Q Is pop music better or worse now than in the ‘80s?
Lorraine: It’s the same I think. It goes full circle doesn’t it. I do think it’s easier now to break into pop music than in the ‘80s but I don’t necessarily think that’s a good thing. There’s more avenues to find talent but that doesn’t mean that talented people are coming forward.

A Lorraine:Pop Idol TV? Devil spawn or a genuine hotbed of creative talent?
Lorraine: Well, we’ve been swamped by reality TV shows like Pop Idol. I don’t like those shows. I watched Pop Idol but they just keep repeating the formula now. Will and Gareth are OK. I’m glad Will was picked because he could sing and it wasn’t just based on looks. But I don’t think they really get the chance to express themselves as artists. Everything is decided for them, from the songs to their outfits. They don’t necessarily get the best material, they just get whatever songs are being offered. I think Will and Gareth need to make sure they have people watching their backs because their money and fame will disappear and if they’re not careful they won’t have anything to show for it.

Q Regrets? Have you had a few?
Lorraine: I don’t have any regrets. We all worked hard. We all grew up wanting to be famous and we lived our dream. Originally I wanted to be an actress. Then when I was 14 I wrote a romantic novel! I was just trying to find a way to express myself. I guess I would have liked to have been older when we were famous. 17 or 18 is a nice age. I was 14 and that was too young. Look at S Club Juniors, they’re far too young. They should be in school! It’s going to make their teens much harder now they’re famous so young. You can’t take it all in when you’re 10 or 11 and they won’t be around when they’re 35. And when the fame goes it will be hard to deal with.

..Do you still follow pop music?
Lorraine: Not really closely no. I like *NSYNC though. They’re really good at what they do and it’s nice to see black talent coming through like Alicia Keys and Craig David.

What would you have done differently if you could relive your career.
Lorraine: Nothing really. We prepared ourselves pretty well for success by working hard and performing loads of PA’s in clubs. Each person had a different responsibility. Doris worked on choreography, Steadman designed the stage outfits and Dad looked out for us. You do need someone to watch out for you.

There were rumours that your dad was er, a tad overbearing?
Lorraine: No. People said that but he was a good manager and a great dad. He was just looking out for us just like any dad in charge of a bunch of teenage children would do. He always respected our opinions.


So Five Star are down to Three Star these days?
Lorraine: Yes, Doris and Delroy decided they didn’t want to be part of the band now and that’s fine. We’ll all grown up and are leading our own lives. Being together 24 hours a day when we were growing up was a bit suffocating. My life now seems miles away from pop music. I live a really quiet lifestyle with my husband in the San Fernando valley in California. It’s beautiful.

As a woman did you experience discrimination in the music industry?
Lorraine: No I didn’t really experience that. But we didn’t really meet the staff from labels that much. Our dad took care of that.

So, the Here & Now Tour. Sad '80s novelty act time?
Lorraine: No! We’re hoping this will introduce us to a new audience, to give us a chance to perform and introduce ourselves again to the UK because we’ve been in LA for the past 12 years. We’re hoping to start work on a new album next year. Mind you we don’t remember all the dance routines. We’ve got to work on them!

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When exactly was this interview and for what news publication?