There was no manual for navigating the mid-90s – especially in the music industry. When sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton joined All Saints_,_ the ‘cool’ R&B alternative to the Spice Girls, they were in their early twenties, and the expectation was that young artists learnt as they went along. From relentless touring and recording schedules to the press’ increasingly insatiable interest in their personal lives, being a young musician in the 90s and noughties was not for the faint hearted.
It’s an era that has retrospectively received a bad rap, with the recent BBC documentary Girlbands Forever laying bare the maltreatment that so many artists were forced to endure. It’s no secret that All Saints, comprised of Nicole, Natalie, Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, were caught up in that storm. ‘It felt like our feet never touched the ground,’ Nicole tells Grazia. ‘We didn’t even have a chance to think about the industry. It was just like we were on this fun rollercoaster of chaos and amazing moments.’ Natalie agrees: ‘I guess we were kind of naïve. We just enjoyed it at the time.’
The good news is that they are back, releasing new music, on their own terms. Their first single in 22 years, ‘Falling Into You’ is released today (15 January) and it’s as much a return to their roots as it is a comeback, much to the joy of their army of fans old and new (who discovered ‘Pure Shores’ after it went viral on TikTok).
‘It was all because when we released Everything Eventual on vinyl [in 2003] we had such great feedback from it that our children, our sons in particular, were like, “Why don’t you guys go back in the studio?”’ as Natalie puts it. ‘Gene [Nicole’s son with Liam Gallagher] was like, “Why don’t you ask Aunty Nat?” And I was like, “should we?”’
After reaching out to the producer who they worked with the first-time round, Gareth Young, the sisters headed back into the studio with low expectations. ‘We didn’t even know we were doing a single,’ says Nicole. ‘But it was really easy and really fun. I don’t know how else to describe it.’
‘When we walked into [the studio] it was like walking into a time warp,’ echoes Natalie. ‘It was like we just walked out 20 years ago, and we were walking back in. It’s easy.’
Naturally, new music means the Appletons have plans to get back on stage too. They are set to perform at the iconic Mighty Hoopla in south London on 30 May (which Lily Allen will also play). ‘We were like if we can do anything this year, we’d love to do Mighty Hoopla because we did their first ever London show back in the day [in 2016] and it was such a buzz,’ beams Natalie. ‘I just can’t wait to get up on stage and have the time of my life and have some fun with it.’ Before then, they’ll take on the BBC Live Lounge with a 25-piece orchestra. ‘That’s a very different show,’ jokes Nicole. ‘I like to pinch myself thinking, “oh my god”, that’s such a privilege.’ As for further plans, the sisters remain tight-lipped. ‘We will definitely announce things when we’re doing them. There’s a lot of stuff planned.’
With one studio album under their hats as a duo (so far), Natalie and Nicole are arguably best known for their time in All Saints. Their set, then, will be a crowd-pleasing fusion of the two. ‘It will be a bit of everything,’ explains Natalie. ‘I think from the reaction we’re getting it’s, “please do Appleton stuff”, so I’m excited about that because we haven’t done that in ages. We’ll do lots of bits and mix it up and make it fun for everyone. It’s nice to give the fans what they want.’ Could this mean a full All Saints reunion (last seen on stage together in 2018) is on the cards? ‘I think because it’s an Appleton journey, were going to keep it like that,’ answers Nicole.
The sisters are well aware that the industry they’re re-entering is a different beast. ‘I think the industry as a whole is much more difficult,’ admits Nicole. ‘Financially, you know, I think people are having a really hard time just touring and making ends meet because it’s so expensive.’ Then there’s the shift in the way people find and consume music, the fixation on streaming figures and the threat of AI artists to contend with. ‘This is a whole new world,’ she laughs. ‘It’s the blind leading the blind.’
Nicole, for her part, would like to see a revival of ‘90s music culture, at least in the way it brought people together. ‘[Young people] being on their phones too much, I don’t like in any way. Even my son who’s 24 I don’t like him being on his phone. See the world and enjoy it; everything in moderation.’
She credits the ‘90s club scene for bringing fans, and bands, together. ‘The 90s was just amazing, it was a great time for all music genres. It made it sort of a community, whereas now you don’t see that. You don’t see bands hanging out. You see people performing together on stage, but this was like a proper hang out and having fun.’
Even so, the sisters remain optimistic. The biggest change they have both noticed is that artists these days have their own voice. ‘Everyone’s voice can get around the world just by putting something out on your phone,’ notes Natalie. ‘It just makes the world a smaller place.’ In fact, it’s how they realised there was still so much support for their music. ‘That’s the thing with social media, we didn’t realise,’ she continues, ‘but it’s been so humbling and it’s what ignited us to do what we’re doing now.’
Appleton’s new single, ‘Falling Into You’, is out now.
Nikki Peach is a senior writer at Grazia, working across news, entertainment, features. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).
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