This girl group is ready to take over the world one feminist anthem at a time.

BO$$ES is a pop, R&B girl group and dance ensemble based out of Paris founded by choreographer Prince Hadj in 2020. Inspired by iconic girl groups such as Spice Girls, The Pussycat Dolls, G.R.L, and Fifth Harmony, Bo$$es is unique owing to its members’ diverse backgrounds and international appeal. The consists of Romy (Romane Gabriel), Peilin (Peilin Lu), Lorita (Laura Diabira), Jessy (Justine Latrasse) and, last but not least, Liyah (Pauline Beriat) who joined the group in september 2021 – all belonging to different ethnicities and cultures be it French, Chinese, Colombian, or African.

First called « Cherryglow », the group has changed members several times, with the original members being Romy and Peilin. After finding new members, the pop troupe has now shaped into « BO$$ES » , a group made up of diverse women who all lead different professional lives. The name of the group stems from the fact that the members are all working women and have day jobs as authors, screenwriters, influencer or dance instructors, and they wanted to tell other women that it is okay to take on bigger responsibilities at work whilst owning their femininity, and being sexy and confident. The group aims to inspire women around the world to be absolute bosses in every sphere of their lives. 

BO$$ES is currently also working with internationally acclaimed designer and stylist, Misora Nakamori for its live performances. Tokyo-born and Paris-based designer Nakamori’s work has also been worn by celebrities such as Lady Gaga previously. 
With their debut live performance on Instagram with Blacksheep, the group is all set to launch their first single « P.W.R » – an anthem of Girl Power in October 2021.

In Conversation with Bo$$es –

1. What is your first single about ?

Our first single is an English song called « P.W.R », representing the word « Power » written by Prince Hadj and composed by Lewis Sydney George Dodkins from London, England. The music attempts to interpret the empowerment of girls and other diverse groups in our society. Fighting for equal rights and equitable treatment is a marathon, but we want to translate concepts such as self-confidence, independence and as well as the guts to say « no » and stay true to who you are into the language of music and dance.

2. What connects you and how did you all meet?

It all started when Prince Hadj wanted to revive the concept of girl groups in France. This is something lacking in the French music industry. In 2019, Romy, Peilin and Lorita auditioned for the new group, and our activities were greatly impacted by the pandemic throughout 2020 and so debut suffered with serious delay. What unites us is our sisterhood, and our connection is based on female solidarity. As women, you just meet another woman and know that they will have your back when you need them to be. Bo$$es is made up of those women, who will stand by you through all oddities. 

3. What is the origin story behind the name BO$$ES ? How’d you come up with it and why ?

The group was originally called « Cherryglow » with a different concept. Then the name « BO$$ES » came up after the first lign-up change. Prince Hadj got inspiration from an American Tv Series called « CLAWS » that talks about a group of girls who work in a nail salon. One day, they somehow got involved into the traditionally male dominated organized crimes, but the girls eventually worked their way to take control of the entire criminal business. « BO$$ES » simply represents that we can all be the boss version of ourselves and be in control of our own life…independent and ambitious. We’ve also got each other’s back in our vulnerable moments. Once you’re a boss, you’ll be wealthy, not just  financially or superficially but also spiritually!

4. Some of you shuffle between BO$$ES and your interesting day jobs. How do you balance both worlds and what are your day jobs like?

It is true that for some of us, this is a night job and we have to deal with very distinctive tasks and corporate duties in the morning. For example, Peilin works in a humanitarian organization, and her job is to ensure that humanitarian actions are accessible to the most marginalized people affected by conflict. Romy created her own artistic company and just published her first book on those epiphanies in her life. The book is called « Passantes Pensées qui Passent ». It is a teamwork because everybody’s schedule varies quite a lot, and we are even based in different cities. Frequently, we need to communicate and plan things together well beforehand, and it could be really challenging, sometimes, to have a plan that suits everybody perfectly.

5. The group was born in Paris, France but members are from different ethnicities and around the world. Does that impact your confluence of ideas in any way?

We’d say that, in general, there is no challenge in communicating with each other, as we are open to all ideas and don’t judge each other. It is less easy when we are in a stressful situation…fatigue resulting from intensive rehearsals can sometimes mess up your self-control, but we try our best to treat each other with respect. It is rather a good experience to have five of us coming from diverse backgrounds, because this generates new ideas in the process. What’s more, it simply offers us fantastic opportunities to taste cuisine from around the world! We have some chefs who are capable of preparing fine cuisine after a whole day’s exhausting training haha.

6. Which artists have shaped your belief?

Many girl groups such as The Pussycat Dolls, Little Mix, G.R.L, Spice Girls and Fifth Harmony are our source of inspiration. These ladies assume their femininity, allow themselves to be sexy when they want to be, and fight for equal rights. All these values and messages resonate with us and encourage us to continue our work.

7. Define your creative process as a group ?

So, the songs and choreographies are mostly created by Prince Hadj and different beat makers who have worked with great artists such as Ciara, Chris Brown, Bobby Valentino, T.I and many others. He would first explain to us what he wants to express and see out of the music or the moves, then all of us get together to test those ideas and bring our personality to the work. There is often lots of trial and adaptation in the dynamic creation process before we decide on what we want to eventually present to the audience.

8. Do you have any artistic collaborations planned, and if given a chance, which artists would you like to open for live in the future?

This is ongoing. We would prefer not to spoil the surprise at this stage, but we are exploring the opportunity with artists from the U.S. We are absolutely keen on collaborating with lots of talented artists from all over the world and I’d say please  don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you are interested…

9. What is the future like for BO$$ES ?

« BO$$ES » are dreaming big. We’d love to create a culture and an empire of the group, a value system that empowers people to speak for themselves, and stay true to who they are without the fear of being judged. We would love to release albums, work with prominent artists and celebrities, do concerts and tours, and make « BO$$ES » heard and seen by people from the world. We are starting small now but we’re hardworking.

More about Prince Hadj:

Prince Hadj (Mehdi Hadj-azzam) (born 24 April 1993) is a French dancer, choreographer, singer, songwriter, producer, artistic director, artist manager. He danced for several French artists, shows and events such as Disney Channel, Soprano, IAM, Apl.de.Ap from Black Eyed Peas, Makassy, W9 gold of music. He used to live in Los Angeles in 2019 where he choreographed for the event Club Jeté , he also trained with famous choreographers who danced for artists such as Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, J Balvin, Justin Bieber, and Selena Gomez. He released his first single in 2016 called « J’adore ça » and a single in 2020 called « Ma Chérie » available on all streaming platforms.