Welcome to the new episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, your one-stop-shop for all things pop on Billboard's weekly charts. In addition, you can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop.
Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard co-director of charts Keith Caulfield and Billboard music editor Jason Lipshutz every week on the Pop Shop Podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in iTunes (click here to listen to the previous Tuesday’s edition of the show on Billboard.com).
On the latest show, we’re joined by Nadine Coyle. The Pop Shop went on location to London recently to chat with Coyle, who just released her new single “Go to Work.”Of course, Coyle was also 1/5 of the successful U.K. girl group Girls Aloud, which racked up 21 top 10 singles on the Official U.K. Singles Chart between 2002 and 2012. We sat down with the singer/songwriter to discuss her stomping new single, further new music, the possibility of promoting the track in America and, of course, the legacy of Girls Aloud.
“Go to Work” is Coyle’s first solo single since 2011 and she’s only issued one studio album (2010’s independently released Insatiable). So why was now the right now to drop new music?
“Because the songs are here,” Coyle says. “It's all about the music. I love to make everything as much about the music as possible. It just took this length of time to get enough songs… And, you know, we've got the amazing team with Virgin and with everybody involved.”
Earlier in 2017, Coyle signed a new recording deal with Virgin EMI Records in the U.K. The first fruit of that deal is the new single “Go to Work,” which was produced by Brian Higgins and his Xenomania team -- the same folks behind nearly all of Girls Aloud’s songs. There is also possibly an album farther down the road. “I hope so,” Coyle says. “It’s very early days.”
“We've had the song for, probably since October of last year,” Coyle says, noting that the track was “a lot dancier” when she first heard it. However, she immediately fell in love with the tune. “It’s been on a journey.”
Amazingly, despite Girls Aloud’s great success in the U.K., the group was never officially exported to the U.S. during their heyday. America was effectively denied the act’s music for years and their catalog didn’t fully reach U.S. digital retailers until 2015. So of course, we had to ask Coyle if she has any plans on bringing “Go to Work” to America for some proper promotion.
“I would love that,” she says, suggesting that her label’s U.S. counterparts are, “for the first time,” asking for the “rights to things.” She jokes, “I just have to say, ‘Of course! Give them whatever they want!’"
With Girls Aloud about to celebrate its 15th anniversary -- as the group formed in November of 2002 on the reality competition TV show Pop Stars: The Rivals -- we asked Coyle about her time with the act and what she sees as the group’s legacy.
“The music. When you listen to even [their debut single, 2002's] Sound of the Underground today it still sounds good. Everything sounds good. I was on holidays recently and was just playing Girls Aloud, as you do. Going back, old albums… I was just playing Girls Aloud. We're getting ready to go out -- me and my sister and my friend -- throw on a bit of Girls Aloud. … The music just still sounds so good. So I think that's our legacy.”
In addition to our interview with Coyle, the we also discuss news of Lady Gaga’s European tour postponement, Linkin Park's plans to stage a tribute concert for its late singer Chester Bennington, Thomas Rhett bringing country back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time in a year and how Cardi B could perhaps bump Taylor Swift from No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 next week.
