Girl group G.R.L. open up about the death of Simone
By Nick Bond
The first week of September, 2014 should have been one of the most exciting weeks in girl group G.R.L’s fledgling career.
The Californian five-piece had just released their breakthrough single, Ugly Heart, in one of the world’s biggest pop markets – the UK.
But by the time the single had officially charted in the UK the next week, G.R.L. and their fans were in mourning. Founding member Simone Battle had taken her life following a severe struggle with depression.
Even now, six months on, the four surviving members still struggle to move on from the tragic death of their friend at just 25 years old.
In one of their first interviews since the tragedy, the girls tell Attitude how they’re doing – and what they’ve got planned for the future.
“It’s taken a lot to get us all… Work-wise, it’s been a bit tougher to pull together,” says Paula.
“Lighthouse has been that initial step forward.”
A change of musical pace for the girls, the song – their sole release so far since Simone’s death- is a powerful ballad with lyrics offering strength and support to others going through tough times.
Today, the girls all view Simone’s death as a wake-up call to look after themselves, each other and their fans.
“I’ve never been through anything like this before and had I known these signs, I mean… I know that I see these in myself all the time, and I feel kind of ignorant for not having known any of that,” says Emmalyn.
“People need to start talking about [depression] and we’re very lucky to be standing here with this opportunity to stand for something positive.”
G.R.L.’s full in-depth interview appears in the new issue of Attitude. The grand dame of drag herself, one Ms. RuPaul, appears on the cover of the Style Issue, which inside includes features on man-of-the-moment Jamie Dornan and a 10-page special on Madonna’s musical comeback.
The Style issue is available to download to your mobile, iPad or tablet device now, at Pocketmags.com/Attitude.
The issue will be out in shops next Thursday (March 5) and you can also have it delivered directly to your door at newsstand.co.uk.