While the band Nasty Cherry may have come together in an unconventional way, they’ve managed to create sisterly bonds with one another. The person responsible for bringing this group together? Charli XCX. The chart-topping singer-songwriter personally assembled the group to be the first she signed to her label, Vroom Vroom Recordings. Gabbriette Bechtel, Chloe Chaidez, Georgia Somary and Debbie Knox-Hewson are touring with Charli, and starring in their own Netflix documentary called I’m With the Band: Nasty Cherry. Almost overnight, the women moved in to one house to have their lives chronicled by cameras as they navigated coming together as a band. If that’s not all, on November 22nd, the band will release a debut EP “Season One” featuring tracks written by the girls including their new fan-favorites “Win” and “Live Forever” as well as their the latest single “Music With Your Dad”.
Nasty Cherry sat down with Thrive to share how they stay present as their star rises, the steps they take to keep the stress at bay, and how they communicate when times are tough.
Thrive Global: There is a lot that goes into being a band. When you first got together, you were basically strangers. How did you come to trust each other?
Gabby: When we all met, we were talking on Skype, and I think we all knew what we were in for — so we were willing to just open up and tell everyone everything.
Georgia: It’s crazy, navigating new people. I think it is hard to trust. You’re jumping in with the unknown. Surprisingly, the thing that I thought would actually be the hardest thing to get a groove with was the writing, and we actually got into a groove pretty quickly. You’re forming these friendships so quickly, and you want them to be real in person — but that all takes time as well. I think the way that I feel about the friendship with my bandmates and this kind of crazy level of trust that we have for each other now is like a sibling. It’s beyond friendship, because we’ve had to share so much so soon.
Chloe: I had no idea what to expect the first day. We walked into that house, and everything is documented, and I didn’t realize it would be that vulnerable. I was definitely intimidated when I walked in.
Debbie: It’s like wrapping a challenge in a bigger challenge. Once you do that, then the first one suddenly doesn’t seem so big.
TG: Living together can be great for companionship, but did you need your alone time? How did you find it?
Gabby: Living in the house, filming from eight in the morning to eleven at night — at the end of the day, you’re like, “Peace out and I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘cause if I hang out with you one more second…”
Debbie: To get four people to be feeling the same thing at the same time is really quite impossible. So some days you’ll be like, “Can I stay in your bed for a bit?” And then other days it’s like, “Can no one talk to me?” I think it makes for an honest sibling type of relationship. I feel closer in this band than I think I do with some of my closest friends, just because we’ve lived together.
TG: What are your morning routines?
Gabby: Drinking a big glass of water. Taking care of my throat now is different.
Chloe: I like to tell the people I see in the morning how thankful I am for them. If I’m with my mom, I always make sure to tell her I love her in the morning.
Georgia: The first thing I always do is read something. I like to take something in really quickly.
Debbie: I listen to an audiobook, or call someone I love in the morning. I love a morning. I shine bright first thing, but by 1:00 P.M., I am dead tired.
TG: What are some of the ways you practice self-care?
Chloe: Prayer and coffee. Oh, and I love podcasts. Also, calling a mentor figure. I have someone in my life that’s a little bit older, and she just walks through everything with me. I know that if I call her, she’s going to point me in the right direction. I take a walk, and I know that when I call, she’s going to comfort my soul.
Debbie: I love working out, but I don’t listen to any music or watch anything when I do it. I just like focusing on my breath, which is quite moving. It’s a moving meditation. It’s distraction-free. You block everything out, apart from breathing and focusing on the task.
Georgia: Honestly, probably just practicing drums. I’ll just sit in my room and practice. This year, I was learning Latin — which was a very broke, not rock and roll move. I’m studying for a classics degree, so that was my thing of just getting out and having a read. But usually it’s drums — I’ve always put all my energy into playing on a pillow, with my drumsticks.
Gabby: I love taking baths. I’ll also listen to music.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out?
Chloe: Right now!
Debbie: I have quite a manic energy, and I would say once a week I genuinely feel it. I often feel like I need to just do one thing today that’s like a bit more grounding than this. But I think it happens a lot with creative energy. I think it’s really hard in 2019 to not feel burned out regularly, because you’re constantly given stimulation, and it’s hard to just take a minute.
Georgia: It’s really hard to recognize if everything you’re doing is positive. It’s a lot easier to recognize things that are bad for you. I struggle with doing nothing.
TG: Can you share a book that inspires you?
Chloe: Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Gabby: I have this book of Leonard Cohen lyrics. I have a few of them, and those are always just my favorite to read and go through for inspiration or advice.
TG: What are your communication styles?
Debbie: I like to have it out straight away. If you’ve got a problem, I charge in. I can’t stand mulling things over, so I think I’m probably the person that would call 20 times and go, “What’s going on? Lets just sort this out.”
Georgia: I think my emotions come before my intellectual thoughts about anything. As I’m getting older, I’m trying to take more time to actually think before I express all this emotion positively or negatively.
Chloe: If someone sends me a long, angry text, I’ll be like, “Oh, let me just let that sit for a second so they can cool off, and I’ll cool off”. My mentality is like, time heals it. I like to resolve every problem, but I’m definitely not an emotional texter.
Gabby: I think a lot before I speak.
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