505: Bardot and Beyond with Belinda Chapple, the Girl in the Band

Belinda Chapple.

She was a member of the massive Australian girl group Bardot. ‌ Bardot formed in 1999 on the reality TV series Popstars on Channel 7. ‌ Popstars filmed the whole process, from auditioning thousands of ladies, down to the top 25 and then eventually the top five that formed Bardot. ‌ From there they moved into a house together and we watched their every moment for the first three months of Bardot. ‌ Bardot released two albums, were nominated for three ARIA awards and had two national tours, before their abrupt end in 2002. ‌ The band then consisted of Belinda Chapple, Sophie Monk, Sally Polihronas and Tiffany Wood and an official statement was released to say “Bardot confirm their mutual decision to end the group's career.” ‌ Wildly I was there for the band’s final ever performance on the Channel V stage - the 2nd of May in 2002. Which I didn’t actually recall until getting ready for this interview, I was still drinking at the time and dealing with a lot of PTSD shit. It makes sense I don’t remember it. But when I watched it, you see all four women in tears, marking the end of a once close band. ‌ Belinda has released a book to tell us what really happened. ‌ The end of the band was not mutual and despite the band reportedly earning up to 26 million in its first 12 months what the ladies actually got paid was a long way from that. ‌ But it’s not all about money.

It’s about friendship, trust, and in some ways - betrayal. ‌ Belinda Chapple is a brilliant human, and her story is one I know you’ll get a lot out of.

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