Katie Underwood has revealed that being a star in a popular girl group wasn’t exactly profitable.
The Bardot singer, who was part of one of the biggest bands of the 2000s, says she had to leave the group to make some money.
The 47-year-old said she had been living on the poverty line for “the 18 months leading up to her departure.”
“I thought I just had to get out,” she said The Herald Sun on Friday.
“You have to remember that we were in the middle of the Bardot machine at the time, overworked and not as aware of what was going on as I might have been.”
Katie Underwood (pictured) has revealed that being a star in a popular girl group wasn’t exactly profitable. The Bardot singer, who was part of one of the biggest bands of the 2000s, says she had to leave the group to make money
It comes after fellow bandmate Belinda Chapple revealed the shocking allowance she and the other Bardot girls received when their record company raked in millions.
The former pop star, 48, spilled the beans in her new memoir The Girl in the Band, as she broke her silence about the money she was paid.
She claimed that band members were only allowed a wage of $35 per day, which they received in an envelope at the end of the week, despite making millions.
After making it big as a start-up girl band on Popstars, Bardot raked in $27 million during their first year of record sales, gigs and appearances.
Belinda Chapple previously revealed the shocking allowance she and her fellow Bardot bandmates received when their record company raked in millions. Pictured (left to right): Katie Underwood, Tiffani Wood, Belinda Chapple, Sophie Monk and Sally Polihronas
But band members Belinda, Sophie Monk, Sally Polihronas, Katie Underwood and Tiffani Wood “didn’t see a cent of it,” even when their hit Poison went double platinum.
“It dawned on us when we were sitting there signing albums for three hours straight, in every state, with a sea of people,” Belinda said. news.com.au on Thursday.
“And we looked at each other and just said, wow, we’re making a lot of money… And we don’t see a cent of it. It was heavy.’
Belinda went on to say that even when the Poison album and single sold a total of 300,000 copies, the girls only received the payment of $35 per day.
She added that it made her “uncomfortable” when fans asked how rich she was after becoming an overnight sensation, and she didn’t want to admit she was still broke.
The former pop star spilled the beans in her new memoir The Girl in the Band, as she broke her silence about the money she was paid
She said band members were only allowed wages of $35 a day, which they received in an envelope at the end of the week, despite making millions.
‘We laughed a little awkwardly and hoped they wouldn’t keep talking about it. It’s surprising that we hung on so much… but we were young,” she said.
Belinda has also completely broken her silence on the implosion of girl pop group Bardot, which saw Sophie pursue a successful solo career.
In her memoir The Girl in the Band, the former pop star said the band was forced to split after Sophie made the decision to leave.
Belinda said her ‘heart was completely broken’ after the band members went their separate ways.
“Imagine being on a bus with a whole group of people behind the scenes and the band, and you’re going full steam ahead for three years,” she told The Age.
‘You are mentally in that world, that is your everything. And then someone swings open the door of the van, throws you onto the street, closes it and keeps driving.’
After making it big as a start-up girl band on Popstars, Bardot raked in $27 million during their first year of record sales, appearances and appearances – but the band members ‘didn’t see a cent of it’