“We did this album over a period of years,” she said. “We reached a point where we had a lot of songs, and we decided to put them out. We did it all ourselves so this is a new experience for us. We cannot believe how well it has gone.”
Woodward continued, “We write pop songs because we love harmonies and melodies. We don’t overanalyze the style. It has an electro vibe and our band loves playing dance music. The songs are all very spontaneous and very joyful.”
She listed “Looking For Someone” as their personal favorite song on the album. “The fruition for that came a long time ago, in New York, from a very personal point of view lyrically,” she said, prior to adding that it has a Blondie vibe to it, and she expressed her love for Blondie. “It is rocking and it sounds brilliant when we perform it live with the band. While the subject matter may not be uplifting, it winds up being uplifting,” she added.
On being an artist in this digital age, Woodward said, “The fact that we were able to fund and release this album ourselves is very exciting. We did this all on our own label. Back in the day, it would probably cost about half a million bucks to record an album in the studio. We can now record with our producer in his studio, which is his house. It’s amazing.”
She shared that in school, back in the day, she and Sara did their first recording on a cassette player, and that was of Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen.” “Things are amazing these days,” she said.
Bananarama is one of the most successful female music acts of all time. They have sold in excess of 40 million albums all over the world. Their catalog of global smash hits includes “Venus,” “Cruel Summer” and “Robert DeNiro’s Waiting.”
They also secured a spot in the Guinness Book Of World Records for achieving the world’s highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward from the duo are celebrating their 37th anniversary as founding members of Bananarama and they continue to tour the world. “We are not leaving the Guinness Book Of World Records since we are not broken up yet,” she said, with a sweet laugh. “Most bands break up due to differences of opinion, but Sara and I have been together since we were four. It’s like a long-term marriage that never goes wrong.”
She credits their success to them being “true to themselves.” “I am proud of that,” she admitted. “I think we’ve done things instinctively.”
For their fans, Woodward concluded, “The reaction we’ve had is quite incredible. I am just looking forward to doing more new things. I am itching to get into writing new music.”
To learn more about Bananarama and their new music, check out their official website and their Facebook page.
