Speaker 1: This is Outspoken. The podcast is not afraid to say
Speaker 1: exactly what you're thinking. Our names are Amy Kate and
Speaker 1: Sophie Torber. We're identical triplets, but we often don't have
Speaker 1: identical opinions, so sometimes things can get heated. Outspoken covers
Speaker 1: all things reality TV, influences, entertainment, and issues facing women.
Speaker 1: That is so fat.
Speaker 2: Thank you. I remember seeing the ad in New Ideas.
Speaker 2: I remember what I was wearing, I remember the weather,
Speaker 2: I remember everything. Us girls, we had a lot of
Speaker 2: say in everything. People think that we were manufactured and
Speaker 2: in ways yes we were, but in a lot of
Speaker 2: ways it all came from us. Again, we didn't see
Speaker 2: any profit from that.
Speaker 1: You guys were just being screwed left, right and centered
Speaker 1: by the sound.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, big time, big time.
Speaker 2: Yeah. She came out on television recently and just said
Speaker 2: that she stole from so because she actually stole the
Speaker 2: most from me. Oh wow, that's all true.
Speaker 1: It's hard to believe. It's been twenty years since Bardo's
Speaker 1: single Poison debut at number one in Australia. As massive
Speaker 1: Bardo fans, we're thrilled to be joined today by former
Speaker 1: band member Belinda Chapel Belinda officially welcome to Outspoken. Thanks
Speaker 1: for joining us all the way from Singapore.
Speaker 2: My pleasure Fairsie, how are.
Speaker 1: You coping in isolation, because I understand there's some pretty
Speaker 1: strict rules in Singapore in place.
Speaker 3: Yes.
Speaker 2: Well, I was actually unwell at the beginning of this year,
Speaker 2: so for me, I had to take a little bit
Speaker 2: of time off work and kind of working from home
Speaker 2: a lot more. And it's been a big change now
Speaker 2: that I'm better. You know, I can't go anywhere, I
Speaker 2: can't see friends. It's and my husband and I were
Speaker 2: both working from home. Everything's closed. It's really busy, and
Speaker 2: I guess the evenings in Singapore are so happening till
Speaker 2: very late, and it's we go out for a night
Speaker 2: walk most nights and it's just everything's closed. It's just
Speaker 2: the weirdest. It's like a set from a movie, you
Speaker 2: know those again in kind of films where there's just
Speaker 2: no one on the streets. It's bizarre.
Speaker 1: It is freaky. I was gonna say, last time I
Speaker 1: went to Singapore, there were so many beautiful dogs. I
Speaker 1: know there's beautiful dogs everywhere, but Singapore seems to have
Speaker 1: real designer dogs. Do you find that when you're walking around.
Speaker 2: I don't know. I think maybe their dogs get extra
Speaker 2: spoilt because so many people have helpers and live in maids,
Speaker 2: and often you'll see the maids walking everyone's dogs, like
Speaker 2: the owners don't walk them themselves. You see a lot
Speaker 2: of that, and I think the maids look after them
Speaker 2: and get them trimmed, and maybe that's why they're looking
Speaker 2: extra Designerny.
Speaker 1: It's funny Amy said that because I was actually noticing
Speaker 1: all the beautiful long haired women and then the handbags.
Speaker 1: So obviously Amy and I are looking at different things signs,
Speaker 1: design of dogs and bags. Well, now we're all spending
Speaker 1: so much time inside. Do you have any recommendations of
Speaker 1: Netflix or podcasts or books that you're reading or watching
Speaker 1: whilst you're in isolation?
Speaker 2: Oh? Look, I mean I've watched so much on Netflix,
Speaker 2: but have done? I love all the documentaries. I think
Speaker 2: I've watched almost every documentary on Netflix, and I can't
Speaker 2: even name them because there's too many. But as far
Speaker 2: as series, I loved A Zark. I thought it was
Speaker 2: just brilliant. I don't know that actress's name, the blonde
Speaker 2: girl with the younger girl with the I don't know
Speaker 2: if you've watched a dark but I love the lead
Speaker 2: actors in it, and I just think it's brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Speaker 2: Big fan of A Zark and I've watched all series.
Speaker 2: And I am a fan of the Real Housewives of
Speaker 2: Hills and New York City. I don't watch the others,
Speaker 2: just those two.
Speaker 1: You've got to get into Melbourne. You've got to watch
Speaker 1: Real Housewives of Melbourne. It is amazing.
Speaker 2: Did watch it? I did watch a few. It's a
Speaker 2: bit of a car crash.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 2: I just I think it's I just loved I loved
Speaker 2: the women on.
Speaker 3: Beverly Hills. Yeah, more so.
