Eternal Naked?

L&K gets the bare truth from our top pop girlfriends...

Which of you takes the longest to get ready?
Easther: Vernie, definitely!
Kéllé: It's pretty easy to say. We all know it's her!
Vernie: It just takes me ages to get out of bed, that's all!

Do you sing in the shower?
V: No way, we're always hurrying 'cause we're so busy.
E: I have baths with my music on. No matter where I am in the house there has to be some kind of noise.

Have you ever had a barny and not talked for ages?
E: Sisters or friends, it's the same situation, nothing's different. Because we're together a lot, we're bound to argue sometimes but you've got to move on. It's no use holding a grudge so we always talk about the situation and move on.

Who's the bossiest?
K: It really depends on what we're doing. If it's dance routines that we're sorting out then it's Kéllé. Vernie has all the ideas about the business side but general bossing about is done by Easther!

Do you worry that people may see you as a bit serious compared to, say, Spice?
K: No way! I'd rather be seen as subdued because we want the music to speak for itself. Anyway Eternal is a completely different type of band.
V: We don't want to start taking our clothes off to sell our records because they speak for themselves! (Ouch!)

Do you have any major regrets about things you might have said or done?
V: No because our management are really good and if we don't want to do anything which we might be embarrassed about later, then we just don't do it. Time after time we've had Top 10 singles without having to do all that so we're pretty happy doing things the way we are. The thing that really gets me is the way that someone like George Michael doesn't have to take his clothes off because he's male, why do female performers always get asked to strip. We may have a few more body parts than men but that doesn't mean we have to show them! And boys get to wear what they want all the time so why can't we!?

Do you get fed up with magazines asking about boyfriends and personal stuff?
V: Does that mean you're going to do it? They always say, 'Oh but I have to ask', but we always prefer not to talk about it because it's hard enough to keep a good relationship going anyway, let alone when you're in the public eye.

Do you ever pinch yourself that all this has happened to you?
K: The thing is, for us, this isn't it. It's not the right time to sit down and look at what we've achieved because we've still got so much to do. Someone like Whitney Houston must think 'Wow, look at what I've done', but, compared to her, we've only just started!