After blasting to the past with 101's video on
Popstars I've had tons of questions for Pam Andrews - which I've always had and reckon you must have had too.
Despite all the success she's had as an actress on
Backstage and
Rhythm City, I've always wondered whether she wishes 101 had lasted - and why it didn't. With the show being on it seemed like the perfect time to catch-up with her to find out once and for all:
Tashi: ... do you regret that 101 didn't stay together?
Pam: If you'd asked me this question four or five years ago I would have probably said: "Yes," but now I've actually discovered that I love acting
so much - much more than I love singing - and I feel that Popstars made that possible. It opened that door for me, the door of many possibilities.
A few years ago I would have said "Yes," but now I'd say that leaving 101 was a good thing.
Tashi: So you actually prefer acting to singing for thousands of screaming fans?
Pam: Ja, I do.
Tashi: I can't sing but I would have imagined it’s better to sing for screaming fans.
Pam: It's a cool feeling, it's the most amazing feeling ever, you have all the teenage girls and boys screaming and trying to grab your hand and crying but my real passion is acting. I'd rather have a script in front of me, be in front of the cameras, doing my thing.
Immediately after I left 101 I got offered a job on Backstage - they heard I'd left so two or three weeks after they offered me a job. Look I still missed the singing, I released an album as well. It's amazing doing one, if I was offered to do another album I probably would but if you asked me to choose I'd probably choose acting, it's my passion, it's beautiful.
Tashi: Why did you leave the group?
Pam: There are so many reasons - I think it was 'cos we didn't really know each other, we were just sort of thrown together from different places in the country.
It was cool, the hype was awesome, it was all amazing, we got cars, we'd won this competition and all our dreams came true.
Then, when you took all those things away, and we really got to know each other, that's when, for me, trouble started but also, I was very naughty. I would come to rehearsals late, you know I wasn't feeling it anymore and I wanted out so that's why I left.
Also, I was the baby in the group so I was babied a lot *laughs* but I was very naughty though - you have to say that - I was very naughty, I was still young, stupid, all these parties and things.
Tashi: So would you say you're responsible for the group not lasting? *laughs*
Pam: *Laughs* Um, I don't know because they broke up soon after that so I'm not really sure if I'm responsible for it - they seemed quite happy that I decided to leave so *laughs*.
They were like: "
What!? You're leaving??!" *happy voice, trying to not-to sound happy*.
I was like: "Oh My God, I thought you guys were gonna cry or something," *laughs.*
You know, you give someone bad news and you expect them to go: "Oh nooo," but then they go: "
Yes, the bitch is leaving." Well they didn't actually say that but - I don't know if I'm responsible for it because they seemed quite happy when I left.
Tashi: With whichever group wins this season, these are the same kinds of things they're going to face - what advice do you have for the winnners now, if they want the group to last?
Pam: It's important to do the rehearsals and the shows and the clothes and the sponsorships and things but I think it's
as important to really get to know each other. To spend time together, to go away for a weekend, with no cameras, no nothing, just bonding.
Just getting to know each other because we didn't do that - it was just the hype of it all and once the cameras were gone that's when things started going sour.
You need to get to know each other, like: "When I was a little girl this happened ..." so you know who's sensitive, who's not sensitive, people's strengths and weaknesses because we're not all the same - I think that's very,
very important.
Tashi: What happens if they don't like each other?
Pam: Then one of them's gonna leave and then the group's gonna break up *laughs*.
Tashi: If you were to go back in time, to just after when the group won, is that what you'd do differently? Get to know people?
Pam: Ja, I would probably get to know the girls more because I didn't really do that. I'm a bit of a loner, I don't like to be told what to do and I was the baby in the group.
I think I'd try to be less selfish - they did try to reach out to me as well but, I don't know, it just didn't click with me. I think I would probably be less selfish and try to spend more time with the girls - I think that's where most of the fights came in, was: "No, you stole my top, no!" Like sisters, at high school.
That's really the only thing I'd change - that and the guy I dated while I was in Popstars.
Tashi: Oh really? Tell us
more.
Pam: No he used me, I don't wanna say his name, you know when you realise something, like years later though, you realise: "Argh - you
used me, he lied to me." And everyone tells you but you don't want to see it because: "I'm so in lurve," and everything.
Tashi: Yes and you realise you had to go through it for whatever reason but the shock of it's terrible.
Pam: I know it's horrible. I mean he told me he'd lost all his bank cards so I had to pay for everything.
Years later I realised, if you lose your card you can you go to the bank and get another one, *laughs* but I think everything was so fast and we were travelling here and there and also my family was in Cape Town so it was just nice to have someone I guess.
Tashi: Did you meet him during the show?
Pam: We were kinda fooling around at work - before the show - but just like "hahaha" and then when I won he told me: "I love yoooooou." And he just invited himself to Johannesburg - he was in Cape Town - I came home the one day and he was here, so yeah, but we need to go through those to learn.
Tashi: And then he just started sponging off you?
Pam: He just started sponging off me! He even gave himself a job with the Popstars people and he was just expecting all these things so I just wanna tell the new famous-comers, just be aware of that.
You don't think it would happen to you but actually, it does and you feel like such a dick afterwards actually, like: "Urgh, I can't believe this guy did this to me, I'm such an idiot."
Tashi: So how did you get rid of him?
Pam: I had to date someone else to get rid of him. We used to go on tours and stuff, all over the country and he used to stay in our house, like
in the house. We'd leave and I'd be like: "Oookay, so we're leaving - see you," and he'd be like: "Okay, see you when you come back next week." He just didn’t get it so I had to *laughs* cheat on him.