Speaker 2: I'm embarrassed to admit, but I love that. I love
Speaker 2: that kind of thing as well. It's a bit of fun.
Speaker 1: Oh, there's definitely no judgment here. We loved I was
Speaker 1: gonna say. We stumbled across some old episodes of pop
Speaker 1: stars on YouTube and oh, my gosh, that that was
Speaker 1: such a blast from the past. Have you rewatched any
Speaker 1: of the episodes?
Speaker 2: I did. I recently watched the whole thing on YouTube,
Speaker 2: probably about I don't know whenever. It was uploaded four
Speaker 2: or five months ago, and I hadn't watched it since then,
Speaker 2: and so that's eighteen years ago or whatever, and just
Speaker 2: parts of it I was cringing and oh my god,
Speaker 2: it was like I have my hands over my eyes.
Speaker 2: I don't know if we can watch some of these,
Speaker 2: but no, I mean it was just it's really weird
Speaker 2: to watch yourself that up close and personal, you know,
Speaker 2: that long ago. You know, I think anyone would feel that.
Speaker 2: It's just a weird thing. It's like, oh my god,
Speaker 2: there I was. I was twenty four, and I don't know.
Speaker 2: Life was different then as it is. You know, that's
Speaker 2: twenty years ago, so a lot has changed. I mean,
Speaker 2: it was long before social media and Google and laptops
Speaker 2: and like, yeah, weird. It's just and I don't know
Speaker 2: where time has gone. It's just flown. I don't feel
Speaker 2: twenty years older. I do in some ways, but not
Speaker 2: in others. I'm a big kid in other ways. So yeah,
Speaker 2: it's weird, weird.
Speaker 1: You honestly don't look like you've aged a day since
Speaker 1: appearing in Pop Stars though, because I haven't. I hadn't
Speaker 1: obviously seen you since you know, you're on pop Stars,
Speaker 1: and I looked up on Instagram and I was like, oh,
Speaker 1: my god, Belinda looks exactly this, Like your hair is
Speaker 1: so fabulous and oh my goodness, you're killing it. What
Speaker 1: are your secrets?
Speaker 2: Oh god, I don't know. I think I know my
Speaker 2: mom looks she looks good for her age. I haven't
Speaker 2: had children yet, unfortunately, so that could be why I
Speaker 2: have maybe less lines on my face.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 2: I get a lot of sleep. I look after myself.
Speaker 2: You know. I've always done lots ogre and recently lots
Speaker 2: of meditation because I suffer from anxiety. And yeah, so no,
Speaker 2: I don't know. I mean I think if you saw me,
Speaker 2: you would see of aged. Obviously you put a nice filter.
Speaker 2: I don't go crazy with my filters and air brushing
Speaker 2: at all, but I always put a nice little filter,
Speaker 2: so you know, you look a little bit better.
Speaker 1: But yeah, one of the things I loved watching because
Speaker 1: we watched we actually watched the episode of pop Stars
Speaker 1: the other day when it was the big concert in
Speaker 1: Sydney and you guys were trying on some amazing outfits.
Speaker 1: Katie was wearing her kind of like robot outfit that
Speaker 1: was flashing, and there was like a space outfit, a
Speaker 1: space outfit, yeah, and there was some like I think
Speaker 1: Tiffany had like cowb heerd cowboy hat. I was just
Speaker 1: loving the two thousand fashion. Have you kept any of
Speaker 1: those items of clothing?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I actually did. I had a suitcase that I
Speaker 2: folded all my like my cat suits that I designed
Speaker 2: because I designed all my outfits in Bardo. So yeah,
Speaker 2: I mean I think I wore a few iconic like
Speaker 2: sort of things from Bettina Leano in the day. I
Speaker 2: don't know if you remember Bettina Leano.
Speaker 1: Sorry for what from Real Housewives of Melbourne. Sorry, just
Speaker 1: throwing in some trivia there for you.
Speaker 2: Ah, Okay, you're right, She's okay, because I'm sure I
Speaker 2: met her. She's quite different to the sister right as
Speaker 2: she Yeah okay, very over.
Speaker 1: The top makeup and very like glamorous.
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah yeah that one.
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, get it, get it. No, But I so yeah,
Speaker 2: I definitely kept, especially the pieces that I designed and
Speaker 2: had made. So I kept all my costumes, my outfit
Speaker 2: from Poison, my outfit from Asap, yeah, and that kind
Speaker 2: of thing. But because a lot of it wasn't like
Speaker 2: leather or it was like PVC and whatever, a lot
Speaker 2: of it just disintegrated over the years and I didn't.
