x3 Interview - Aug 2001
"Three times the voice, three times the groove & three times the sass appeal"
Meet x3 - Australia's newest R&B trio! Brianna Nicholls, Fiona Henson and Anna Le are the three spunks and funky vocalists behind the infectious groove 'Girl Like Me'. Forming 18 months ago, the chemistry between these three spirited individuals was a match made in musical heaven.
Brianna, one third of the R&B group, shared her thoughts on life on the pop stage, their musical direction and the fantastic opportunities that await x3!
GIRL'S 60 SECOND QUIZ
Full Name: BRIANNA NICHOLLS
Nickname(s): Brianna Banana
Star Sign: Virgo
Fave Food: Japanese
Fave Film: Dirty Dancing
Fave Actor: Cameron Diaz
Fave Animal: Bunny Rabbits
Describe Yourself In 3 Words: Hard to describe
Best Feature: Believing in myself
Worst Feature: Worrying too much
Your Ideal Man: Tall, dark and handsome
Hobbies/Interests: tennis, jet skiing, swimming, wakeboarding, and gym
First Job: Promo girl handing out fliers in the carpark!
A Talent You Wish You Had: To play the guitar fantastically
The Best Advice Given To You: Sometimes on the way to your dream, other dreams come true
If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be? Tweetie Bird
If you were told you had a minute to live, what would you do? Call my family and tell them I love them!
GIRL: Why did you select A Girl Like Me as your debut single?
Brianna: A Girl Like Me was written by T-Boz from TLC which is a huge buzz and we're all really excited about that, but of course we wouldn't have chosen it, had it not been such a good song. I think the girls and I all really identified with the message of the song - independent and strong women. We had another single prepared but the second we heard A Girl Like Me, we knew that song was definitely the one!
GIRL: Is this sound representative of the rest of your album?
Brianna: Absolutely yeah! There is a real strong R&B beat throughout it, there's that pop element but it's essentially R&B. The album has a few ballads as well.
GIRL: As you mentioned, the track was written by TLC's T-Boz Watkins and produced by Nick Howard and Tommy Farragher. How did you find collaborating with these experienced artists?
Brianna: Incredible! It was very daunting at first but at the same time it was a great feeling to know we were working with such experienced people. They gave us so many tips and we were able to learn so much from them, so it was fantastic.
GIRL: Have you finished recording your album?
Brianna: Yeah we have actually, we keep adding songs so it keeps getting bigger and bigger. We've got to cut down a few songs as there is too many now but yeah it's all been done. We recorded up at Mangrove Studios and it sounds fantastic, it's all very exciting!
GIRL: When can we expect the release of it?
Brianna: The album will be released in September and it's called Wanted.
GIRL: What is the next single you'll be releasing?
Brianna: The next single is not quite confirmed yet.
GIRL: You formed as a group 18 months ago. In that time, have you been working with other writers on the album?
Brianna: Well we actually haven't been working with them as such, we've been getting a lot of material from other writers. We've only just started writing ourselves with Nick Howard just for experience and they may go on the second album.
GIRL: You've been described as the "Miss Glam" of the group - is this an accurate reflection of who you are?
Brianna: It was just sort of a passing comment from the girls and now it's turned into my personality! I think compared to the other two I am probably a bit more glamorous, it's just that I'm always in my heels and like dressing up a bit more.
GIRL: So you're a real "girly" girl?
Brianna: Yeah I am! (laughs)
GIRL: Who are some of your musical influences?
Brianna: I look to a lot of the groups that are similar to us including Destiny's Child, obviously TLC, also Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and Human Nature - I have a real broad selection.
GIRL: What distinguishes x3 from other girl bands?
Brianna: What stands out most is that we are an Australian R&B act, which is only just starting to take off here in Australia. We have a very black girl sound, which has only ever really been done by groups in America, so I think that's what's quite different about our group.
GIRL: Do you think there is enough room in the music industry for other girl groups?
Brianna: I think the music industry is so massive and continually growing that there will always be more room for other girl acts. And as long as we exist there'll be room for more and more.
