Simon: I'm originally from Manchester though.

Antony: I'm from Edgware in North London.

Duncan: I live in London but I'm actually from Bournemouth.

How did you all meet?
Duncan: I met Antony a couple of years ago in a pub and we recognised each other from the audition circuit. We decided to form a band, so I phoned up Lee who I'd seen at another audition and who I thought had an amazing voice. Lee was housemates with Simon, so he was brought in as the final member.

Where did you get the name Blue from?
Lee: Simon came up with the name.

Duncan: It's just a colour isn't it? It doesn't mean anything really, but I suppose Blue also has a bit of a naughty side to it. (Laughter)

Lee: I'm only seventeen so I wouldn't know anything about that. (more laughter)

What were you all doing before you joined the band?
Antony: I've been singing and acting for the past 6 or 7 years and since I left school.
I've done a few bits on stage and I used to be in another band. I like telling jokes too, as I'm a bit of comedian.

Simon: I was just song writing and basically a bit of a dosser in Manchester. My mum was saying 'What are you going to do with your life?' so I decided to move to London with Lee. It's like The Matrix here, there are too many people on the tubes.

Lee: I went to about three different stage schools - Italia Conti, Sylvia Young and BLA. What happened was...at normal school they didn't know that I was dyslexic so I was going to the classes but then I was getting bored and distracted. They didn't expel me but my mum took me out of the school. Then my mum said I may as well send you to drama school and that's when I went to Italia Conti and I left there because of my dyslexia. I enjoyed stage school because it's helped me with what I'm doing now. The jobs that I've done include Ash Felting, which is kind of like Roofing.
When I left school I would do anything for money so I've done most jobs you can think of.

Duncan: I worked as a Redcoat in Haven Holidays. It was pretty weird and I was a bingo caller.

Simon: I worked at a fruit and veg shop and I did a bit of bingo calling as well.

How did you get the record deal?
Duncan: We formed this group together, and with the help of our manager, we were lucky enough to get a good contact with Hugh Goldsmith the managing director of Innocent Records and here we are today. We've been signed since September.

Lee: It's gone quicker than I thought it would, I just remember it was last summer when we got signed.

Is it how you expected it would be?
Antony: Yeah, cause I think we've wanted it all our lives and we knew the hard work we had to put into it like the rehearsing, the training and we were all prepared for that. If we had all got the record deal straight after leaving school with no experience of the music business then we wouldn't appreciate it as much. It's because we have all worked in different areas of music that we appreciate it so much more now.

Have you always wanted to be in a band?
Lee: I wanted to do some acting and I've always had a passion for singing. When we all sing together we all get this feeling of electricity and this buzz goes through your body. You can't beat it really, it's wicked.

How would you describe your musical style?
All: R&B with a pop feel. There's also a bit of Motown thrown in there....and classical (laughter).

Antony: We definitely have an R&B sound.

Are there any bands you aspire to be like and would model yourselves on?
Duncan: We want to be quite unique in our sounds and we have our own individual style.

Simon: As a group, we don't all sound the same but when we sing together, it's something else...it blends. We all have our own style and sound, for example I don't try to sound like Duncan and he doesn't try to sound like me.

What are your musical influences?
Lee: My influences are stuff like Babyface, and a lot of Motown, like Stevie Wonder. I like all the old school stuff.

Duncan: I like all types of music, I respect people who are all-round entertainers on stage like Robbie Williams and George Michael. I'm also a fan of older stuff like Marvin Gaye.

Simon: I am into a lot of Hip Hop - especially Method Man.

Antony: The influence on my whole career is George Michael. There's this huge aura around him when he comes on stage and you're like wow! It's the sort of thing Freddie Mercury had too and he was a showman as well.

How do you plan to make a name for yourselves in the next few months? Will you be releasing a single soon?
Simon: We're finishing recording at the moment. The first single we're releasing is called 'All Rise' and it's out on 21 May. The album will come out later in the year.

You're a new four piece band, what qualities do you have that will separate you from all the other bands out there?
Simon: I don't think that people should look to separate us but just take us for what we are.

Duncan: We just want people to hear our music and judge for themselves.

Lee: We do take it seriously, but we still want to have a bit of fun and be approachable, and we're not going to try and act like superstars because we're not.

How do think you will cope with success?
Duncan: Very well. We're just looking forward to it.

Lee: It'll be a laugh to go on 'Chums' on SMTV with Ant and Dec!

Duncan: I can't wait to do the music videos, as I like the whole performance thing.

Do any of you suffer from stage fright?
Lee: I was at the Palladium for a Jewish charity thing. Jeremy Beadle introduced me and I did a song from Hercules the movie. I came out and the whole Palladium was packed, then I started singing on the microphone and it wasn't working. But I kept going! It was horrible though. I was trying to sing so that they could hear me but the microphone didn't come back on until I was nearly finished.

Simon: When you get nervous it depends whether you want to hone in on that eye contact but it's about winning the audience over.

What do you make of the Internet - do you use it much yourselves?
Simon: I use Yahoo a bit.

Duncan: I am not set up at home but I go round to a mate's house and use it. I like going into chat rooms and I like to chat to people in America or Australia.

Antony: I like the Spurs web site because I'm a Tottenham supporter and I like to take a look at the transfer deals. It's got to be done.

What songs are currently playing on your Walkman?
Simon: Craig David's 'Walking Away'

Antony: Destiny's Child - 'Independent Woman'

Duncan: Spice Girls album - Forever. They've started to get more of an R&B influence.

Lee: The Eminem album - Marshall Mathers. It's wicked.

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
All: Cancun