Speaker 2: I didn't package it properly. I just put it in
Speaker 2: a suitcase and put it in my mum and dad's
Speaker 2: garage in Sydney. So I yeah, I went to get
Speaker 2: everything out and it was just it dissolved, like really weird.
Speaker 2: So I only kept like a few pieces. I've got
Speaker 2: two catsuits left, I think, and that's the big flares
Speaker 2: and the dumb wants on the bottom. And my boots
Speaker 2: that I actually had made as well. I have these
Speaker 2: silver boots that I designed and had made by a
Speaker 2: cobbler in Sydney, and their silver leather and they've got
Speaker 2: these great studs on them and I wore them a
Speaker 2: lot in Bardrows, so I kept them.
Speaker 3: They're still good.
Speaker 1: Because you do sound familiar. I do remember those now
Speaker 1: that you're saying that, I was going to say that,
Speaker 1: now that you've revealed you've got all of these outfits,
Speaker 1: I'm a little bit disappointed to hear, you know, to
Speaker 1: see that they weren't on your zoom call of course,
Speaker 1: to commemorate the twenty year anniversary of poison. Can you
Speaker 1: tell us how did that all come about?
Speaker 2: Ah?
Speaker 3: Well, we.
Speaker 2: I think Sally Polyroonus from Barto she was always trying
Speaker 2: to get us back together once we split over the years,
Speaker 2: and she sent us a message about six months ago
Speaker 2: whatever it was in staid, guys, you know, it's twenty
Speaker 2: years coming up. If we're going to do something, we
Speaker 2: better start looking at it now. And we I think
Speaker 2: Sally was really hoping that Sophie would be involved and
Speaker 2: kept messaging her and that Sophie wasn't interested at all.
Speaker 2: So then it was just down to the four of
Speaker 2: us and we, yeah, we're talking at length about it
Speaker 2: and what it could be, whether it's a small thing,
Speaker 2: whether it ends up just a barbecue that we all
Speaker 2: catch up privately, or whether we actually do something in
Speaker 2: the public eye just to you know, celebrate the music
Speaker 2: that was, maybe even record some new music.
Speaker 3: You know, this was all in discussion.
Speaker 2: Then Sally changed her mind didn't really want to do
Speaker 2: anything at all, sadly, and so then the three of
Speaker 2: us were just left and we hopped on a call.
Speaker 2: We were chatting and catching up and we were like, right,
Speaker 2: let's seing. So we just we did that video and
Speaker 2: we obviously couldn't do it there and then.
Speaker 3: On the spot because of the lag.
Speaker 2: So if you're doing a zoom call and you've got
Speaker 2: three people in it, there's three seconds lag, so you
Speaker 2: certainly can't do a capella like that. So then we
Speaker 2: found this app and we did it on that and
Speaker 2: it was unrehearsed and completely You just add yourself in
Speaker 2: the box and then send it to the other person
Speaker 2: and then you harmonize on top, and so it was
Speaker 2: just completely random and then we came.
Speaker 3: Up with that.
Speaker 2: We just were like, cool, let's post it. So that's
Speaker 2: how it happened.
Speaker 1: It was so good. You guys sounded amazing. I would
Speaker 1: love for you guys to come back. And I mean,
Speaker 1: even if this is the three of you, I feel
Speaker 1: like it would be there'd be so much demand for
Speaker 1: at least one song or a few.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we're thinking.
Speaker 2: I kind of agree with you actually, and I think
Speaker 2: we yeah, there's no reason why not kind of being
Speaker 2: I sort of feel, and you know, even if it's
Speaker 2: just a new track, but yeah, we're looking at it.
Speaker 2: Put it that way. Cool.
Speaker 1: We're talking about talking about Sophie. You and Sophie were
Speaker 1: great friends when you guys were on Pop Stars. I mean,
Speaker 1: is it sad that we don't want to slag off Sophie?
Speaker 1: Because we love Sophie Monk as well. But is it
Speaker 1: just a bit disappointing that she can't come back, even
Speaker 1: if it was just a barbecue, if it wasn't publicized,
Speaker 1: is it a little bit disappointing for you guys?
Speaker 2: Well, look, to be honest, for me, I haven't seen
Speaker 2: her since the last concert, so yeah, so you can
Speaker 2: imagine that much time. I don't really have any sort
Speaker 2: of feelings. It's like a stranger, you know. I have
Speaker 2: wonderful memories of the time in the band with her.
Speaker 2: Her and I in our stupid sense of humor, we
Speaker 2: had an absolute ball together, you know, like it was
Speaker 2: just constant banter and just I mean, we just get
Speaker 2: each other going with our humor and we'll laugh our
Speaker 2: heads off most of the time. So we really had
Speaker 2: that bond in common with humor and stuff. But no,
Speaker 2: I haven't really seen her since then, So I don't
Speaker 2: know if I feel so much sad, But yeah, I think, yeah,
Speaker 2: I don't know. I don't know sort of how I
Speaker 2: feel about it all in that way, to be honest.
