My first introduction is with Laura who although appears slightly nervous, is immaculately dressed and full of smiles for our meeting. I hide my own nerves well as I prepare to share the company of such aesthetically perfect beings, and am comforted by the odd socks Laura is wearing on her feet. This brings her down from the preconceived pedestal I had placed her on and I find her instantly warming as she shakes my hand and we begin our interview. Her voice as she talks clearly shows signs even in speech of her vocal abilities as a singer with a slight huskiness that is also quite warming. The other girls are hovering around the building getting ready for their photo shoot with some delays and slight hiccups with some outfits, which is probably the norm for any debut photo sessions. Distracted slightly by the large plasma screen playing the best of MTV Base’s urban hits in the background, we begin our chat and as if to cue, the sounds of Snoop Dogg and Pharrell’s track ‘Beautiful’ echoes from the speakers and acts as the perfect soundtrack to the day. Laura spoke about her Egyptian cultural background and heritage which she was born into and mentions how with the differing mix of cultures between the three girls the whole vibe which they are putting across with their music is something completely different to what audiences will have heard before. Between them they speak and understand several languages that include Persian, Arabic, Hindi, and Punjabi and they have also individually sang in many other languages during their musical experience. Their cultural fusion is something that naturally comes across in their music, and even the debut single ‘Don’t be shy’ merges Arabic, R’ n’ B, and Bhangra influences with a slight contemporary pop feel that works so well together. I asked Laura about the assumption made by their audience that they are a ‘manufactured pop act’ and whether this causes any fears for the band that they may not be taken seriously.

“The only aspect of us that has been manufactured is the fact that we were introduced to each other via our label. Everything is done as a negotiation between us all and we have complete say in our image, our style and we even write our own songs with music all done with our full say. To me the definition of a manufactured band is one who has no control in any aspect of their work, and this is where we are so lucky to have the backing and support of Envy Entertainment Ltd and Mona Records. Amrita was already signed to envy from before, I was meant to join a year before but had to finish my A’ levels first and this is when me and Legha joined�

I ask Laura how the whole collaboration with Dr Zeus came about,

“Well, as people may already be aware, Dr Zeus is also part of the Envy family and is one of the most talented and highly credible producers in the industry today. We have loved his previous work and we all get on so well and our work together has produced such great results. He will also be involved with the production of our album, which is hoped to be released later in the year. Zeus is such a cool guy, so laid back and a nice guy all round. And he also told us how he is also influenced by world music such as Arabic and Middle Eastern sounds and we also love that.�

We speak about her musical influences which range across all styles and genres and she mentions how the three girls all bring in such unique flavours to the group and how their differences gel together so well.

“When we met, we just clicked. We look after each other, and we have such a laugh together. Although our backgrounds are different, culturally they hold many similarities too which we all share, such as family values and the importance of education. With me and Legha there is also the religious constraints which many share but our families and friends are very supportive of what we are doing so it’s good.�

Rouge seem to be doing many things at the same time, such as studying for their degrees, writing songs and working on the album and travelling around promoting the forthcoming mainstream release of ‘Don’t be shy’ which also boasts a brand new video, shot in Norway this year. I managed to catch a glimpse of this video, and all I can say is ‘WOW!’ It has a real R’n’B feel to it and you can catch it on all the mainstream music stations such as MTV Base, Channel U, and more. And maybe some appearances on top of the Pops eh…. Watch this space!

As I talk with Laura I wonder whether this may be a good time to get some gossip about the other girls before they arrive, and in comes running a flustered Legha who is full of energy and also ready for her photo shoot. “I can’t sit down in this outfit because it might get creased!�

I offer to conduct the interview with us all standing as a joke, and luckily I realise Legha was also joking.

“It’s important to have a laugh and joke for us especially when we have a full on schedule like today. We’ve had some hiccups with some outfits, but everything seems ready for the whole photo shoot.�

I ask Legha who she thinks is the funniest member in the group, and whether they have assigned roles to each other according to their individual personalities.

“You know, the funniest in the group is actually Laura, man she is hilarious and she always has us in fits of giggles. I’m like the rebel in the group and these guys kind of look after me and Amrita I’d say is the mother figure in the group, but we all kind of chop and change too depending on what we are doing.�

I wonder in my head as I am talking to the girls how they manage to fit everything into their schedules and so ask Legha whether they are skiving a lot at uni, as many of us had and have done. The difference being that many of us skived to sit in a bar, or go out partying all the time, whereas these girls are using their time very well and securing a full on musical career.

“You know skiving comes quite naturally for me, I just need an excuse and lucky for me I am doing something valuable with that time and am treating my music career as more than just a hobby. But we are all adamant that we will complete our degrees too, as it secures us just in case we need it in the future. But we are all 100% serious about our music and it is all of our passion so let’s see where it takes us. Until now we have had such an amazing time, and I’m sure it will keep on like this for us all. I actually do like studying, don’t get me wrong, but I actually call Amrita and Laura ‘the geeks’ of the group because they are more into it than I am! For me I like having a laugh and enjoying life more, I don’t like being serious or taking life too seriously I guess!�

I learn that the girls are also from different parts of the country in terms of where they and their families are based, with Legha being from West London in Ealing, Amrita originally from Leeds and now in Birmingham and Laura being the ‘posh’ one of the group from the highly sought after borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

“I always get stick for that from my friends for being from Kensington. Everyone calls me the ‘posh’ one because of that!� says Laura after hearing my subtle change in accent as I talk to her in a posh manner.

Legha mentions how she had just got back from a holiday in Dubai the day before and how jetlagged and tired she was feeling. She constantly checked with us to ask whether she was talking too fast and I assured her she was okay.

