Jessica Sutta has said she is "grateful" not to be participating in the Pussycat Dolls' reunion tour, after feeling "publicly humiliated" when the group reformed as a trio without her. The singer and dancer, who rose to fame as part of the chart-topping girl group, has opened up about the tensions surrounding the reunion.
Trio reunion without consultation
This year, it was revealed that Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt were reuniting the group as a trio, without consulting Sutta or fellow member Carmit Bachar. Sutta said: "Nicole is the main artist; you are just the background noise. I think Nicole and Ashley got what they wanted: a smaller group. They got it, and I'm happy for them."
She added: "As much as I hate the way that they went about it, I'm grateful that I'm not there, yeah, 'cause it's not the same show." Sutta, who has recently released her new single 'Don't Take Much', said she wants to be an "example" for her son, encouraging him to stand up for what he believes in.
Feelings of betrayal and disrespect
Sutta said she didn't realise how much she loved the band until the trio's announcement. "I had no idea until they publicly humiliated both Carmit and I, and Melody," she said. She added: "It felt like a slap in the face. I was hearing murmurs through the grapevine, and I would not get a phone call back for months. Then [the tour] was released. I got a slew of phone calls."
Reflecting on her initial social media reaction, she said: "It broke my heart and grieving and being sick, I lashed out because of the state I was in. Now, I'm more at peace. I didn't think it was very fair to Carmit and I to do that. I thought it was very disrespectful." Sutta also believes the reunion was "disrespectful" towards fans of the band.
No return to the group
Despite the tensions, Sutta said she respects Scherzinger as an artist. "I respect her as an artist. I think she's one of the best singers in the world, doesn't matter what time of the day, that girl can sing," she said. However, she said she could never "put myself through that again" on a business front. "In many ways, it was abusive," she added.
Sutta, who has been working on her solo album 'Sutta Pop', said she has found her worth through the experience. "Finally, through this injury and through the experience of them reforming, I found my worth – it took me 40 years to find, that's the biggest gift you can give yourself."
