Kelly Overett opens up about wild times at the height of fame, saying no to stripping down for the ‘lads mags’ – and the advice singer Phil Collins once gave her
She was one of the defining voices of 90s dance, dominating charts and stages across the globe before quietly stepping away at the height of her success.
Now, nearly three decades later, Italian Eurodance group Capella’s iconic frontwoman Kelly Overett is back, and the 54-year-old doing it entirely on her own terms.
Catching up with us, she opens up about her emotional return to music, wild memories from the golden era of Top of the Pops, and why walking away from fame was the best decision she ever made.
Hi. Kelly! We’re discussing all things Originals Live . What’s it like being back onstage?
Oh, it’s incredible. I’m quite different from a lot of the other artists on the tour because I didn’t perform for 28 years. I completely stepped away. My last show as Capella was New Year’s Eve in 1994 and that was it. I left music entirely and built a career in media and radio. I never had any intention of coming back.
Then, completely randomly about two-and-a-half years ago, I was moving house and came across loads of old photos from that era. And actually… it was quite emotional. There were a lot of people in those pictures who’ve since passed away.
It made me think: perhaps people would want to see these memories. So I set up some social media accounts and started posting a timeline. Honestly, I thought no one would remember me. I was very naïve.
Then suddenly, everything exploded. Two and a half years ago, I did my first show in nearly 30 years to 27,000 people. And I’ve been touring ever since. It genuinely feels like stepping back into my youth. And I think that’s what the music does for people too, it takes them right back.
And you were a regular on Top of the Pops…
I think I did it about 10 times! My very first appearance was actually as a dancer with Carl Cox. He had a track in the charts and didn’t want studio dancers and I was dancing at big raves at the time.
So that was my first Top of the Pops moment and 30 years later, he’s still going strong in Ibiza. It’s incredible. I also performed with SL2 and then as Capella, so I really saw every side of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
But honestly, what I remember most is just laughter and mischief. It was such a surreal environment. You’d be in the canteen at lunchtime and see the cast of EastEnders and Grange Hill sitting there in full costume.
We even broke onto the EastEnders set once with SL2 and took pictures outside the café and the pub, we were very naughty! And then there was the corridor on TOTP; it had all the dressing rooms on one side and the studio on the other. You’d just be hanging around next to some of the biggest artists in the world, waiting to go on. It was bizarre.
Who was the most famous person you met there?
I didn’t actually meet her, but Mariah Carey was on one of the same shows. But the most memorable moment for me was sitting in that corridor one day next to Phil Collins.
Someone nearby was making a huge fuss, not happy about something and after it all went quiet, Phil turned to me and said, “Everyone becomes an arsehole.” I was like, “Really?” And he said, “Yes. The moment you have success, people stop telling you the truth because they’re making money from you.”
Then he paused and said, “But the good ones come out the other side.” That stayed with me. And I don’t think it’s just music, it applies to any world where fame and success come quickly.
Tour life in your early 20s must have been wild, what went on behind the scenes?
It was just fun. We were so young. There were these huge events like Dance Machine in Paris, essentially a live, arena version of Top of the Pops. Everyone performed there, from global superstars to artists like me who were big in certain moments.
And then there were the random gigs, I remember performing at this hotel near Heathrow on a tiny stage, literally two feet off the ground. It turned out to be a distributor’s Christmas party, in January. Nobody was getting paid, but the line-up was insane. Cliff Richard, Alison Moyet, East 17, Eternal, everyone.
We all stayed in the hotel, performed, had a laugh. It was like a night off. Mostly, we were just 20-somethings having fun. Drinking, joking around, just being young.
Any romances on tour?
Not for me. I was in Capella from 21 to 23, and honestly, I didn’t have a personal life. We were successful in 37 countries, and back then you had to physically go to each territory to promote. It was relentless. I wasn’t in one place long enough for anything like that.
You walked away at the height of it all, what led to that decision?
It felt right at the time. SL2 and the rave scene were pure joy, such an honest experience. But Capella became quite a machine, and by the end of 1994 and I just didn’t want to do it anymore.
All I’d ever wanted was to sing and dance and suddenly I didn’t. There was also a shift happening in the industry. I was offered a lot of money to do lads’ mags to take my clothes off and I just said no. No judgement to anyone who did, it just wasn’t for me. That played a part in my decision. I thought, “If this is what’s being asked of me, I don’t think I want this.” So I walked away.
What did you do next?
I had about 18 months of chaos. I made up for all the partying I hadn’t done. Travelled, spent ridiculous amounts of money, did completely absurd things. I described it as running a million miles an hour while going nowhere.
Then I got banned from driving after racing around the M25 at 4am; not my finest moment. That forced me to stop and think, “What am I doing?”
So I applied for a job at a regional dance radio station. Not presenting, I actually turned those offers down, but working in the commercial side. It gave me structure. And I fell in love with radio. I later worked at Kiss FM for years, ran commercial divisions, and organised events, it became my whole world.
Did you ever miss the fame?
Not really. I don’t think I ever fully processed it at the time, I was probably in denial about how big it all was. Even two years ago, I assumed no one would remember me.
And now you’re back and busier than ever.
It’s surreal. I genuinely feel like I’ve been given the chance to rewrite the ending of that chapter. When I came back, I planned to do nine shows and disappear again. But performing was always the best part. And the moment I stepped back on stage, it was like that 22-year-old version of me woke up again.
Now I’m touring the world, choosing shows based on where I want to go, working with artists like Anita from 2 Unlimited and Tanya from Culture Beat – people I barely shared a stage with back then. We’re all just looking at each other like, “How is this happening?”
And do you still have the same energy?
I do. I don’t know where it comes from, I definitely wasn’t practising in my living room for 28 years! But the second I’m on stage, it’s like nothing’s changed. I move the same, dance the same… It’s wild. I think maybe because I stepped away for so long, it all feels new again. But the difference now is, I’m enjoying it more than I ever did.
Kelly Overett has a weekly show on Glitterbeam Radio https://www.glitterbeam.co.uk/podcast/the-kelly-o-show-22-04. The Originals Live Tour hits the road in June, starting in Spain and ending with a headline appearance at Gran Caneria’s Winter Pride in November. See https://www.originalslive.co.uk/tickets.
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