- Holly was a member of the popular girl group Zene, which split up a few years ago. She has now decided to speak publicly about the split and release her own solo music. - The band members argued frequently due to different senses of humor but have become friends since the split. Holly ultimately decided to leave the band first, which led to the other members also wanting to leave as the band had "passed its sell by date." - While in competition with successful group Destiny's Child, Zene felt they had an advantage due to coming from rough backgrounds and being more down to earth, which motivated them to pursue their musical goals.

1. Sophie Finnigan
Hi Holly! It’s good to see you. It’s been a while!
Holly: Yes I know – it’s been a mad few years. It’s great to be back on the scene
though.
Have you been up to anything interesting since Zene split?
Holly: Well, [Zene] has had a few mini reunion karaoke nights. We all still get
on, so it’s been good to see them. Apart from that, nothing really. I’ve just been
trying to settle down.
So, let’s get down to business! How come you’ve only just decided to
speak about the split?
Well, It was quite a private topic. I spoke about it to my friends and family - but
just not to the press. It was part distrust of the media but more just maturity and good
grace.
We were expecting a comeback eventually – so why now?
My family have been on and on at me over the past 3 years. “Why haven’t you released
any of your own music?” But it just wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t fair on the other
girls. It’s like that unwritten girls rule “You don’t go near your friends ex”, that’s what it
was like. I didn’t want to go near a studio until the other girls had moved on or started
again.
We hear along the grape-vine that Lauren is also having some studio time? Is
that true?
I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to! I’ve been that focused on my own music, I haven’t
had a proper catch up with the girls in a while. I hope she is, she was the drummer of
our generation. She could sell out Wembley Stadium ifshe just set up her drum kit in
there and played. If she were to release some tracks that would be cool.
Does that mean a collaboration could be on the cards?
Ah. Let’s just see how my album goes down before I even think of trying new material!
It’s all baby steps at the moment.
What was the reaction when you told people about the comeback?
Well, actually…I didn’t tell anyone! I was too scared at first! Then someone leaked it to
the press and my mum ended up finding out – after that it was like a domino effect.
More and more people were finding out, they were all happy for me though.
So, there have been many different reasons thrown across the tabloids with
regards to how the band split. So we’re gonna name a few, and you tell us
which were true and which were false.
Go for it.

2. Okay, so, the first rumour is that you and Katrina had a fight?
I’ll be honest with you. The band was never going to work out. We always argued about
pointless things and there were a few fights. It funny really, we only really started to get
along after we split up.
Wow –we didn’t see you as the fighting type!
They weren’t proper fights. They were slang matches really.
Was it due to living far away from each other?
The conflict was born of many things. I've lived in Manchester for the past ten years, and
I’ve developed a pretty thick skin, the default setting seems to be taking the piss
mercilessly and as close to the bone as possible. Whereas Laura lived in London, and
Katrina in Scotland, so they didn’t always understand the Manc humour and I didn’t
always understand theirs. That’s where the arguments seemed to spin from.
Last one – we NEED to know this one! Who decided it was time to end the
legacy of Zene?
Sadly, it began with me. My decision did change everything. I said I was going to leave
the band. I wasn’t happy, I was in a very dark place with problems in every area of my
life so, I said I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore and I had to go. The girls were
shocked at first, then they were very supportive, and then, weirdly, Katrina said she
wanted to leave too. In fact, she thought the band had passed its sell by date. It was a
sad day for us all, but it had to be done, but I don’t regret it, we’re all happier than we
have ever been. Being in the band wasn’t healthy for us.
The band originally started with you, Emily Tweed and Rebecca Sidle. Why were
there so many member changes between then and now?
They [the management] were a brutal, passionate group of people, and if you didn't fit
into their visualisation then they wouldn't be afraid to tell you. They always argued, but I
think there was more chaos than conflict. After the split, it's clear to see all that conflict
was born of love for the band, and wanting the best for us.
Your biggest competition was Destiny’s Child. How did you cope with that?
They were one-offs, and still are. Their natural dynamite attitude, contrariness, and sass
is one of their most appealing features, it was hard to compete with such a glamorous
band. But we were different to them in a way that we can only describe as wealth, the
less money we had, the more down to earth we were. We all came from rough
backgrounds and we all knew exactly where we wanted to go, so having crappy
upbringings gave us the motivation to pursue our goals.
If you could re-live one moment of your career with the girls, what would it be?
Oh – there are so many good memories. But I would have to say our break up tour. The
amount of support we got from the fans that turned up was incredible. We all sat in the
changing room after the show, and we opened 3 bottles of the most expensive
champagne we’d ever seen. And at that moment we all considered forgetting about our

3. issues and carrying on as Zene, but we knew that our time as a band had come and
gone, for now at least.
Well it’s been great speaking to you – and we wish you all the best of luck with
your album! We’re all definitely buying a copy!
Aw thank you Unplugged! It’s been a pleasure.