“Inside every woman is a Pussycat Doll,” says Robin Antin?
The idea for the girl-band The Pussycat Dolls came from Robin Antin, a choreographer1 in Los Angeles. Antin usually did choreography for music videos, but was looking to try something different. Using some of her dancer girlfriends, she started experimenting with her own style of choreography. She tried mixing in rock music and fashion with her dance moves. Antin’s friend, actress Christina Applegate, gave her the idea to have the dancers perform at The Viper2 Room, Johnny Depp’s popular nightclub in Hollywood. The Pussycat Dolls show became a hit, and was performed every Thursday evening from 1995－2001.
“She dares to be different and that’s fashion...”
—The Pussycat Dolls on Gwen Stefani
In 2000, Gwen Stefani became the first celebrity guest-star member of The Pussycat Dolls. Other celebrities soon made guest appearances in the show, including Christina Aguilera, Paris Hilton. By 2002, the show had become so popular that they moved it to The Roxy, a larger nightclub. Around the same time, Antin started working on a music deal with the chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records3.
The group’s songs started appearing in several movie soundtracks4, including “We Went as Far as We Felt Like Going,” which was featured in the movie Shark Tale. In 2005 they released their first album, PCD. It produced several hit songs, such as “Buttons” and “Don’t Cha”. They have also worked with Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas and Timbaland. In 2006, they won a Billboard Music Award for“Don’t Cha”.
The PCD are proving to be a recognized female group as MTV Hits (UK) marks them as #1 in Top 10 Female Groups. And their second single“Stickwitu” is nominated5 at the 49th Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance in 2007.
This February, Interscope executives produced their own reality TV series The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll, which would select the newest member of the Pussycat Dolls.
“It’s having a sense of strength and confidence and self-expression of who you are.”
—The Pussycat Dolls on Girl Power
The girls summarize themselves well in their songs, claiming to be hot, different, sensual6, and fun.“To me, a Pussycat Doll is fearless but also vulnerable,” says lead singer Nicole Scherzinger?“We’re strong but we like to play too. The Pussycat Dolls are not about just being hot but also about saying something with real feeling.”
Over the years, different girls in the show have come and gone7. The current six Pussycat Dolls are Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Carmit Bachar, Jessica Sutta, Kimberly Wyatt and Melody Thornton.
The Dolls have a reputation for hot choreography. But what keeps fans coming back for more is how the show is produced and the words to their songs.
Interview
We had a few minutes to speak with Melody Thornton, the African-American Pussycat Doll. Just time for some fun questions. 我们有几分钟来采访小野猫成员、非裔美国人梅罗迪·桑顿，正好趁此问一些有趣的问题！
Q: Are you all trained dancers? What’s your background?
Melody: Pretty much we’re all trained dancers but we’re also singers as well. Nicole is the lead singer of the group, then Carmit and I also sing a lot as well and then a couple of the other girls also sing background so it’s a nice blend8.
Q: “Don’t Cha” is a huge hit in the US and is taking off all over the world, isn’t it?
Melody: It’s crazy right, because we live here so when people say it’s taken off around the world we don’t know what that’s like. We’re like, what does that mean?! But we’re scheduled to go overseas so I guess we are going to get a taste of what that’s like.
Q: Are you ready for it?
Melody: I think so. You know, I’ve been in this business for a while and it’s a blessing to have people recognize you as an artist and to appreciate the work that you do.
Q: How do you describe your music? There is that real girl power feeling in the lyrics. You have already been labeled in the UK as the US Spice Girls.
Melody: Well that’s a compliment9. We can only hope and pray that we are as big as the Spice Girls because they were glamorous10, you know, and I think it’s cool because the Spice Girls helped the whole girl power movement. I think we’re taking that torch and making our own with it. We are more like the new school version of it and we are proud of our album.
Q: So are you girls getting along well together? Any cat fights11?
Melody: We’re together all the time and we have gotten to know each other pretty well. We can tell when somebody woke up in a bad mood. We will leave that person alone so she can have her own time. I also look for my own space once in a while. There aren’t any cat fights. We surprisingly go very well together.?
Q: Do people in different regions of the world respond differently to the Pussycat Dolls show?
Melody: Absolutely. We were taken aback12 by the crowds in Europe. We had fans waiting outside of our hotels and all that stuff. It was like we were Beyonce or something? It was amazing. I can’t wait for it to be like this all over the world.
Q: Are the Black Eyed Peas very cool?
Melody: Yes. But they’re like family to us, you know. I’ve worked with will.i.am a number of times in the studio. I discuss different concepts and ideas with him sometimes. We’re all in it together. We’ve all been in this industry for a long time so we all just support each other.
Q: Do you all take on a different personality, each like the Spice Girls did?
