Scouting For Girls feared they would never break into the music industry when they first started out.
The ‘She’s So Lovely’ group – comprised of Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Pete Ellard – celebrated their 10th anniversary together as a group this year, and the trio are overwhelmed with their successful career over the past decade as they had "completely given up" on the band being a success, until releasing their debut single ‘It’s Not About You’ in 2007.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz about the past 10 years, Roy said: "Its flown, it’s hit us hard. If you take a picture then and now.
"It’s gone by so quickly. We were in our mid twenties when we got our record deal, but these days you have to be in your teens, so if you’re 20 you are already over the hill. We were 30 when our second record came out and by that point I think we had completely given up on any chances we were ever going to make it as a band. We were doing it just for fun, so even when it happened, we literally don’t ever take anything for granted. We go into a studio, and I think ‘ I can’t believe I’m here’, or we play at V festival and I think ‘I’m backstage at V Festival’.
"We were 10 years before we even got our record deal playing."
And though the ‘Heartbeat’ hitmakers – who first formed in 2005 – are honoured they are still making music, they think 10 years of gigging is "not the healthiest".
He added: "10 years of gigging is probably not the healthiest."
Despite their long career the bands "proudest achievement" is not touring the globe or releasing hit songs, but getting to where they are without any help.
Roy said: "The best thing, and probably my most proudest achievement is not any of the big gigs or going to number one, but the fact that we did it all the way through with no one helping. When you are 17 or 18 in a band it’s cool, but when you’re 25 and people have got mortgages and having kids and still living at home, and even your friends don’t want to come to the gig and you’re like ‘Please come to the gig’. And then as we signed the record deal, then for me I knew that year we actually put out a proper record, and everything else has been great."