Speaker 2: But yeah, as I said, it's yeah, I think that's
Speaker 2: all awesome.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, just a bit lighthearted. I was going to
Speaker 1: ask you if you watched her on the Bachelorette, but
Speaker 1: I'm guessing no, if you haven't seen No since the
Speaker 1: last Singapore Yeah, I don't know. If the Bachelorette gets there.
Speaker 2: I think I'm pretty sure I did watch one episode
Speaker 2: online because you can find something. Yeah, and I think
Speaker 2: my girlfriend, my best friend, was watching it and sending
Speaker 2: me little memos. I'm like, oh, this is going on,
Speaker 2: and she loves Bachelorette. So yeah, So then I definitely
Speaker 2: looked it up and I watched one episode. But other
Speaker 2: than that, I can't really I don't know I did.
Speaker 1: So if we transported you back to two thousand, now,
Speaker 1: when did you first hear about the pop stars audition?
Speaker 1: And do you remember that audition process?
Speaker 2: Well, yes, so I've actually written a memoir, a book
Speaker 2: which hopefully we'll be coming out this year, and all
Speaker 2: of that is in my book. Yeah. So, but no,
Speaker 2: I remember. I remember seeing the ad in New Idea.
Speaker 2: I remember what I was wearing, I remember the weather,
Speaker 2: I remember everything. It was at a little corner store
Speaker 2: by my house in Bronti. I lived near the beach
Speaker 2: at that time in a beach shack with my sister
Speaker 2: and three other flatmates, and yeah, it was. It was
Speaker 2: such a fabulous memory really because I was so young
Speaker 2: and I was I had my little Bomby Honda, and
Speaker 2: I was traveling to gigs out west every weekend. I
Speaker 2: was singing in a covers band, and I was modeling
Speaker 2: as well when I could, well, whatever job I got,
Speaker 2: whatever modeling job I got at the time. And yeah,
Speaker 2: so no, I remember seeing that article. It was just
Speaker 2: a one pager audition Australia's Answers answer to the Spice Girls.
Speaker 2: And I was so myself. I was like, I'm going
Speaker 2: to get this. I'm definitely going to get And it's
Speaker 2: really weird because I never I was so down on
Speaker 2: myself really in a lot of ways. And I used
Speaker 2: to audition a lot, but I was a really bad auditioner.
Speaker 3: I'd get really nervous.
Speaker 2: But for some reason with this, I just thought I
Speaker 2: wanted it so much and I just thought, right, I'm
Speaker 2: going to get this, Like I had that attitude going
Speaker 2: into the audition, and I think that's half of it,
Speaker 2: isn't it. In life, you really really want something, you'll
Speaker 2: make it happen. So my energy or my attitude or
Speaker 2: whatever I got me through two thousand girls or whatever
Speaker 2: it was out of and I got it. So I
Speaker 2: think that's a little lesson to everybody out there. Actually,
Speaker 2: if you really want something and you put that energy out,
Speaker 2: you know, you just might get it.
Speaker 1: That's so true. I was going to ask. I've recently
Speaker 1: read that when they showed, you know, when they aired
Speaker 1: you hearing that you'd got into the band, that that
Speaker 1: was actually refilmed, like you'd found out early. What actually happened.
Speaker 1: Was there a mistake on their behalf or what happened? No?
Speaker 2: No, no, so I didn't they actually rework misinterpreted what
Speaker 2: I said that journalist. I Actually what happened was I
Speaker 2: was told before the day of filming. So I was
Speaker 2: told two days earlier that I'd been chosen for the band,
Speaker 2: and that was due to other reasons which I won't
Speaker 2: go into. But then so when they came round to
Speaker 2: my house, I think it was because I wasn't sure
Speaker 2: I was going to sign the contract. Actually that's what
Speaker 2: it was. Yeah, So then when I came round to
Speaker 2: when they came round to my house, I knew I'd
Speaker 2: been picked, and I did that fake yay stringy thing
Speaker 2: to come and haunt me when I saw it the
Speaker 2: other day.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so no, so you touched on before that, before
Speaker 1: you obviously got into the group. You were driving around
Speaker 1: in like an old bomb Honda. But I do vividly
Speaker 1: remember all that, you girls getting a beetle, a different
Speaker 1: colored beetle, and oh my gosh, I still want a
Speaker 1: yellow beetle to this day, because I've seen you guys
Speaker 1: driving around. But obviously you guys were insanely recognizable. Then
Speaker 1: did and you're and the number plates had your names
Speaker 1: from memory on it? Yeah, did you guys? I think
Speaker 1: you got them taken away from you after a little while.