GIRL: Do you come from a musical family?
Brianna: No not really! When I was growing up, my parents always played music in our home but no one has ever played a musical instrument or tried to push music on to me, I think it stemmed from my love of music in general.
GIRL: At what age did you write your first song?
Brianna: Well I never really considered them as songs, they were poems which had the potential to become lyrics, but I was probably 13 when I started writing these down.
GIRL: How many years have you been playing the piano and guitar?
Brianna: Well the guitar I only started playing last year and the piano I learnt for 5 years while I was at high school.
GIRL: What is the best thing about being in a girl band?
Brianna: The friendships I have made with these two girls in such a short time - they are my closest friends. Also performing music I adore and having people respond to our music.
GIRL: Is the pop world everything it is cracked up to be?
Brianna: Absolutely! I haven't seen it all but so far what I have seen; I've been very impressed.
GIRL: What do your friends think of your newfound fame?
Brianna: They're really supportive and I haven't had any bad feedback from anyone, I'm sure they're all just telling me to my face what I want to hear (laughs) To my face everybody has been fantastic so far!
GIRL: Now if x3 hadn't come along, what would you be doing right now?
Brianna: I would probably be studying television journalism, I was really interested in that.
GIRL: If you could work with anyone in the Australian music industry, who would it be?
Brianna: I'd have to say Nick Howard who I'm already working with - I've always wanted to work with him and I know everybody else is constantly trying to get him.
GIRL: Do you have plans to promote yourselves and your music to the overseas market?
Brianna: Definitely - that's in the big picture but way down the track, we've got to handle Australia first. But yeah of course we want to go to the US and UK - absolutely everywhere!
GIRL: Who are your current favourite Australian Acts?
Brianna: I love Human Nature, Gary Pinto, Tony Lee Scott - they're actually people I've done shows with and you appreciate the music a lot more when you meet these people and see where they're coming from.
GIRL: Where can fans catch you girls next? Do you have any major appearances planned?
Brianna: We have a lot of club dates booked but I'll be sure to keep the Girl readers posted.
- Annemarie Failla
Meet x3 - Australia's newest R&B trio! Brianna Nicholls, Fiona Henson and Anna Le are the three spunks and funky vocalists behind the infectious groove 'Girl Like Me'. Forming 18 months ago, the chemistry between these three spirited individuals was a match made in musical heaven.
Brianna, one third of the R&B group, shared her thoughts on life on the pop stage, their musical direction and the fantastic opportunities that await x3!
GIRL'S 60 SECOND QUIZ
Full Name: BRIANNA NICHOLLS
Nickname(s): Brianna Banana
Star Sign: Virgo
Fave Food: Japanese
Fave Film: Dirty Dancing
Fave Actor: Cameron Diaz
Fave Animal: Bunny Rabbits
Describe Yourself In 3 Words: Hard to describe
Best Feature: Believing in myself
Worst Feature: Worrying too much
Your Ideal Man: Tall, dark and handsome
Hobbies/Interests: tennis, jet skiing, swimming, wakeboarding, and gym
First Job: Promo girl handing out fliers in the carpark!
A Talent You Wish You Had: To play the guitar fantastically
The Best Advice Given To You: Sometimes on the way to your dream, other dreams come true
If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be? Tweetie Bird
If you were told you had a minute to live, what would you do? Call my family and tell them I love them!
GIRL: Why did you select A Girl Like Me as your debut single?
Brianna: A Girl Like Me was written by T-Boz from TLC which is a huge buzz and we're all really excited about that, but of course we wouldn't have chosen it, had it not been such a good song. I think the girls and I all really identified with the message of the song - independent and strong women. We had another single prepared but the second we heard A Girl Like Me, we knew that song was definitely the one!
GIRL: Is this sound representative of the rest of your album?Brianna: Absolutely yeah! There is a real strong R&B beat throughout it, there's that pop element but it's essentially R&B. The album has a few ballads as well.
GIRL: As you mentioned, the track was written by TLC's T-Boz Watkins and produced by Nick Howard and Tommy Farragher. How did you find collaborating with these experienced artists?
