“Everybody expected me to flop” - Popworld Interview
Kym Marsh has proved her critics wrong with two top 10 singles and a successful debut
solo album. The ex-hear’ say star spoke to popworld on flaunt about wanting to be
Madonna, telling off her dad and getting her wrists smacked with a ruler. Ouch!
When you first went solo, you said you had a point to prove. Do you think you have proved
it now?
I think it’s still very early days. Even though my first single (“Cry”) did really well, and for my
second single (“Come on Over”) I kept my fingers crossed. I do think I proved some people
wrong, because I think everybody expected my music to be rubbish and to flop and it didn’
t. It’s great to know that I’ve got a lot of support out there. I know that I’ve silenced a few
voices.
Do you listen to your album at home?
I will occasionally but I try not to listen to it too much cos I don’t want to get bored of it.
When you hear something over and over again, it can be too much of a good thing. But
my dad plays it to death and I have to go in and say “Stop now, turn it off!” He’s very
proud.
Your vocals on the last two singles were very different from Hear’say. Was that
deliberate?
I think there’s been a noticeable change in my vocal performances since the Hear’say
days. Different music requires a different style and the way I was singing in Hear’say
suited the music we were doing. So now that I’ve moved on to something slightly cooler
and more laid back, I think the vocal has to be that too, otherwise it wouldn’t work.
Will you be learning to play any instruments?
I always wanted to play an instrument when I was a kid. I tried piano lessons but I kept
getting hit over the wrists with a ruler by the teacher, so I left! Then I tried the guitar and I
got fed up with that, so singing’s the only thing that I’ve continued to be interested in. But
you never know – I’d like to play guitar maybe one day.
If you could work with anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose?
If I could duet with anyone, dead or alive, it would have to be Karen Carpenter (singer with
brother-sister duo “The Carpenters”, who died in 1983 after a battle with anorexia). She’
s been my inspiration throughout my whole career - she had the most amazing voice and
that was what really got me started. I don’t think there’s been a voice to match hers
ever. She’s my idol.
What kind of music inspires you?
I wouldn’t say there’s a particular type of music that I enjoy listening to, although I do like
the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers. I can appreciate all types of music. It depends on what mood
I’m in. Sometimes I like to listen to a bit of jazz and sometimes I’ll listen to pop and
sometimes I’ll listen to rock.
If you could have appeared in any pop video, what would you choose?
It would probably be Madonna’s last one, “Hollywood”, I think that’s a really cool vid. She
gets it right every time, she’s slightly controversial and always gets away with it – I love
that about her.
On the day you left Hear’say, did you have any idea how things would turn out?
When I walked away from Hear’say, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do. I just knew
that I had to leave cos there was a lot of personal problems that I had to sort out. So I
hadn’t really thought about where I was going to go from there, or what sort of thing I
was going to do, or even If I was going to stay in the music industry. I did think that the
others would carry on like they did but I was shocked when they split up.