Speaker 3: Was that true that we had them taken away?
Speaker 1: I think I remember on an episode there was you
Speaker 1: guys got them and then maybe maybe I'm not remembering quickly,
Speaker 1: but do you did you not get to drive around
Speaker 1: them for very long because you were too recognizable?
Speaker 2: No, I think we had them for a while. I
Speaker 2: think they changed them around and they were borrowed. Even
Speaker 2: though we did their whole campaign on television. They didn't
Speaker 2: give them to us. They were borrowed and we had
Speaker 2: to give them back. But no, I don't think our
Speaker 2: names are on the number plates. If I from memory
Speaker 2: and I remember I had a blue one for a
Speaker 2: while and then I had a green ones.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I think it was about a year we
Speaker 3: had them. No, I don't know. I didn't feel like
Speaker 3: it was that.
Speaker 2: I don't know. Maybe it was because I was living
Speaker 2: in Bronti. Not many people watched pop stars in Bronti.
Speaker 2: I don't know, But I don't remember the car bringing
Speaker 2: that much attention. I don't know, well from a short
Speaker 2: side it anyway, So I didn't see it.
Speaker 1: I was twelve at the time, and it made a
Speaker 1: great impact on me. What a great marketing campaign. I
Speaker 1: still want one twenty years later. Is that.
Speaker 2: Money?
Speaker 1: Yeah? There were a lot of scandalous well not a lot,
Speaker 1: but there was a Sorry, there were a few scandalous
Speaker 1: moments on pop stars, and I'm sure we're going to
Speaker 1: find out more from your book, which I personally can't
Speaker 1: wait to read. Are you able to touch on any
Speaker 1: of the moments that involved Chantell Barry because she's often forgotten,
Speaker 1: But she got sort of turfed out of the group,
Speaker 1: and there was rumors that she stole money from Sophie Monk.
Speaker 1: What actually happened? Can you say what happened?
Speaker 3: Well, I won't the details are in my book.
Speaker 2: But no, it was interesting that she came I found
Speaker 2: it fascinating that she came out on television recently and
Speaker 2: just said that she stole from Sophie because she actually
Speaker 2: stole the most from me.
Speaker 1: Oh wow.
Speaker 2: So yeah, but yeah, she only stopped from both of us.
Speaker 2: But yeah, that's all true.
Speaker 1: That's disappointing because I read that you guys were getting
Speaker 1: one hundred dollars a week allowance. I think that's what
Speaker 1: Chantel said.
Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, twenty dollars a day per ms. Yeah,
Speaker 2: something like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, is crazy. I know it was twenty years ago,
Speaker 1: but one hundred dollars twenty years ago was still not
Speaker 1: very much money. How were you guys.
Speaker 2: Staring on that? Well, they, I mean it was like
Speaker 2: living in a bubble. They paid for everything, so we
Speaker 2: you know, we were able to.
Speaker 3: And I'm pretty sure in the end they were.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so they covered all our living expenses, but they
Speaker 2: were making a lot of money from us, as you
Speaker 2: can imagine over the years.
Speaker 3: But yeah, no, it's we were on p dms. Yes,
Speaker 3: that's true.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 1: So what was it like living all together? I think
Speaker 1: it was in the same apartment. But let me know
Speaker 1: if I'm wrong, but like, how did that go and
Speaker 1: how did you guys all manage to get along? Or
Speaker 1: were there times when there was like fighting? Because I mean,
Speaker 1: as we're triplets, so I lived with my two sisters
Speaker 1: for thirty years and we fought like every day, So
Speaker 1: I can't imagine it would have been easy living with
Speaker 1: four other girls that you hardly knew.
Speaker 2: No, I mean, I think we did really well. You
Speaker 2: know that. I don't recall a lot of negativity at
Speaker 2: all in the band, not in the first year, not
Speaker 2: really even after Katie left. I'm sure. Yeah, sure there
Speaker 2: were moments of stress and you know, where two personalities
Speaker 2: would clash or whatever, but nothing major, nothing at all,
Speaker 2: nothing that tore us apart or you know, or really
Speaker 2: caused problems. I think it was remarkable really how we
Speaker 2: all sort of got on under such pressure.
Speaker 3: When I look back, you know, it was, Yeah.
Speaker 1: That's pretty impressive. What about did anyone steal each other's
Speaker 1: clothes or just the allowance just sorry?
Speaker 2: We were given a lot of free clothes.
Speaker 1: That's good.
