Paul Quits S Club 7

Paul Cattermole is quitting the country’s top pop act to join a group of old school mates who play metal. Paul decided to leave just before S Club signed a new £5million deal with their record company Polydor, a contract that would have made him a millionaire. He will play his last date with the band in June. The other six members will carry on without him as S Club.

Going Back to His Roots

Paul dropped the bombshell to band mates just a day after revealing his decision to his girlfriend, Hannah. He said: “It was just time for me to move on. There are no bad feelings but I want to go back to my rock roots. I’ve had an incredible time with S Club 7 but, like any job, there comes a time for you to leave. There is no major reason – it is a mixture of lots of things. Being in the band has been hard work and sometimes, while we were away, I became depressed. Fame is something I found quite hard to handle.

“I also want a change musically. I’m going to rejoin my old school group, called Skua. We have all remained good friends and we want to give it a go. I was the lead singer for a number of years. The band’s music is a bit nu-metal, like Rage Against The Machine.”

Is This the End?

Rachel, Bradley, Jo, Jon, Tina and Hannah all wished Paul good luck and said there were no hard feelings about his shock departure. They then spent four hours thrashing out their future with manager, Simon Fuller. The band – who have won two Brit awards and sold 10million records worldwide – decided unanimously to carry on without Paul – and ruled out bringing in a new member.

Paul has agreed to appear in the band’s fourth TV series in Barcelona next month. His last performance with the group will be at the Queen’s Jubilee Concert in June. S Club are currently recording their fourth album and Paul is on two of the tracks. He will miss out on a film the group plan to make later in the year – a futuristic flick about cloning being written by Simon Fuller’s brother Mark.

Scared Of the Future

Paul says he had nothing against S Club 7′s poppy sound but reckons metal is more him. He says: “If I don’t give this a go I would never forgive myself. It is something I have got to do for me. Skua don’t have a recording deal but hopefully we will be a success.”

Paul also admits he is scared of what the future might hold for him in his new band. He says: “Being in S Club is immense security and I had to think for a long time before I decided to leave. It is scary, but it is also a challenge. Sometimes there are things that you just have to do. Going back to this band is what I have always wanted and this felt like the right time.

“Of course I felt a bit guilty – I didn’t want to be seen as running away and splitting the band. I’m really happy they are carrying on. S Club music was not my music and I hope the fans can forgive me for leaving.”

S Club Reactions

Here’s what the remaining S Club members had to say about Paul’s departure and their band’s future:

Jo: “We have so much to do that we knew this could not be the end of the band. We are strong enough to continue without Paul but we will miss him. It is sad he is going.”

Hannah: “It wasn’t a big surprise because I have always known he wanted to do something different. I’m sad I won’t see as much of him but we have a strong relationship. Being apart might be healthy for it.”

Bradley: “I can see why Paul, at 25, felt he needed to go after his dream. He has left the band in a good way. There hasn’t been a row, he just wants to do his kind of music.”

Rachel: “Fans would not like it if we replaced Paul and there are already enough of us. We have been together four years and it would not be fair to bring in an outsider.”

Jon: “It has taken a while to sink in. None of us had a clue. There was no point in trying to talk Paul round. S Club is about being happy and enjoying being in the group.”

Tina: “If any of us thought it was wrong to carry on, we wouldn’t have done so. The most important thing in life is being true to yourself – and Paul was never a pop tart.”

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Credit: The Sun

Posted: April 2nd, 2002