Brianna: Incredible! It was very daunting at first but at the same time it was a great feeling to know we were working with such experienced people. They gave us so many tips and we were able to learn so much from them, so it was fantastic.
GIRL: Have you finished recording your album?
Brianna: Yeah we have actually, we keep adding songs so it keeps getting bigger and bigger. We've got to cut down a few songs as there is too many now but yeah it's all been done. We recorded up at Mangrove Studios and it sounds fantastic, it's all very exciting!
GIRL: When can we expect the release of it?Brianna: The album will be released in September and it's called Wanted.
GIRL: What is the next single you'll be releasing?
Brianna: The next single is not quite confirmed yet.
GIRL: You formed as a group 18 months ago. In that time, have you been working with other writers on the album?
Brianna: Well we actually haven't been working with them as such, we've been getting a lot of material from other writers. We've only just started writing ourselves with Nick Howard just for experience and they may go on the second album.
GIRL: You've been described as the "Miss Glam" of the group - is this an accurate reflection of who you are?
Brianna: It was just sort of a passing comment from the girls and now it's turned into my personality! I think compared to the other two I am probably a bit more glamorous, it's just that I'm always in my heels and like dressing up a bit more.
GIRL: So you're a real "girly" girl?
Brianna: Yeah I am! (laughs)
GIRL: Who are some of your musical influences?
Brianna: I look to a lot of the groups that are similar to us including Destiny's Child, obviously TLC, also Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and Human Nature - I have a real broad selection.
GIRL: What distinguishes x3 from other girl bands?Brianna: What stands out most is that we are an Australian R&B act, which is only just starting to take off here in Australia. We have a very black girl sound, which has only ever really been done by groups in America, so I think that's what's quite different about our group.
GIRL: Do you think there is enough room in the music industry for other girl groups?
Brianna: I think the music industry is so massive and continually growing that there will always be more room for other girl acts. And as long as we exist there'll be room for more and more.
GIRL: Do you come from a musical family?
Brianna: No not really! When I was growing up, my parents always played music in our home but no one has ever played a musical instrument or tried to push music on to me, I think it stemmed from my love of music in general.
GIRL: At what age did you write your first song?
Brianna: Well I never really considered them as songs, they were poems which had the potential to become lyrics, but I was probably 13 when I started writing these down.
GIRL: How many years have you been playing the piano and guitar?
Brianna: Well the guitar I only started playing last year and the piano I learnt for 5 years while I was at high school.
GIRL: What is the best thing about being in a girl band?
Brianna: The friendships I have made with these two girls in such a short time - they are my closest friends. Also performing music I adore and having people respond to our music.
GIRL: Is the pop world everything it is cracked up to be?
Brianna: Absolutely! I haven't seen it all but so far what I have seen; I've been very impressed.
GIRL: What do your friends think of your newfound fame?Brianna: They're really supportive and I haven't had any bad feedback from anyone, I'm sure they're all just telling me to my face what I want to hear (laughs) To my face everybody has been fantastic so far!
GIRL: Now if x3 hadn't come along, what would you be doing right now?
Brianna: I would probably be studying television journalism, I was really interested in that.
GIRL: If you could work with anyone in the Australian music industry, who would it be?
Brianna: I'd have to say Nick Howard who I'm already working with - I've always wanted to work with him and I know everybody else is constantly trying to get him.
GIRL: Do you have plans to promote yourselves and your music to the overseas market?
Brianna: Definitely - that's in the big picture but way down the track, we've got to handle Australia first. But yeah of course we want to go to the US and UK - absolutely everywhere!
GIRL: Who are your current favourite Australian Acts?
Brianna: I love Human Nature, Gary Pinto, Tony Lee Scott - they're actually people I've done shows with and you appreciate the music a lot more when you meet these people and see where they're coming from.
GIRL: Where can fans catch you girls next? Do you have any major appearances planned?
Brianna: We have a lot of club dates booked but I'll be sure to keep the Girl readers posted.
- Annemarie Failla
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