Melody: Slowly but surely we are getting there. Everyone’s a doll in their own way. Jessica is business like13. Carmit is more of the cheerleader, schoolgirl and Kim’s more of the punk rocker, and I’m more of the young fun baby girls of the group. So we’re all slowly finding our visual identities of the group too.
Pussycat Dolls VS Spice Girls
Pussycat Dolls
1. Attractive, talented, young girls. And these people shouldn’t be role models? There are better ones？
2. It wasn’t their look/sex appeal14, it wasn’t their songs—it was their personalities and the “girl power” attitude.
3. I think that the dolls will be around for a while. They look good together and we all know they sound awesome15. Their lyrics are great and the beat is definitely something that will get you dancing.
4. No doubt there is a resemblance16 to Spice girls, but these hot gals have got their own style and attitude, each and every song of theirs is unique
5. That sure is an attractive name for the group. Much better than the Spice Girls.
Spice Girls
1. The Spice Girls portrayed17 the image that being yourself was how you became independent and desired.
2. I guess I just miss the fact that growing up in that generation kids got to be kids dressing up like their favorite spice girl, and running around thinking you could be Baby Spice. Whereas now kids are taught by pop stars to show less clothes.
3. I just wish kids younger than 16 could have real role models like the Spice Girls, who show that being a kid should be fun; you don’t have to be pretty you can be the girl next door. You can like sport.
4. Nowadays girl bands wear next to nothing on stage and they all seem to be near enough anorexic18, and its crazy. There’s hardly any individuality anymore.
5. So much innocence19 has been lost, I think. The Spice Girls showed that you didn’t need to act sexy to get guys to like you. They showed you to just be free and be fun—and where is that now?
“每个女孩心里都藏着一个小野猫。”
——罗宾·安蒂
成立女子乐队“小野猫”的念头来自洛杉矶的舞蹈指导罗宾·安蒂。安蒂日常工作是为音乐电视设计舞蹈动作，但她渴望尝试一些不同的东西。于是她请来几位做伴舞的女朋友，尝试练习自己设计的舞蹈风格。她试图在自己设计的舞蹈动作中将摇滚和时尚融合起来。安蒂的朋友、女演员克里斯蒂娜·艾伯盖特给她出主意，建议让舞者去约翰尼·德普在好莱坞的超人气夜总会—— “毒蛇屋”进行表演。结果小野猫们的演出一炮而红，并从1995年——2001年，每周四晚定时演出。
“她敢于标新立异，总能引领时尚……”
——小野猫如此评价格温·史蒂芬尼
2000年，格温·史蒂芬尼成为小野猫的第一位名人客串嘉宾。紧接着其他名流如克里斯蒂娜·阿奎莱拉和帕丽斯·希尔顿，纷纷作为嘉宾客串演出。2002年，小野猫的演出非常受欢迎，她们转到一家更大的夜总会——“罗克西影院”演出。与此同时，安蒂与Interscope唱片公司的总裁签约。
小野猫的歌曲开始出现在数部电影原声带中，如《我们想走多远就走多远》成为电影《鲨鱼黑帮》大受欢迎的插曲。2005年，她们发行了自己的首张专辑《PCD》，产生了.好几首热门歌曲，如《钮扣》和《别说不》。 她们还与黑眼豆豆的成员Will.I.Am和著名音乐制作人提米巴兰携手合作。2006年，她们凭借《别说不》获得告示牌音乐奖。
