Edele & Sinead Q&A - Dec 1998

This interview has been archived from the former Official B*Witched website.

What kinds of music do you like?

[from Craig, Dundee; Christopher Petrie, Northampton and many others]

Edele: Natalie Imbruglia and Shania Twain are my two favourite artists at the minute. Any music generally - just chart music I can sing along to.

Sinead: I like Savage Garden, Robbie Williams and I love Chicago - they're brilliant. I've also got a few of Diana Ross' CDs which are great to listen to when you're going out.

What do you like to do for fun?

[from Richard Gardner, Hartlepool]

Sinead: Everything I'm doing now used to be my hobby when I was younger. I still play the piano when I go home, but going to the cinema, relaxing and watching TV are my hobbies now.

Edele: I like to go to the cinema too. But if we've got a lot of time off and I can go on holiday, I like to go maybe skiing or water skiing. I also like to do a bit of swimming in the hotels where we stay, but generally, we don't get time to do even that!

Do any of you sleepwalk?

[from walmsley]

Edele:  Not that I know of. Keavy used to laugh in her sleep all the time. That was really strange, I always wanted to know what was so funny.

Sinead:  And I think Lindsay talks in her sleep now and again.

Why do you always wear denim?

[from Lauren Squires and Hannah Myers]

Edele:  'Cause denim's cool. It's nice and it just says B*witched!

Sinead:  It's kind of like a uniform. It looks nice when the band are wearing something similar and it's casual which is how we like to dress. It's also very versatile for the dance routines we do. You also need something comfortable for all the travelling, so denim is ideal.

Do you like being famous?

[from Sinead Lappin]

Edele:  We don't really look at ourselves as being "famous", we're just in the public eye a lot, but I don't mind it at all. People are generally nice when they stop you for your autograph and things like that. They just want to say hi.

If you could make one wish come true, what would it be?

[from Rena, Singapore; Juliet, South Australia]

Edele:  I'd wish for happiness around the world. Everything comes into that - no more poverty, war or fighting. Things like that.

Sinead:  I'd wish for the end of poverty in the world as well. I hate the thought that there's so much money in some places and so little in others and people there are dying of starvation. It's really upsetting.

The Backstreet Boys or 5ive?

[from tristanss7s]

Edele: I'm not really a fan of boy bands, but I like both bands' music.

Did you like school?

[from Nikkea, Goulburn]

Sinead: Yeah, I loved school because I always got really involved in lots of things that were going on. But I had to work hard to do well in my exams, I wasn't one of these people who did well by doing nothing! My dad made sure I did my homework every night!

Edele: I liked school for a while, but when we went into our fourth year (which is kind of a transitional year) I was a bit of a messer. We ended up leaving after that. Metalwork was my favourite subject. I was the only girl in the class which was pretty embarrassing, but it was good fun.

How old were you when you started singing? And could you give me any tips?

[from Philip Eastment, Saffron Walden]

Edele: I can't even remember when I started singing. But professionally, it was in B*witched two years ago, so I guess I was 17. My first professional gig was in the Kings' Hall in Belfast and that was amazing. We'll never forget how we felt that day. As to advice: just be prepared to work hard and give up every minute of your day.

Sinead: I started singing and dancing when I was seven. And I took up piano a year later. The first thing I did professionally was for the arts festival in Dublin: I was in The Picture Of Dorian Gray. My best advice would be to keep going after your dream. Remember pop music isn't all glitz and glam, though it might look like that. It's hard to get the chance, to get managers and deals and you have to keep at it. We've been extremely lucky to get where we are. If it doesn't happen, at least you can say that you tried!

What's your favourite food?

[from Christopher Evans; Victoria @ serspark]

Edele: Definitely lobster. Just boiled in salty water. Yum, yum, yum.

Sinead: Lately, it' been Chicken Biryani.

Do you see your families often now you're pop stars?

[from Rosie Fox, Greenwich]

Sinead:  I don't see mine that often. I've lived away from home before, so I'm used to it. I lived in London for a year and I got to see them every four or five months, so that's usual.

Edele:  We saw them quite a bit in early December because we went home a couple of times to work and then they came to London. And GMTV brought my mum and dad over for my birthday - that was very sweet. They're absolutely delighted about our success because they know we've wanted to do this for a long, long time.

Before the name B*witched, what were your ideas?

[from Christopher Kaias, Victoria]

Edele:  There were a lot of names floating around. One person actually suggested the name Lipstick and we all said, "Nuh-uh! We don't think so!" I think B*witched suited us the best.

All Saints or Spice Girls?

[from a1ring]

Sinead: They're completely different, so you can't categorise them. I don't have a preference. All Saints' stuff is more mellow and relaxing, whereas the Spice Girls are good if you're going to go out and dance.

Edele: I'm not going to choose either because I like both of them. The Spice Girls have been phenomenally successful all over the world and that's just amazing - I really admire that.

What is your most treasured possession?

[from Ursula @ ursulaszone]

Edele: I don't really have one, but I'm quite superstitious so I've got loads of little things that are quite precious to me... let me think - my Patch teddy bear and my B*witched pillow that my nephew made for me. I'm so superstitious that I keep all these stupid little things, like I have a packet of chewing gums that I've kept for six years. Silly really, but I can't get rid of it 'cause I feel like it'd be bad luck or something.

Edele: My most treasured possession is my family. I don't have anything material.

What does the * in Bwitched stand for?

[from ronald]

Edele: It doesn't really mean anything: it's just a little logo. We thought it would be nice to have the * instead of the 'e' to give the word a bit of our touch.

Can you drive?

[from Michael, Tonbridge]

Sinead:  Very badly. I took ten lessons but I didn't have any time to practise.

Edele:  No, not really. I tried once or twice and I'm not that bad at it, but I'm scared of driving so I didn't really get in the car again after that.

Who in the world of pop do you most fancy?

[from lizzie84]

Edele:  I don't really fancy anybody. There's a lot of people who are a lot cuter than they look in their photographs, but I'm not going to mention any names because you'll think I fancy them!

Sinead:  I haven't met anybody long enough to know what they're really like. I have to be attracted to them in other ways than just physically before I know I fancy them. So nobody really.

What do you do before you go on stage?

[from Lauren Williams, Sunderland]

Edele:  We say a prayer and give each other a hug. Then we rub our hands together really fast which gives heat to them before putting them up close to our faces. We then take a few deep breaths. It helps to focus you.

And with that, the girls are off to work their magic live on stage and in front of an audience of millions...