Wonderland ‘glad to be back’ in Belfast

HOT new girlband Wonderland were in Belfast this week as they supported Westlife for their two sold-out gigs at the Odyssey Arena, and the group masterminded by pop svengali Louis Walsh and Westlife star Kian Egan, declared they were “glad to be back” when they took time out to sit down for a chat with The Star.

The part Irish, part English quintet - Sharon Condon, Corrina Durran, Jodi Albert, Kasey Smith and Leigh Learmont were formed in 2008 when Walsh and Egan held open auditions in Dublin. Picked from thousands of pop hopefuls, the girls released their debut single ‘Not A Love Song’ last month and are gearing up for the release of their debut album on June 6. And during this week’s gigs in Belfast, they admitted that Belfast holds a special place in the group’s heart.

Jodie, the wife of Westlife star Egan, said: “I think Belfast holds a very special place in Wonderland’s heart, just purely because last year it was our first ever gig in front of an audience as a band and it meant so much to us and we had such an amazing reaction from the Belfast audience that literally we came off stage buzzing. We just loved every second of it and I think that left a positive taste in our mouth where every time we come back we get really excited.”

Kasey added: “We also did the Children in Need concert here a few months ago at Christmas time and that was amazing as well, that was very special.”

Sharon, meanwhile, revealed that fans are already gathering to meet the band when they come to the city. She said: “We were at the gate on the way in and there were people there with pictures from last year, it’s mad that they’ve come back to see us again. They were all screaming ‘Wonderland’ so it’s very exciting. It’s a good buzz, this is where it all started so hopefully this time next year we’ll be doing our own show.”

The girls also took plenty of time to work on their debut album, where they worked with some of the best writers and producers around to develop their distinct Wonderland sound. Corrina said: “We’re just really excited because we’ve been working on our music for the last year and a half. We’ve been working really hard so we’re just so excited for people to actually hear it because we’re so proud if it and it’s something that we’ve been keeping close to our hearts so we’re just excited to release it into the big bad world and we hope that people really like it.”

Jodie added: “We went into the studio as five singers and all our influences kind of happened. Every time one of the girls puts their voice on a song it just gives it a little stamp and when the five of our voices are together it created this Wonderland sound, so our whole album, whether it’s country, pop, a power ballad or a real uptempo pop song, it all sounded like Wonderland because of the different tones in the group.”

The girls, who have a natural chemistry with each other, laughing together constantly and trailing off occasionally to talk about fashion; are friendly, charming, and above all, talented, as the packed crowd in the Odyssey can attest to, with a fabulous set from Wonderland, including a superb rendition of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’, as well as their own hits which had people off their seats and dancing along.

Sending a message to their local fans before they left the Wonderland girls said, “We love you.”

To read the full interview with Wonderland and a review of Westlife’s show in Belfast log onto www.lisburntoday.co.uk