自英国MTV热门歌曲排行榜将她们列为“十佳女子乐队”之首后，小野猫已经成为举世公认的女子组合。今年，她们还凭借第二支单曲《只想和你在一起》获得第49届格莱美“年度最佳流行乐队”提名。
2月，Interscope负责人推出了真人秀电视系列节目《寻找下一个小野猫》，将甄选小野猫乐队的新成员。
“它代表力量、自信以及对自我的真实表达。”
——小野猫阐释“女权” 这些女孩在歌曲中对自己作了最好的总结：她们宣称要火辣、特别、性感、幽默。“照我看来，小野猫无所畏惧，但也很脆弱。”主唱尼可·斯彻金格说，“我们很坚强，也很贪玩。小 野猫并非仅有热辣的表演，她们还融进了真情实感。”
许多年来，各种各样的女孩出出进进过小野猫组合。现在的六名“小野猫”分别是：尼可·斯彻金格、阿什莉·罗伯茨、卡蜜特·芭查、杰西卡·雪蒂、金柏莉·怀亚特和梅罗迪·桑顿。
小野猫们以火辣劲爆的舞蹈动作闻名。但真正让粉丝们流连忘返的还是精彩的现场演出以及琅琅上口的歌词。
人物访谈
问：你们都是训练有素的舞者吗？你们都有怎样的背景呢？
梅罗迪：我们差不多都受过舞蹈训练，但我们同样也是歌手。尼可是乐队的主唱，我和卡蜜特也唱得较多，剩下的几个女孩也会伴唱，我们是个完美组合。
问：《别说不》在美国引起巨大反响，并风靡全世界，是这样吗？
梅罗迪：千真万确。因为我们一直住在这儿，没出过远门，所以当人们说这首歌风靡全球时，我们并不明白那是什么意思。就像. 就想就在想：风靡全球意味着什么？！但当我们计划到国外巡回演出时，我想我们将能体会到那种感觉了。
问：你们做好准备了吗？
梅罗迪：我想准备好了。你知道，我在这行呆的时间不长，却有人认可你的艺人身份，并欣赏你的劳动，这真幸运。
问：你如何评价你们的音乐？在歌词中能真切地感受到女权。你们在英国被誉为美国版的“辣妹组合”。
梅罗迪:哦，那真是过奖了。我们只希望能做出她们那样的成绩，她们魅力十足。我觉得她们推动了整个女权运动，真酷！ 我觉得我们正接过她们的精神火炬，在开辟自己的道路。小野猫更像是辣妹组合的生力军，我们为自己的专辑感到骄傲。
问：你们相处得融洽吗？有没有争斗.有没有？
梅罗迪：我们总是形影不离，彼此非常了解。我们当中哪个醒来时心情不好，我们能一眼看出来。其他人都不会去打扰她，让她自己冷静一下。我偶尔也会寻找自己的私人空间。我们从不争斗， 相处得格外融洽。
问：世界不同地区的人们对小野猫的表演会有不同的反应吗？
梅罗迪：那当然啦！我们被欧洲人吓呆了。许多粉丝等候在我们住的酒店外，还有其它诸如此类的事，就好像我们是碧昂丝类的大腕。 这真是不可思议。我想不可能全世界都是这个样子。
问：黑眼豆豆是不是很酷呢？
梅罗迪：是的。但对他们我们简直亲如家人。我和william在录音棚里合作过多次。有时候我会和他探讨不同的思想观念，我们相谈甚欢。在这行我们都干了很久，所以只会相互支持。
问：你们是不是每个人都呈现出了不同的个性，就像辣妹组合那样？
梅罗迪：我们正在慢慢地朝那方面努力，也一定会做到。每个人都是不同的娃娃。杰西卡是工作狂，卡蜜特像个拉拉队队长、女学生，金更像一个朋克女，而我就像是乐队里的小开心果。我们都在逐步地树立自己在乐队里的外型。
小野猫PK辣妹组合
小野猫
1. 她们是魅力四射、才华横溢的青春玉女，这样的人难道不该成为少女们的楷模吗？还有比她们更优秀的吗？
2.令人难忘的不是她们的外表和性感的魅力，也不是她们的歌曲，而是她们的个性及对“女权”的态度。
3.我想小野猫们用不了多久就会红的。她们看起来非常完美。而且众所周知，她们的歌声也很出色， 歌词简直棒极了，还富有节奏感，让你不由自主地随之舞动。
4. 毫无疑问，这些靓女和辣妹有相似之处，但她们也有自己的风格和主见，她们的每首歌都是独一无二的。
5. 这个乐队的名字确实吸引人，比辣妹好听多了。
辣妹
1. 辣妹塑造了这样一个形象：保持本色，你就能独立自主，受人期待。
2.我想我只怀念那样的生活：成长在那个年代的孩子，穿着打扮都会模仿她们最爱的“辣妹”。她们招摇过市，自以为是“小辣妹”。现在的孩子都被明星教坏了，穿着越来越暴露。
3. 我只希望未满16岁的孩子都能有像“辣妹”那样的真正偶像。辣妹告诉我们：爱玩是孩子的天性；你可以不够漂亮，你可以像邻家女孩，你也可以热爱运动。
4. 现在的女子乐队演出时就像什么都没穿，看起来都像患了厌食症，简直疯狂之极。再没什么个性可言。
5. 我想有太多清纯少女迷失了自我。辣妹告诉我们，你没必要用性感来博取男孩欢心。 她们教你只要保持自由和幽默就行——可现在谁还会这样做呢？
1. choreographer n. 舞蹈指导
2. viper n. 毒蛇
3. Interscope Geffen A&M Records 为环球唱片集团（Universal Music Group）下属的分公司。
4. soundtrack n. 电影原声带
5. nominate v. 提名，任命
6. sensual adj. 性感的
7. come and go 来来往往
8. blend [blend] n. 混合
9. compliment n. 称赞，恭维
10. glamorous adj. 有魅力的
11. cat fight 指女人打架（抓头发，拿指甲刮别人）
12. take aback 惊吓；迷惑
13. business like工作认真的
14. appeal n. 吸引力
15. awesome adj. 杰出的，卓越的
16. resemblance n. 类同之处
17. portray v. 描绘
18. anorexic adj. 患厌食症的
19. innocence n. 清白