Speaker 2: And because we helped but launch Bardow the clothing label,
Speaker 2: they gave us a lot of free clothes, so that
Speaker 2: was cool. Yeah, so that.
Speaker 1: Was going to be one of my questions because I
Speaker 1: do recall there was that association with the Bardo clothing line.
Speaker 1: So I'm assuming you guys didn't have much say in
Speaker 1: the name of the band.
Speaker 2: No, Sophie and I we we named the band. We
Speaker 2: came up. I sort of had the idea that we
Speaker 2: should be called Hepburn after Audrey Hepburn, and the idea
Speaker 2: of us being named after a beautiful movie actress, like
Speaker 2: someone feminine, someone very well known, and yeah, and Sophie's like,
Speaker 2: what about Bridget Bartow? And then it was Barto, So
Speaker 2: that's that's how it happened. And so yeah, yeah, we
Speaker 2: named us girls. We had a lot of say in everything.
Speaker 2: People think that we were manufactured and in ways yes
Speaker 2: we were, but in a lot of ways it all
Speaker 2: came from us, you know, down to our clothes and
Speaker 2: songs that were released. And yeah, we did have a
Speaker 2: say absolutely.
Speaker 1: Oh that's takesful. So did the clothing line come off
Speaker 1: the back of you guys naming the band bud O
Speaker 1: then no.
Speaker 2: So when we went to register bard O the name,
Speaker 2: they obviously we did a search and we found there
Speaker 2: was this little company in Melbourne in a backstreet, unknown,
Speaker 2: completely unknown. So we cut a deal with them and
Speaker 2: then they launched and just went all over Australia. They
Speaker 2: were in every single westfield and the Yeah, we basically
Speaker 2: launched their brand and I think our company that owned
Speaker 2: bou and they did a deal with them. But again
Speaker 2: we didn't see any profit from that. That was just
Speaker 2: done between the girls in Melbourne that owned this company,
Speaker 2: Barrow and then yeah and the people that owned Bardo
Speaker 2: the band. So yeah, that's how it happened.
Speaker 1: So you know, you probably can't say too much, but
Speaker 1: you guys are just being screwed left, right and centered
Speaker 1: by the sounds.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, big time, big time. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Was that one of the decisions for the split because
Speaker 1: you know, you guys were doing so well and I
Speaker 1: read in an interview you were talking about how disappointed
Speaker 1: you were and how I suppose frustrated it yourself in
Speaker 1: a way for signing the signing the release that.
Speaker 2: Said it was related.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it was money a reason for the split.
Speaker 1: Were you guys wanting to go Were there some members
Speaker 1: wanting to go their own way?
Speaker 2: If that was the case, I don't know. It was
Speaker 2: never verbalized to me from any of the members, and
Speaker 2: we had actually just restructured everything, so we started to
Speaker 2: make some money finally sort of the last five months
Speaker 2: before the band ended. So no, we were in a
Speaker 2: much better space financially, and we owned our name again.
Speaker 2: They'd given us the name Bardo and yeah, so it
Speaker 2: was all positive. Everything was onwards and upwards. But again
Speaker 2: I go into the details of how it happened, but
Speaker 2: it's it'll all be in my book.
Speaker 1: I can't wait. When when does your book drop? When?
Speaker 2: When?
Speaker 1: Where can we find it when it's released?
Speaker 2: Well, at this stage, I'm like just finalizing exactly those details,
Speaker 2: so I won't sort of say how and when yet,
Speaker 2: but soon I'll be able to reveal that.
Speaker 1: Okay, just back to you guys all living together. We
Speaker 1: recently did an interview with I don't know if you
Speaker 1: watched austraiin Idol, but with Rob Mills who was on
Speaker 1: the first series, and he mentioned that they used to
Speaker 1: sneak out of idle h sorry, out of their idle mansion.
Speaker 1: Did you guys ever manage to sneak out and did
Speaker 1: you have disguises that you'd wear or were you guys
Speaker 1: all pretty good?
Speaker 2: Well? I was the only Sydney girl. If I recall
Speaker 2: in the initial stages when we were in that house
Speaker 2: when we were filming pop Stars, and yes, I with
Speaker 2: my car and go and see family and my boyfriend,
Speaker 2: and yeah, I remember the other girls not so much
Speaker 2: because they didn't have a car and didn't have family
Speaker 2: and friends in Sydney, so they all sort of stuck
Speaker 2: it out in the house most of the time. I
Speaker 2: didn't get out a lot, but I definitely got out.
Speaker 2: And yeah, as far as like disguises and stuff, I
Speaker 2: don't recall that. I just remember things like me being
Speaker 2: on a plane and falling asleep and dribbling and then
Speaker 2: a fan coming up and sort of waking you from
Speaker 2: a really deep sleep, and you know, things like that.
