The year 2007 marked the birth of a new girl group in the UK, courtesy of pop label imprint Fascination.
Six years on and The Saturdays have tallied up 11 Top 10 hits, embarked on a headline arena tour and have now spread their wings across the Atlantic to make a name for themselves in the US.
Digital Spy caught up with band member Una Healy to discuss their American adventure, as well as chat about their new album and her first year of motherhood.
Hello Una! Now you're back from the States, how did you find the whole experience?
"It was a great opportunity to get it out there. The whole thing; performing, recording a great album to be released later in the year, and to work with the guys at E! who were professional and friendly. It was the opportunity of a lifetime."
Having seen Chasing The Saturdays it looked like you had a good time.
"We really enjoyed it and it was really good fun. There were times when we were homesick, but apart from that we had a blast."
And you got to go to some pretty glitzy Hollywood parties.
"We performed at the Golden Globes after party and when we were getting ready in the Beverly Hills hotel, we looked out and could see all the stars arriving on the red carpet. As we got in the lift, Jennifer Lopez came out in the corridor and we couldn't help but look at her bum! She's something else."
Congratulations on new single 'What About Us' - are you hoping you're finally going to clinch that number one spot?
"You'll always be hoping, but I don't want to count our chickens and get too excited. If it doesn't happen I don't want to feel disappointed, because we've got this far without ever having one. It would definitely be a cherry on top if we ever did get one. I won't put all my hopes on it, but I'll be very pleased if we get a good Top 10 position of some sort."
Why did you choose it as your next single?
"We all loved it after we demoed it and it gave us a really good feeling. It's a fresh start for a new album as it's got that slight reggae vibe, but is still a dance pop record."
How was it working with Sean Paul?
"He was perfect for the song. When we met him, he's just so nice. He's coming over next week to do another performance with us, so we're keeping in touch all the time. He's lovely."
It's from your new album The Chase. How is that coming along?
"That's the working title, it's not the actual one. I think with the whole Chasing The Saturdays and chasing success, we'll call it that for now. But it's not the definite title. We'll have another single and then the album. We've finished it though."
Is 'What About Us' a good indication of what to expect from The Chase (working title)?
"What we do is pop, so it's quite dancey. We worked with Diane Warren, so we've got a couple of ballads. We worked with Darkchild too, so there's a bit of everything in there."
Darkchild has worked with Beyoncé and Bieber, so were you a little intimidated?
"We were very starstruck when we walked in with him and Diane. Especially when we walked through their hall of fame with all the CDs on the wall and who they've worked with. It was overwhelming to think that we were in there working with them too. The tracks we did with Darkchild are kind of R&B-pop."
Can we expect any more guests on the new album?
"For now it's just Sean Paul, but no-one else for the time being I don't think. We do love a collab though."
We hear you organised a first birthday party last week.
"Yeah, it was a lovely quiet family event. We had a Mickey Mouse-themed birthday party for her, because that's her favourite TV programme. She was Minnie and she had a lovely Mickey cake and balloons and loads of gifts!"
How have you found the first year juggling motherhood with being a popstar?
"It's not easy and at the beginning I found it very difficult. I was a new mother, and like any new mother you just don't know what you're doing. I had my mother with me for the first few months, so she really guided me into it and helped me out. Now I'm feeling very natural and coping very well with juggling both. But it's definitely not easy."
© Rex Features / Startraks Photo/Rex Features
Have you been giving Rochelle advice during her pregnancy?
"Yeah, well Rochelle was there with me through mine. Because we're like a family, she's been through the whole pregnancy thing with me, so she has got lots of experience already. She's going to make a great mother."
How is the future looking for Chasing The Saturdays?
"We haven't heard yet, because we're still only halfway through the series. Hopefully we will do another one down the line. We're going to different territories now. We're off to Germany and Australia soon, and we've been doing interviews in Asia, so we might do something along the lines of going to different areas. We do love it over in the States, but it would have to be different. We'd never make the same story again, because we wouldn't be out there for the first time. Like every reality show we've done in the past, we change it every time."
What have you got in store for the rest of the year? Surely there must be a new tour somewhere down the line.
"We have lots of shows in the pipeline. It's been over a year since we went on our last tour, so hopefully we'll get to do that again towards the end of the year. I'd love that, because it's my favourite thing to do."
The Saturdays's new single 'What About Us' is available to download now.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/interviews/a466467/the-saturdays-interview-new-album-is-finished.html
