All Saints' Melanie on money, movies and motherhood
Article By: Desmond Sampson
4th October 2000 - More Magazine

Melanie Blatt and her fellow All Saints Nicole and Natalie Appleton and Shaznay Lewis are about to beat their biggest rivals to the punch. Their new album Saints & Sinners comes out in a fortnight - three weeks ahead of Forever, the latest offering by the Spice Girls.

The Saints, who also have a new single Black Coffee out this week, are hoping to repeat the success of earlier hits such as Never Ever and Pure Shores. But Mel, 25, who lives with ex-Jamiroquai bassist Stuart Zender and their daughter Lilyella, who's two in November, admits she's changed a lot since the band's early days.

How do you balance being a mum and being in a successful band?
At the moment, I'm having big babysitting problems. I have to arrange work things as early as possible, so Stuart can look after Lily in the morning while I work. Then we swap and he works in the afternoon, while 1 look after her.

So we're trying out that plan for the moment. But Lily has been dead good, bless her.

It must be hard to leave her and go off to work.
It's always hard to leave her. But I always come home and see her again and it's lovely.

What will happen when you have to tour and promote the album?
Lily has travelled really well so far and has been everywhere with us. I'll have to look at things differently when she starts school but, for now, I don't know. And I'm lucky that I can take her to work.

So you're not planning to do a Noel Gallagher and abandon all promotional activity to be with her?
Well, it would be nice. But, unfortunately, I'm not the leader of this band, so I can't just say: 'I'm not turning up today,' because I'd get fined! So I have to go, I've got no choice (laughs).

How do you manage to fit everything in? Do you go to the gym to give you the stamina?
No, I don't, because I hate training, I hate exercise and I hate sport. Anything to do with movement, I hate. But running around looking after Lily is a good way to keep me fit - it's given me muscles in places I didn't know I had before.

How else has having a daughter changed you?
Well, everything I do now is emphasised by guilt. I need to do things that mean something or aren't against what I believe - for my daughter's sake.

I mean, who cares any more? I've gone past my 'I'm a real artist' stage. I'll probably go to hell for saying that, but the reality is that I'm a mum now and I've got to survive.

So, has becoming a mum made you grow up?
Yeah, totally. I've developed opinions and thoughts of my own I didn't get from either my mother or anyone else I looked up to. And I've gained more experience of the world.

Were the rest of the band surprised when you became pregnant?
Yeah, they really freaked out. Especially Shaznay, because she's known me from 17 onwards and she couldn't believe that I was having a relationship, let alone a child. To her, I'm this little tomboy, wearing baggy pants, then suddenly I've got a boyfriend and a baby.

It took a little while for everyone to come round and get used to the idea. But they're all really supportive now.

Do you feel left out with Nic and Nat always going out partying, while you're stuck at home?
Hell, no (laughs)! I wouldn't change things for the world. I was bored with going out all I time. Then I met Stuart, who'd been in Jamiroquai for eight years and was also bored. So we both decided: 'Let's just chill.'

Because I'd been alone for so many years, it was just nice to have a boyfriend and be at home at night.

What was it like being in Dave Stewart's film Honest?
It was an experience, but not an experience I'd go through again. Honest was way too long to be away from everyone.

Apart from doing films, you've also written a song for the new album, haven't you?
Yeah, it's called I Feel You. I did it with Stuart and it's about Lily. I should've written a punk song with someone else, but we did the obvious - a song together about our daughter.

Was it easy to write?
No, not really. It was something I thought would happen the minute Lily came out of my stomach. But I couldn't for ages, which was very frustrating.

Then, when I had no intention of writing a song about Lily, it finally came out, months after the event. I'm glad it did, because it's a beautiful track.

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