Then he went crying to my parents and my mom shouted at me and stuff 'cos everyone liked him. He went to church - I don't know what church you go where you gonna con your girlfriend. Nice church. *laughs*
Tashi: Haha! It's crazy hey,
Pam: Yeah so I ended up dating a famous dude, he was an actor on Backstage, it was in the newspapers and stuff so then he finally got the picture.
Tashi: I suppose once you're famous you'd never know why someone's with you? Is this something that's been with you since then?
Pam: It's always been with me, I've always been aware, I mean people that you meet, friends that you meet, you don't know why they're in your life- you're constantly on guard, well I always am since that happened - I've only recently started relaxing about it.
There are lots of people like that, who come into your life because you're the "It" girl in the newspapers, or because you're on this awesome show, or you have a new CD release.
They have a way of wangling in and they give you compliments and they brush your ego, they know how - it's like there's a private school of doing this - I don't know where they come from but these people come into your life and you think they're your friends but then, they're not, so just beware of that.
Tashi: Hectic-hectic-
hectic. And now? Love-life wise?
Pam: Now I've finally met the man (Cedric Thivillon). Do you know why I fell so in love with this man? We met overseas, well not overseas - Mozambique - he'd just arrived from France, fresh-fresh.
The Gautrain thingie, he's one of the ground pilot engineers - we met and he had no idea who I was.
This was about three years ago, we sat down with a whole bunch of people, on the beach, and the cocktails were flowing, and everyone was laughing and having fun and stuff.
We just started liking each other, we went for a walk and stuff and every time someone came to take a picture he was like: "Why are all these people taking pictures of you?" and I lied to him *laughs*. I said: "Oh no, in South Africa that is how we do things - if you see another South African in a foreign country we take pictures and sign stuff." I totally made crap up and he was like: "Oh, okay."
Only when we got home, he saw me on a magazine, and he SMS'd me and was like:"You have a twin sister or something because I swear there's a chick who looks exactly like you that I saw on something."
I was like: "Ja, I forgot to tell you I'm an actress," so that's how he found out. We got married two years ago.
Tashi: So you're not gonna become Pam Thivillon?
Pam: I'm already Pam Thivillon - I just use Andrews as my stage name. I'm Thivillon baby,
Mrs Le Thivillon.
Tashi: Next you're gonna have a French accent.
Pam: Ja, I'm actually learning French now, every Saturday, I'm taking French lessons. I have to because every time I go to France, to his family, it's horrible because I don't know what they're saying.
You know they're talking about you but you don't know if it's good or bad *laughs* so you just smile. You know, hope for the best.*laughs*
Tashi: *laughs* Yes, nod a lot and go: "Oui, oui".
Pam: Ja, and: "Merci, merci, merci."
Tashi: I imagine he must be a great luuuurvah because the French are supposed to be.
Pam: Oh yes, *French accent* he's a
very grrreat lurvah.
Tashi: You were speaking about your first album - now would be the ideal time for you to do another, are you gonna do it?
Pam: No.
Tashi: Why?
Pam: You know, I've really thought about it, asked myself why I'd want to sing again and I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. I was doing it because this one said I should do it or because I saw KB (Motsilanyane) - you know she does singing and acting - and she looks like she has fun.
So I looked at it and thought: "Is that what you want to do?" And the answer came out: no. I've lost that, I really think that you should stick with what makes you happy, what you're passionate about and acting makes me happy.
I'm constantly improving myself, learning different accents, trying to do plays, theatre acting and I'm constantly trying to get into a new movie and so on but I never did that with my singing, I never minded. I could have made the effort I've made with my acting but I never did.
Tashi: Ja, I've heard that you've been asked to sing at road shows etc but you never want to.
Pam: No, ja.
Tashi: So not even just to do it as a once-off?
Pam: No, you know what I'd like to try rather is comedy. People have said that I'm funny, I'd like to do romantic comedy movies and I've started writing some of my own stuff.
Tashi: Often actors will do both and prefer acting to singing but they'll still sing in between. From what you've said it's totally a "no." for you. Why? Were you burned by something?
Pam: Well, the album that I released was not very good and I hated the songs. Every time I went on stage it was hell for me - but the money was good so - that's why I went on stage.
I think also, there was this one day where I performed and *laughs* I was wearing a bikini top, it fell off and I was doing the show. And then the CD got stuck as well, so I had people almost booing,
almost, to that point of: "Whaaaat the *bleep!*?! we paid to come to this,"
I didn't know what to do because they don't train for that - "If your boob comes loose and your CD gets stuck, this is what you do." So I froze and I've felt bad about that day ever since. I know it wasn't my fault but that day kind of scarred my singing, forever.
Tashi: Wow. How did it happen that you sang songs that you didn't like?
Pam: It was my first time doing a solo album so I don't know - I was just given the songs and I did them. Look, there were some songs that I liked, that I co-wrote but lots of the songs I didn't like.
I didn't like the album, I didn't like the way my voice sounded on it - and I don't have the strongest voice either.
Tashi: But the thing is you do.
Pam: You see I could have done classes but I didn't, I don't want to.
Tashi: But when you hear your voice on Who's It Gonna Be - it's great. I think that the way you're seeing or hearing it now is warped by that experience. You never know, perhaps it's something you'll come back to in the future - break on through to the other side of it.
Pam: I was approached to do a movie and there's gonna be a bit of singing in the movie so that door is definitely not closed.
Tashi: That would be cool, it would be ideal - they'd be filming it and there's no potential for stage troubles. What are your parting tips for those in the new show?
Pam: Popstars is
awesome - it changes your life. Just beware - the food's too good! The girls, we gained weight, because the food's so cool. Indulge, but just for a week then remember why you're there.
Tashi: They should have a gym so you can gym.
Pam: You do! But we used the equipment as tables to eat our chocolates and chips.
Ends