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An interview with Noreen from BG5

The Dinah is only a month away and we’re not the only ones excited! Sun-kissed California pop group Beach Girls 5 (BG5) is pumped to get the party started with all the ladies. We got a chance to speak with the very lovely Noreen to get some background on the group and which one of the members would win in a jello wrestling match.

AfterEllen.com: So can you give us some background on how you girls came together to form BG5? Noreen: Sure! Over two years ago the girls and I were individually selected to be entertainment on this pro volleyball tour. And so we auditioned and each of us booked it individually and ended up forming a group doing an 18-city tour together. As it was happening we realized there was a real chemistry building. Usually when the tour is over you each go your separate ways, but we didn’t want it to end.

So that’s when we really say BG5 started because at the end of the gig we chose each other. We continued working together to develop our sound and turned from Beach Girls to BG5. AE: That’s really interesting actually! So wait, did you all perform solo on the volleyball tour?

N: No, we were hired to be in a group and we sang cover songs, we had like two original songs and we sang and danced on the sand in bikinis. [Laughs] So we’ve come a long way since then.

AE: Can you describe each girl’s personality? I always assume groups are kind of like the Spice Girls with each singer carrying a very unique personality.

N: Yeah! Well I love being compared to the Spice Girls, that’s always nice. Well, Brooke is the sweetheart. She’s always nice. Mandy is just easy going and really fun. Laura and I are partners in crime (laughs) she’s like the tomboy who grew up really hot. And Jo is just a really dedicated hard worker. She’s super-focused and well-rounded and talented. She takes care of us. I guess all of us have kind of a motherly nurturing personality. And I guess I’m kind of the wild one.

AE: I figured! That’s probably why they sent you to talk to me! So I read thatKardashian mom Kris Jenner is one of your co-managers and you guys were part of [Keeping Up with the Kardashians], is that right?

N: Yeah! We were on three episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians last season. The first episode featured BG5 and [Kris] was trying to figure out if she wanted to be a part of our team. She had conflicts with her daughters about it and at the end she decided she wanted to do something outside of her family to kind of establish herself and her career since she has done such a great job with her family’s careers. So it’s really great, she’s on our team and she’s just a really good champion for us.

AE: That’s fantastic, so now since you’re a team, do you get a discount from Dash (the store owned by the Kardashians)?

N: No! We should! That’s really funny, I’ll put in a word with my management.

AE: When the group was confronted with being part of the reality show, what were your feelings about it? I mean, being good at singing doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wanting to be on a reality show.

N: Absolutely, the girls and I didn’t want to do it at first. It’s very important to us at BG5 that it’s about the music. We’re here to be artists we’re not here to be reality TV stars. And we really stressed that whatever we do, we really want it to be about the music.

But it was just such a great opportunity and being on the show has really helped us broaden our fan base. Now we have fans from here to Brazil and Norway; the Kardashians have such a world-wide presence. But we were really able to stress that we didn’t just want to be famous, we want to spread our love through our talent and our music. AE: So far I’ve only heard your club jam, “Scratch” and some of its remixes. What else can we expect to hear? And where can we hear it?

N: Well “Scratch” is on iTunes and there are also a couple of other songs on iTunes. You can also find some songs on our Myspace page and there’s a bunch of older songs hanging out on YouTube. We have lots of range, I’d say, all in the pop genre. We’ve got club jams like “Scratch” and “Rabbit Hole” and really great mid-tempos with a lot of heart in them.

AE: You have opened up for Justin Bieber – what do you think of his new haircut?

N: I actually haven’t seen it, I’m going to Google it right now while I talk to you. I’m a big fan of Justin Bieber. I wanna go see his movie.

AE: If you all thought he was cute, you should probably have the head’s up that there will be many lesbians at The Dinah who look like him.

N: That’s so funny, I didn’t want to say anything about that but a lot of people on my Facebook page have been saying that he stole the lesbian haircut.

AE: Yeah, well before he had it and now getting it cut just made it worse. I think there were a bunch of lesbians trying to look like him before but now the ones who didn’t want to, do. It’s causing quite a stir in my community.

N: Oh yeah, now I see it. I definitely see it.

AE: Out of the five of you, who do you think would win at a Jello wrestling competition?

N: Me, hands down. Or Dominique.

AE: So I guess you two would have to wrestle each other.

N: Yeah I guess so! Or Lauren. She, Dominique and I take kickboxing classes together. I guess all the girls in the group are pretty bad-ass. Mandy would be a good contender because she’s the only one who grew up with an older brother. AE: Yeah that could definitely give her the leg up. What else should everyone know about BG5 before they get to experience your live performance this spring?

N: I really just suggest that people look up our music because our shows are so fun and we just want everyone to sing and dance along with us. We can’t wait to meet everybody. We’re going to have a really good time, the girls and I absolutely love what we do and genuinely like each other. Like we hang out on our off-time. It’s rare to see a girl group that actually gets along. We just want everyone to join the party.

You can see the BG5 performing live at The Dinah March 30 – April 3.

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