“I was in Dubai for a holiday. I love travelling and can’t wait until we all get to travel more around the world. We are due to be going to Canada, US, Japan, India and many more so I can’t wait. If it was up to me, I would spend all my money on just travelling all the time! And you know, even though im tired it doesn’t matter because with ‘Rouge’ I would get up at 4am in the morning and do whatever it takes because I love what I am doing so much! And if its uni, then I just let it drag and get up at 2 in the afternoon! But music is my motivation. In fact I come from quite a musical family so maybe it’s in my genes, my mum is a singer, my brother is a producer and my dad plays many instruments so I’m surrounded by it�

The girls all seem to have been singing and involved in music for quite some time, most of their lives in fact. They would often perform for the family when young and between them have taken part in many shows and contests over time. Legha feels she is more of the all round entertainer and holds considerable regard for performers such as Madonna and Jennifer Lopez.

“I’m very much into creating a performance and I love the way Madonna or the likes of J-Lo and Mariah Carey keep people glued to their performances. Im probably also more of the ‘diva’ in the group as Im so influenced by these great artists, only joking! I just say what I feel and when I feel it that’s all. But if people did listen to any demands, then why not eh, I can ask for my big Moroccan pillows, plenty of refreshments, etc, etc. I never do though, I promise!�

I ask the girls about being compared to other girl bands, maybe other mainstream bands such as the likes of ‘Mystique’ ‘Destiny’s Child’ or even some of the old R’n B bands such as ‘Jade’ or ‘En Vogue’ and where they see themselves compared to those guys. Legha kindly responds by saying,

“I think it is inevitable for media and people to compare u to any other groups, and although we would be very flattered to even be mentioned in the same sentence as some of the top guys, but I don’t think we are like any band that has come before, for one I don’t know of any bands with such a diverse cultural mix as us. Maybe our music can be compared to some of the other bands, but there will always be the difference where we bring in and fuse Arabic, Indian and mainstream stuff together and showcase a part of all our cultures to the world through our music. We are consciously striving to be different compared to others, and we really don’t want to be attached the label as the Asian or eastern so and so. We are ‘Rouge’ and we are ourselves in terms of what we do and our music.�

The girls are well aware that in terms of timing for Asian/Eastern female bands and artists, 2005 is seeing many talents getting the deserved recognition for what they are doing; I ask how they feel about being females in what is termed and recognised as a largely male dominated industry and just as I do in comes Amrita from her photo session and I am now joined and faced by three beautiful girls all waiting to hear what I am going to throw at them next. The industry may well be termed as largely male dominated, but this office is currently dominated by the females. I ask Amrita the question about being a female band in a largely male dominated industry to which she replies:

“My experience with Envy Entertainment has been quite long, and I was kind of discovered by their talent scouts and since my involvement in the industry I would agree that the industry is male dominated, definitely, but it doesn’t act as a hindrance to us as our experiences have been really positive. I think it is only a matter of time until all the female talent gets the recognition they deserve, but I also feel there are reasons to why many, in particular Asian and girls from our culture do not go all the way is to do with possible family pressures, religious constraints and so on. With us, we hope to be able to show what is possible and who knows; maybe we can act as some motivation to others too. But we also are trying to show mainstream audiences that we are also like them and are not like the media portray women from our cultures as passive or controlled. You know, we have a laugh, we are independent and strong women who are pursuing our dreams and passion, and of course we are talented too.�

Alongside the Rouge collaboration we learn that the girls will also possibly have many other Envy signings featuring on their album, but who else would they like to collaborate with on a musical level:

“Pharrell, definitely, we love his music, his style, it’s just like a separate genre of R’n’B and Hip Hop, like more chic! Also we would love to work with great artists such as Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, so many great artists we love. Even world acts such as Khaled and Iranian artist Googoosh. Gelareh also loves a lot of the pop acts such as Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, so many guys out there we like!�

The girls have already had so many highlights with their musical journies together, and surprisingly they havn’t officially released any singles. Amrita has been spotted in an RDB video; she recently entered and won Miss India UK competition (which their management prefer to focus on as separately to ‘Rouge’) and the girls have had a video played on all Asian networks. So what can we all expect from them in the future.

“We are going to keep doing what we are doing, we will have an amazing album for our audiences by the end of this year, our new video for the official release of ‘Don’t be shy’ will be playing by around end of June maybe early July. We worked with a video producer called ‘Ray Kay’ for the video who has worked with the likes of Ludacris, Christina Milian, Destiny’s Child and Melanie C. We hope to be performing in and around venues and events all around the UK and internationally and I hope we can add a unique flavour to the music industry, both Asian and mainstream. We hope to continue with our positive experiences and enjoy every minute of it! And with us three together, we are sure it’s going to be a good laugh all the way!�

I stayed with the girls to catch their photo shoot, and also get another glimpse of their full new video of ‘Don’t be shy’ (for research purposes of course!)You can catch them on all Envy Entertainment compilation albums, and be sure that the name ‘Rouge’ which stands for glamour, femininity, fun and chic, is going to be on the minds and stereos of both female and male fans across the globe.

My job here I feel is done, and me thinks the day has also done wonders for the relationship between opposing planets Mars and Venus. The photo shoot comes to an end and the thought of leaving the studio becomes a difficult task. It is then that security staff are called to get me out of the building following the interview as I think of more excuses to stay behind. I try and grab a sari and wrap it around me in a last minute bid to audition as part of the group, like the new fourth member of Rouge…… the girls just laugh and wave as I am whisked away from the building; cheers girls, and good luck!