Alesha Dixon has revealed that her old record label Telstar went bust in 2004 after signing Victoria Beckham, meaning her former girl group Mis-Teeq’s third album was never made.
Speaking to rapper Dotty on Apple Music 1 as part of Black History Month, Alesha, 43, explained: ‘They [Telstar] went bust. A lot of people blamed Victoria Beckham because they were an independent label, they were signing all these acts, they were a tiny label and they’d spent a fortune signing her.’
Telstar’s folding meant Mis-Teeq’s third album was cancelled, giving Alesha – who was ‘unhappy’ in the group – an out. The star went on to secure a solo record deal with Polydor, however was dropped in 2006. Reflecting on the ‘depression‘ that followed, Alesha said in hindsight the difficult time was ‘the making of her’.
New interview: Alesha Dixon, 43, has revealed her former record label went bust after signing Victoria Beckham, meaning her former girl group Mis-Teeq’s third album was never made
Alesha being dropped by Polydor coincided with the breakdown of her year-long marriage to rapper Michael Harvey. Touching upon the subject, the hit-maker said: ‘I had to hit rock bottom and that was the growth.’
She went on: ‘When I split up with the girls, I also got married that same year, my marriage lasted a year.
‘So, I’d split up with the girls, I entered into this marriage, then in October 2006 I had no money, my marriage had ended, I had no record deal. I sat there and I thought, ”All these years, everything that I’ve worked for. Why have I nearly lost everything? What’s happening?”
‘I felt like at the time, there was a lot of changes going on and a lot of things shifting and moving, and a lot of clearing out that had to be done in order for me to move on to the next level, next stage of my life.’
![Alesha said: 'A lot of people blamed Victoria Beckham [because] they'd [the label] spent a fortune signing her' (Victoria Beckham pictured in 2001)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/10/07/12/48876581-10068435-Alesha_said_A_lot_of_people_blamed_Victoria_Beckham_because_they-m-34_1633605653464.jpg)
Alesha said: ‘A lot of people blamed Victoria Beckham [because] they’d [the label] spent a fortune signing her’ (Victoria Beckham pictured in 2001)
‘An out’: Telstar’s folding meant Mis-Teeq’s third album was cancelled, giving Alesha – who was ‘unhappy’ in the group – an out (pictured: Mis-Teeq in 2003)
She added: ‘That was the making of me. So the things that happened around that time that were toxic and negative, they were the making of me.’
Alesha – who has been happily married to her second husband Azuka Ononye since 2017 and shares two children with the 40-year-old dancer – also spoke candidly about realising it was time to leave Mis-Teeq.
‘We started working on a third [Mis-Teeq] album. We were in America [and] our record company in the UK went bust,’ she explained.
‘That was the point when I decided I wanted to leave the group, so that’s why we didn’t do a third album.
‘I spent several weeks debating it with my close people, it wasn’t a decision that I made lightly but we got offered another deal, we got offered a major deal.
Difficult times: Alesha being dropped by Polydor coincided with the breakdown of her year-long marriage to rapper Michael Harvey (pictured together in 2004)
‘I knew if I signed that deal, I’d be tied into the group for several more years. I thought, ”Here’s a clean out. Here’s a way out without me having to fight. I can just walk away”.’
She clarified: ‘It wasn’t that I wanted to be a solo artist. It wasn’t that I was in the group thinking, ”It’s my time now”.’
‘I genuinely needed time out. It was a really intense eight years of my life, and it changed my life. Had I been happy, because to me well-being is more important, I would have stayed.’
Alesha also admitted that while her relationship with fellow Mis-Teeq members Su-Elise Nash and Sabrina Washington wasn’t always smooth sailing, they managed to keep any drama ‘private’.
Candid: Alesha also spoke candidly about realising it was time to leave Mis-Teeq (Alesha pictured in 2003)
READ RELATED: How a weekend lie-in can cut the risk of depression in half
She explained: ‘By the time we got to the end of the group, there were conflicts within the group. We’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster as a group, it’s just an intense relationship.
‘We’ve had moments were we’ve not connected and we’ve not go on. We’ve been very respectful of one another in the sense that after all these years, we’ve maintained dignity.’
Alesha continued: ‘Anything that’s ever happened with Mis-Teeq, we’ve kept it very private and between the three of us. We still communicate to this day. I was actually with Su-Elise only two months ago when I went to Australia, I hang out with her and her baby, and it’s all love.
She said: ‘I genuinely needed time out. It was a really intense eight years of my life, and it changed my life’
‘We’ve had our issues and towards the end, I wasn’t happy. Life is too short. You get one life. Eight years in a group is like being in a group for 20 years. You’re with each other every single day. We were young women, we were in our early 20s.
‘We’re growing, we’re learning, we’re developing. We all come with our own set of insecurities and issues that we carry, then trying to blend that and keep it together. I think we really did well to keep it together as long as we did in a respectful way.
‘All good things come to an end, and that was the time for us to come to an end for sure.’
Alesha also admitted that she felt ’embarrassed’ after losing both her solo record deal and her husband in such close proximity.
‘I was really embarrassed for many reasons. I sat on the floor for a few days depressed, not eating, crying, the usual,’ she said.
‘Then you get that little voice in your head that says, ”You’re better than this and your life is worth more than this. Get the f*** up off the floor. Fix up and get moving, and keep it moving”.’
The mother-of-two elaborated: ‘Obviously, the marriage, the personal life, that’s life. It happens to people all the time, but I had to deal with that publicly.
Congratulations! When former Mis-Teeq member Su-Elise Nash announced her pregnancy in January Alesha was quick to send her congratulations
She wrote: ‘So happy for you my beautiful Su! Love you.’
‘I spent a year and a half making the album, and they never put the album out and they dropped me. All of that happened within the same two weeks.
‘That’s major. Two major things all happening within two weeks of each other. I think when you’ve lost everything, there’s only one way up.
‘You either stay down or you get back up stronger. That was the only option because I knew that these things that were happening to me were things that we’re going to pass through me.’
Noting that she’s grateful for her past despite the drama, Alesha noted: ‘That time in 2006, I’m so thankful for it now.
‘At the time, it was the worst thing that could have happened to me. Right now, at this point in my life, it was the best thing that happened to me. I’m thankful for that moment.’
Listen to Alesha’s full interview with Dotty on Apple Music 1 as part of Black History Month today from 3pm on The Dotty Show on Apple Music 1.
Family: Alesha is happily married to husband Azuka Ononye and they share two children, daughters Azura and Anaya (pictured in 2020)
Source: Daily Mail
