Cheetah Girls a Made-Up Group With Real Dreams
What began as two Disney Channel films about a fictional teenage girl group has now become a bona fide pop sensation with the Cheetah Girls embarking on their first national arena tour.
The popularity of the recent Disney Channel movie, "The Cheetah Girls 2," and its accompanying soundtrack -- which debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart in August -- has catapulted singer/actresses Adrienne Bailon ("Chanel"), 22; Sabrina Bryan ("Dorinda"), 22; and Kiely Williams ("Aquanetta"), 20, into a popular touring group.
As their Cheetah Girl aliases, the three are routinely selling out arenas like the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, where the Cheetahs will perform Wednesday.
We caught up with Adrienne/Chanel on the Cheetah tour bus as the girls were leaving Chicago after another sold-out show.
• Question:
Are your fans on this tour mostly girls or boys?
ANSWER
The more we're on the road, the more we see "Cheetah Boys." It's crazy! And the funny thing is I guess the boys have to come with their sisters. And the guys won't get in the line for the meet-and-greet, and their sisters are always pushing him like, "He is the biggest fan, can he get a picture with you?"
• Question:
So there must be a lot of Cheetah boys out there wondering the big question, do you have a boyfriend yourself?
ANSWER
I wish! We're on myspace and we're looking.
• Question:
The Cheetahs were a fictional group that's now a real group. What's it like being a Cheetah Girl?
ANSWER
It's amazing. Yesterday, we got to the hotel and there were fans in front of the hotel, and we're like "How do they even know were staying here?" It's something that we've dreamed of. And we even have a skit in the show about the paparazzi following us.
• Question:
Do fans think of you as Chanel or Adrienne?
ANSWER
With the first movie, the director really allowed us to create who these girls were, what their personalities were like. We really put ourselves into the character. And in the three years since, Chanel has rubbed off on me, and I've rubbed off on Chanel. We've kind of become the same person.
• Question:
It gets even more interesting with you and Kiely (Aquanetta), because you're both in the real-life R&B/pop group 3LW. So is art imitating life, or is life imitating art?
ANSWER
3LW came first, and actually we were asked by the Disney Channel to audition for the Cheetah Girls, because at the time we really were the only young girl group that was out. I looked back on those experiences to help me with the movie.
• Question:
So now, how does one differentiate from the other?
ANSWER
3LW is a very personal project. And I think the new album that's coming out shows a lot of growth. It's a little more mature than the Cheetah Girls stuff. And with the Cheetah Girls, you can pretty much just be yourselves and have fun. And I think that's what the kids love about us; they see that it's something very genuine and that we're really just having a great time doing it.
• Bill Dean can be reached at bill.dean@theledger.com or 802-7527.
Roaring to Life
Cheetah Girls a Made-Up Group With Real Dreams
Marleah Leslie & Associates PR
Cheetah Girls perform at a sold-out concert Wednesday in Tampa.
What began as two Disney Channel films about a fictional teenage girl group has now become a bona fide pop sensation with the Cheetah Girls embarking on their first national arena tour.
The popularity of the recent Disney Channel movie, "The Cheetah Girls 2," and its accompanying soundtrack -- which debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart in August -- has catapulted singer/actresses Adrienne Bailon ("Chanel"), 22; Sabrina Bryan ("Dorinda"), 22; and Kiely Williams ("Aquanetta"), 20, into a popular touring group.
As their Cheetah Girl aliases, the three are routinely selling out arenas like the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, where the Cheetahs will perform Wednesday.
We caught up with Adrienne/Chanel on the Cheetah tour bus as the girls were leaving Chicago after another sold-out show.
• Question:
Are your fans on this tour mostly girls or boys?
ANSWER
The more we're on the road, the more we see "Cheetah Boys." It's crazy! And the funny thing is I guess the boys have to come with their sisters. And the guys won't get in the line for the meet-and-greet, and their sisters are always pushing him like, "He is the biggest fan, can he get a picture with you?"
• Question:
So there must be a lot of Cheetah boys out there wondering the big question, do you have a boyfriend yourself?
ANSWER
I wish! We're on myspace and we're looking.
• Question:
The Cheetahs were a fictional group that's now a real group. What's it like being a Cheetah Girl?
ANSWER
It's amazing. Yesterday, we got to the hotel and there were fans in front of the hotel, and we're like "How do they even know were staying here?" It's something that we've dreamed of. And we even have a skit in the show about the paparazzi following us.
• Question:
Do fans think of you as Chanel or Adrienne?
ANSWER
With the first movie, the director really allowed us to create who these girls were, what their personalities were like. We really put ourselves into the character. And in the three years since, Chanel has rubbed off on me, and I've rubbed off on Chanel. We've kind of become the same person.
• Question:
It gets even more interesting with you and Kiely (Aquanetta), because you're both in the real-life R&B/pop group 3LW. So is art imitating life, or is life imitating art?
ANSWER
3LW came first, and actually we were asked by the Disney Channel to audition for the Cheetah Girls, because at the time we really were the only young girl group that was out. I looked back on those experiences to help me with the movie.
• Question:
So now, how does one differentiate from the other?
ANSWER
3LW is a very personal project. And I think the new album that's coming out shows a lot of growth. It's a little more mature than the Cheetah Girls stuff. And with the Cheetah Girls, you can pretty much just be yourselves and have fun. And I think that's what the kids love about us; they see that it's something very genuine and that we're really just having a great time doing it.
• Bill Dean can be reached at bill.dean@theledger.com or 802-7527.
n WHO: The Cheetah Girls n WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday. n WHERE: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa. n COST: SOLD OUT n PHONE: 682-5300.