Speaker 2: It was a crazy time, like it was. Yeah, the
Speaker 2: fans were there were lots of fans it that way.
Speaker 1: Did you have any crazy kind of stalker fans or
Speaker 1: was it because it was predominantly women, it was a
Speaker 1: bit more chilled.
Speaker 2: We did have a few. Actually, in Tiffany sent me
Speaker 2: a photo of one the other day, he said, and
Speaker 2: he was in Adelaide and she was like remember him,
Speaker 2: and oh my god, yes, just to his face.
Speaker 3: I was like, oh, that's.
Speaker 2: Right back, guy, you know, nineteen years ago.
Speaker 1: He's probably listening to this right now.
Speaker 2: I don't know about that. And then who else, No, nothing, mate,
Speaker 2: We did. We had some girls that really sort of
Speaker 2: you know, would come to our homes and scream and
Speaker 2: you know, drive around the block and blare our music.
Speaker 1: Was no, no, we were twelve, We couldn't drive.
Speaker 3: We did.
Speaker 1: We did go to your appearance at Marion Shopping Center
Speaker 1: and and I remember our mom finally agreed that we
Speaker 1: could go, but that meant that we parked like two
Speaker 1: streets away and then we're like crushed right at the back.
Speaker 1: So we were there, but we didn't really see anything.
Speaker 1: Ye what were those shopping and what were the shopping
Speaker 1: center appearances like? Because even now looking back, I don't
Speaker 1: think I've ever seen a shopping center so packed out
Speaker 1: for anybody.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they were saying there was twenty thousand
Speaker 2: at those ones in the initial stages, you know, the
Speaker 2: initial ones that we did, which you're talking about where
Speaker 2: we went all around the country just off the back
Speaker 2: of the TV show. But yeah, twenty thousand people like
Speaker 2: it was. I do remember that first one we did
Speaker 2: in Paramatta, that just was just on another level, and
Speaker 2: the screaming actually made me want to cry with emotion
Speaker 2: of I don't know, happiness, overwhelm, like I don't even know,
Speaker 2: but I just remember hopping on stage and just feeling
Speaker 2: the energy from the crowd and the screams and just going,
Speaker 2: oh my god, I just want to stand here and cry.
Speaker 2: I don't want to sing and dance, you know. I
Speaker 2: really remember that feeling. And I had a big lump
Speaker 2: in my throat for that first performance. It's and you
Speaker 2: can't sing with a big lump.
Speaker 3: In your throat.
Speaker 2: So yeah, I have vivid, vivid memories of that performance
Speaker 2: in particular, but yeah, there were so many.
Speaker 1: That's so cool moving on from moving from pop stars.
Speaker 1: So I suppose what you did after Bardo. I read
Speaker 1: online that you were the creative director for Asia's Next
Speaker 1: Top Model in Singapore. Can you tell us a little
Speaker 1: bit about that and how that all came about.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wasn't. No, I was creative director on a show.
Speaker 2: You might might have got that confused. I was creative
Speaker 2: director on a show that I did in Planet Hollywood
Speaker 2: in Vegas, a stage show with female a female review show.
Speaker 2: That was what I was creative director for but for
Speaker 2: Asia's Next Next Top Model, I was VIP for events. Yeah,
Speaker 2: just basically working for that company, Iced TV that launched
Speaker 2: one of the series here in Singapore. So yeah, that
Speaker 2: was just that kind of job. But I wasn't not
Speaker 2: creative director for ages nextwork next we ask you that.
Speaker 1: Thank you for clearing that up. Was it bizarre working
Speaker 1: closely I suppose with another reality TV TV show though.
Speaker 2: No, not really. I mean for me, I just love
Speaker 2: all that, Like I love that industry, and it's the industry,
Speaker 2: you know, anything creative and to do with television and
Speaker 2: stage I'm totally passionate about. So no, it was I
Speaker 2: loved that job. It was great. It was great to
Speaker 2: work behind the scenes actually enjoy what I actually enjoy
Speaker 2: working behind the scenes just as much as in front.
Speaker 2: So yeah, well.
Speaker 1: We're really not surprised to hear you're an interior designer
Speaker 1: because your Instagram is very esthetically pleasing. Can you tell
Speaker 1: us a little bit more about your business House of chapel.
