Sophie Monk’s Bardot bandmate Belinda Chapple reveals intimate details about girl group implosion
Belinda Chapple has opened up about the implosion of girl pop group Bardot, which launched Sophie Monk into her incredibly successful solo career.
The former pop star, 48, spoke candidly about the band’s breakup just over 20 years ago, though she insists there was no ‘battle’ as management claimed.
She told the No Filter podcast on Monday that all the women in the group were “shocked” to find out they were splitting up to give Sophie, 43, a solo career.
‘I noticed changes in Sophie and changes in management. Strange things happened,’ Belinda said.
“But I never, not once, thought, ‘The band is going to end and one of us is going to go solo.’
Belinda Chapple, 48, (pictured) has spoken out about the implosion of girl pop group Bardot, which gave Sophie Monk her incredibly successful solo career
She continues, “I never thought about it until that day when I was in our board’s office and saw everything.”
Belinda went on to say that she, Sophie, Sally Polihronas, Katie Underwood and later Tiffani Wood were all close with “a lot of hassle” at first.
But things quickly changed among the group of friends as they rose to fame on Popstars as ‘Australia’s answer to the Spice Girls’.
The former pop star spoke candidly about the band’s breakup just over 20 years ago, though she insists there was no “battle” as management claimed. Pictured (L-R): Katie Underwood, Sally Polihronas, Sophie Monk, Tiffani Wood and Belinda Chapple
Belinda said that Sophie became “distant” and began to “separate herself” from the other women as she staged her own photo shoots and “got the best outfits in film clips.”
Bardot were the biggest girl band in Australia after forming on Popstars in 1999, and despite success with hit singles such as Poison, the group fell apart after only a few years and disbanded in early 2002.
The band’s former manager, David Caplice, claimed that Bardot broke up after an “explosive” backstage blowout before their 2002 Mardi Gras performance.
She told the No Filter podcast on Monday that all the women in the group were “shocked” to find out they were splitting up to give Sophie, 43, (pictured) a solo career.
The manager told News.com.au at the time that things were becoming ‘contradictory’.
“I remember the girls getting very hostile towards each other towards the end, when the jealousy and infighting got out of hand,” he said.
That explosive encounter was the death knell for the band. Bardot could have been the biggest girl band in the world.’
However, the members have since denied that an explosion occurred.
‘I noticed changes in Sophie and changes in management. Strange things happened, but I never, not once, thought, “The band is going to end and one of us is going to go solo,” said Belinda.