All Saints member Melanie Blatt has shared a surprising encounter with her music executives upon revealing her pregnancy during her time in the band. In a recent documentary called GirlBands Forever, Blatt recounted the moment she and bandmate Nicole Appleton informed their managers about their pregnancies, only to be advised to terminate them and focus on the band’s success instead.
Reflecting on the situation, Blatt expressed that the news was met with concern and apprehension rather than congratulations. She described the reactions as filled with worry and the realization that their circumstances were about to change drastically. The documentary footage revealed that their bosses believed the pregnancies would jeopardize the band’s future, going as far as to suggest that it spelled the end of the group.
Despite the pressures, Blatt went on to have her child with her then-partner, Stuart Zender, while Appleton, who was expecting with Robbie Williams at the time, did not carry her pregnancy to term. The revelation strained their friendship, which had endured since they were 11 years old, as they navigated the differing outcomes of their pregnancies and the challenges that came with them.
The band, consisting of Blatt, Appleton, Natalie, and Shaznay Lewis, disbanded in 2001 after releasing two albums. Blatt later disclosed that by the time they parted ways, tensions had escalated to the point where they harbored animosity towards each other.
The BBC documentary, which features members of various girl bands including Atomic Kitten, Eternal, Sugababes, Mis-teeq, and Little Mix, sheds light on the experiences of female musicians in the 90s and beyond. Kéllé Bryan, a former member of Eternal, revealed that concerns about her weight and body image were prevalent during that era, with stylists enforcing stringent standards that often led to unhealthy practices.
Bryan, who signed her first record deal at just 15 alongside Louise Redknapp, shared her experiences of being pressured to conform to societal beauty ideals at a young age. The documentary, spearheaded by veteran broadcaster Louis Theroux, delves into the challenges faced by girl bands during their rise to fame and features insights from industry professionals and musicians who witnessed the evolution of the music scene during that period.