Speaker 2: There's a few house for different things around the world,
Speaker 2: And actually I went when I went to register the name,
Speaker 2: there is a and when I went to put up
Speaker 2: my Instagram as a house of Chapel fashion label in America,
Speaker 2: so it's you know, household. It isn't that you know,
Speaker 2: people have done it before, but I think it's just
Speaker 2: for me. I just I quite like my last name
Speaker 2: and I love that it's my I don't have any
Speaker 2: brothers and sisters, and sorry, I don't have any brothers
Speaker 2: to take on the Chapel to keep the Chapel name,
Speaker 2: you know. So I just thought it was a nice
Speaker 2: ode to my dad and my dad's side of the family,
Speaker 2: and yeah, it just made sense to call it that.
Speaker 2: But I was in London for a few years with
Speaker 2: my husband. He's from Sweden, so that's why I ended
Speaker 2: up on that side of the world living and I
Speaker 2: when I first got there, I had some extra time
Speaker 2: because I was sorting out my work visa. And it
Speaker 2: was just something that I'd always wanted to do. And
Speaker 2: you know, we all have dreams of setting up our
Speaker 2: own businesses and things that we've you know, thought about
Speaker 2: doing and then we don't do it. And I just thought,
Speaker 2: you know what, this is something that I've always wanted
Speaker 2: to do, and I hadn't I didn't go to university,
Speaker 2: So for me, it was a big deal to go
Speaker 2: back and study, and you know, I had I guess.
Speaker 2: I was just like, can I do this? And I
Speaker 2: loved it, absolutely loved it. I just did a diploma
Speaker 2: for a year, but it was fabulous. I loved every
Speaker 2: minute of it. And I actually recently looked into studying
Speaker 2: further to get my bachelor in it.
Speaker 3: But it's so expensive to.
Speaker 2: Get a degree, isn't it. It's just it's yeah, so expensive.
Speaker 2: So and for me, it would just be an achievement
Speaker 2: that I wanted to do for myself. And I thought,
Speaker 2: you know what I can, I can put that money
Speaker 2: into the business. So I decided not to do that.
Speaker 2: But no, that's how it happened. And then I set
Speaker 2: it up organically and we have a house marbe Are
Speaker 2: in Spain, my husband and I, so we that's sort
Speaker 2: of where I opened up that sort of leg of
Speaker 2: the business. And then now I'm in Asia, so yeah,
Speaker 2: I work. I take clients all over the world. Really
Speaker 2: now you can you can do it from anywhere as
Speaker 2: long as you know. Some clients like you to inspect
Speaker 2: the actual be on site and expect inspect the actual location.
Speaker 2: But you can actually do it without seeing it because
Speaker 2: you can send photos, videos, you know, you can order
Speaker 2: from all over the world. You can make things happen
Speaker 2: even if you're not actually their.
Speaker 1: I've got an interior design question for you. It's a
Speaker 1: bit of a personal question because my boyfriend and I
Speaker 1: we've moved in and we do not have the same
Speaker 1: taste at all. How do you work through those problems
Speaker 1: with clients, if someone, for example, because I like really
Speaker 1: modern looking houses and he likes really sort of the
Speaker 1: old wooden style. Yeah, yeah, yeah, how do you work
Speaker 1: with your work through those kind of problems and find
Speaker 1: a solution.
Speaker 2: I have the same problem with my husband. I mean
Speaker 2: we yeah, absolutely, he's I mean, our tastes aren't two different.
Speaker 2: But then I've definitely got my clear vision of exactly
Speaker 2: what I like and he's got his things that he likes.
Speaker 2: So no, and I think that's really common. But you
Speaker 2: just try and understand both tastes and merge them. And
Speaker 2: I love doing that. I love being able to that's
Speaker 2: a challenge to me, and you know, usually you'll be surprised.
Speaker 2: I always feel like all the different genres of design,
Speaker 2: they you put them together and mix them, and that's
Speaker 2: that's what will make it timeless. You know, if you
Speaker 2: just stick with one trend I find that's when your house,
Speaker 2: you know, in a few years, you'll look at it
Speaker 2: and you'll go, oh, no, like it's it looks out
Speaker 2: of fashion. So I think if you mix dials, and
Speaker 2: that's one of my favorite things to do, is mix
Speaker 2: the old with the new.
Speaker 3: I feel vintage pieces with some really modern pieces.
Speaker 1: Yeah, sorry, I mean to interrupt you. I was gonna say,
Speaker 1: I'll have to. I'll definitely have to hit you up
Speaker 1: when we do move into a new house, because that's
Speaker 1: I feel like we need someone being the mediator, and
Speaker 1: we'll need all your details in our show notes as
Speaker 1: well where people can find you.
Speaker 3: Fantastic, great, Well, thank you.
Speaker 1: So much for joining us. We had so much fun
Speaker 1: going down memory lane with you, and we do appreciate
Speaker 1: your time so much, so thanks so much for talking
Speaker 1: with us.
Speaker 2: No problem at all, my pleasure.