It sounds like a pitch for a show on children’s television- ‘Imagine 3 sisters. And they’re in a band. A rap band. A pop-rap band. And they’re from London. And they manage themselves. And they’re into fashion. I’m thinking funky clothes- like P.V.C pink thigh-high boots.’ While one is unsure as to how the executives at Nickelodeon would favour P.V.C. fetish footwear, it is a certainty that the Real Heat were made for the entertainment industry. The Real Heat’s origins are as organic as it gets. Sisters Shaki, Zaza and Suki make dirty, sexy witty electro-pop-rap records. They write the music themselves. They write the lyrics themselves. Yet, they’re still not quite sure how they became a band- ‘we all got our studio equipment, and then we all started writing together and then after that we were like ‘oh, we’re a band now!’ We have music wars still, like blasting out different types of music around the house, and my mum gets all like “argh!”‘ When lyrics are written, it’s a collaborative effort, though sometimes unknowingly. In a scenario that could be take straight from a Nickelodeon show; they relate how most of their song lyrics come about. Zaza begins- ‘We all have our own notebooks or something.’ Shaki interjects- ‘One of us might write something’. Zaza cuts in ‘-and leave it on a bit of paper-’. Suki laughs, saying ‘- and the other will find it, and be like, this is good!’ Zaza, now also laughing, continues ‘and someone will be like that’s personal! They’re my personal words! Why are you singing them? And they’ll be all ‘ah shut up, this is good!’ Shaki, finishes the imagined conversation, giggling –‘and they’re like “but I didn’t mean that when I was writing it!’’

It’s difficult to separate the Real Heat’s physical presence from their music. Resplendent in chains, leather, fishnets and pink lip gloss, the trio are a walking photo-shoot. When asked if they feel that they could perform while wearing tracksuit bottoms, their answer is surprising- Zaza has previously appeared on stage in leisure-wear. Although, ‘these are ¾ length silver tracksuit bottoms, with silver stripes and studs on them. Excuse me, they’re not velour.’ Shaki explains further, ‘We’ve always enjoyed clothes and dressing up and stuff. Tracksuit bottoms are for when you’re going to the gym, and when you want to get out quickly. They’re not for the stage. I don’t think image is anything to do with it though. Before we did music, we always dressed up, so I think that when it comes to having a stage show, and performance, it’s nice to be able to put on a show. Like, when you go out raving with your friends you make a bit of an effort, you know? Just to feel nice, it’s fun, you know? It’s cool that people associate that with us, and notice that we make an effort and that.’

Though they’re often pitched as the anti-Sugababes, the Real Heat are comfortable being filed under pop music. Their early live repertoire included some brave pop cover versions- ‘One of the first things we did with Richard (X), we did a cover of ‘Criticize’. That was quite funny. We did Bohemian Rhapsody for our live sets before, but we’ve stopped doing it now. We had a band, and re-jigged the music a bit, and sang it in a more soulful’. Richard X has produced some tracks on their album, and the girls are willing to work with anyone that they find interesting, apart from Mark Ronson- ‘He’d be all like “I’m Phil Spektor. I’m gonna put some, like, bells on your track.” I do like his stuff though.’ However, they’re adamant that they’re not going to change their sound drastically for the sake of a successful record- like Estelle did on her Kanye West track. Suki notes that Estelle ‘does sound a little Lily Allen-ish.’, while Shaki adds that ‘it’s a little dumbed-down, cause she’s got a really nice voice. I guess you’ve got to sing accordingly to the track, but I don’t think we’d go for a whole change.’ Zaza, who is in the middle age-wise, and the diplomat of the three, concludes that ‘our personalities are all quite strong, so it’s not going to be that easy for us to turn into something completely different.’

It would be easy to gloss over the business savvy that the trio display. They sacked their manager after 6 weeks, because they had ‘different goals’. When I ask whether they could see themselves existing as a band in another decade, Shaki rejects the 60’s as being ‘too oppressive. Not that many female producers and stuff. Definitely different challenges for female artists at that time.’ Suki is incredibly goal-orientated- a trait not common in her fellow members of the NME’s ‘Cool List’ of 2007- and admits that ‘it does make things easier having a good manager, because you can just concentrate on doing you music, and you don’t have to do a lot of stuff. We want to be successful, obviously, and sell shit-loads of records, and tour the world and stuff like that. Those are, like natural progressions.’ The Real Heat’s manifesto is as fun on the outside, and driven on the inside as the sisters themselves: Suki shouts ‘Lick me out!’, then Zaza intervenes, saying, ‘the serious one is-’, leaving Shaki to finish with ‘stand for something or fall for anything’, before Suki cuts back in with a final ‘lick me out!’, ensuring that the interview concludes with a tri-fold giggling fit.

Thanks to Allison Paisley for the photos.

Ailbhe Malone is 21 years old. Her father told her the other day that she was 'going to change the world'. She remains sceptical.
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