all over the world with the tremendous success of their deliciously infectious debut single "Don't Cha." Nicole, Carmit, Ashley, Melody, Kimberly and Jessica are jetting all over the map to greet fans and promote their first album, the appropriately titled "PCD." The album is a fun slice of radio-friendly, urban-styled pop with a heavy dose of good ole' girl power.

What started as a burlesque stage show in Los Angeles' Viper Room has turned into a bona fide worldwide franchise with the recently-opened Pussycat Dolls Lounge in Las Vegas and, of course, the chart topping recording group.  Arjan Writes had a few minutes to speak with Melody Thornton, the African-American Pussycat Doll who turned 21 in September, from a hotel room in Toronto, Canada. Just enough time for some fun questions.

Arjan Writes: "Don't Cha" is blowing up all over the world. What is your schedule like these days?
Melody: It is so hectic! Some of the other girls have done backup work and have lots of experience with touring, but it is all new to me. I got straight out of high school to work in the group when I was 19, so it has been an incredible experience so far. The European promo tour especially was insane.

You must be getting tired of all that airplane food…
[Laughs] Totally. We were just talking about that. We really want a nutritionist who can cook for us. It is so hard to maintain a good diet and exercise with this schedule.

Are you getting enough sleep traveling the time zones?
Not really. We just went to the Bahamas to shoot a video for "Stickwitu" that will be our second single. I think the most sleep we got was like three hours. We usually sleep on the plane. I have figured out that I can work with about four hours of sleep. But I got a full night of rest today so I'm feeling great talking to you. [Laughs]

So are you girls getting along well together? Any cat fights?
We're together all the time and we have gotten to know each other pretty well. We can tell when somebody woke up irritated. We will leave that person alone so she can have her own time. I also look for my own space once in a while. There aren't any cat fights. We surprisingly go very well together.  There is nobody in the group who tries to push buttons. There is nothing like that going on.

After the jump: Pussycat Doll Melody talks more about gay fans, the "PCD" album and the amazing response from fans in Europe.

Do people in different regions of the world respond differently to the Pussycat Dolls show?
Absolutely. We were taken aback by the crowds in Europe. We had fans waiting outside of our hotels and all that stuff. It was like we were Beyonce or something.  It was amazing. I can't wait for it to be like this all over the world. The fans in the UK especially showed us a lot of love.

On the album Nicole does most of the vocals. How does that work out in your life performances?
Yes. Nicole was granted vocals on the album and she has most experience being a lead singer. [Nicole previously was a singer in Eden's Crush.] But in our performances we all sing and have background vocals. I hope when we do our second album that people can hear all of our voices.

What are some of your favorite tracks on the album?
I like "Bite The Dust." It is a really aggressive song with a lot of attitude. I also like "How Many Times" that was written by Diane Warren. I'm a big fan of her and Nicole did a really fantastic job singing it.

Did you know you have a lot of gay fans? The boys love the Pussycat Dolls!
Good! I'm so glad to hear that. We want to make music that will appeal to everybody to create an outlet for people. My best friend in the whole world Danny is gay and he is my rock back home [in Phoenix, AZ]. We have so much fun, we practice lines from "Clueless" together. There is nobody else in the world that I'm so close to because he understands me so well.