Every generation needs its girl group. Say Now talk pop, friendship and their debut EP in an exclusive Vanity Teen interview.
Meet Say Now: Amelia, Ysabelle and Maddie, the British trio bringing big pop energy, proper girl-group chemistry and plenty of personality to a new generation. With their debut EP Say What You See, executive-produced by PinkPantheress, arriving November 13, they’re ready to make their mark.
From choosing Beyoncé as their dream girl-group addition to sharing their pre-show essentials (a humidifier and herbal tea, obviously), the trio gave us plenty to talk about.
A good girl group is necessary in every era. From the Sugababes and Girls Aloud to Destiny’s Child and Little Mix, there has always been room for a group of girls coming together with their own personalities, harmonies and attitude. Now, it might just be Say Now’s turn.
Meet Amelia, Ysabelle and Maddie, the British trio making a case for the return of the girl group. Their sound brings together pop hooks, R&B influences and a clear affection for the groups that came before them, but they are not simply looking backwards. With strong visuals, plenty of personality and a growing catalogue of catchy tracks, Say Now are already making their presence felt.
Their debut EP, Say What You See, arrives on November 13, executive-produced by PinkPantheress. The six-track project has already given us a few reasons to pay attention: Met My Match passed 6.7 million streams and one million YouTube views in less than four weeks, while Hot and Talking turns the familiar experience of being friendly on a night out into a cheeky pop moment. Their latest single, Girl of the Moment, adds a more emotional side to the picture.
Ahead of the release, we caught up with the trio for an exclusive interview with Vanity Teen. We spoke about the girl groups they grew up listening to, working with PinkPantheress, romantic personalities within the group and what it really means to be a proper British imperfect princess.
Three girls, one group chat
Say Now’s story started with Ysabelle and Amelia, who first connected online and began making music together as a duo. Maddie came into the picture after Amelia slid into her DMs with a rather unexpected question: “Hey, can you sing?” Maddie was understandably confused at first, but after exchanging a video and a few messages, they met just three days later. What followed was weeks of spending every day together, getting to know each other and, as Amelia puts it, becoming “literally like best friends”. Before settling on Say Now, the trio even went by needanamebro, and released their debut single, Better Love, in April 2023.
Musically, they’re bringing together the best of a few worlds. The Sugababes, Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child are among their girl-group inspirations, while their wider listening stretches from 2000s R&B and Y2K pop to Blood Orange, Hannah Diamond, A.G. Cook, SOPHIE, Jane Remover and Japanese group Perfume.
For their debut EP, Say What You See, they’ve also teamed up with PinkPantheress, who co-wrote tracks and executive-produced the project. And judging by Maddie’s story about how she turned one of their least favourite songs into a new favourite, having her in the studio has already paid off.
Say Now, say it all – INTERVIEW
If you could travel back 30 years and recruit one iconic girl-group member – or solo artist – to join Say Now, who would you pick and why?
YSABELLE – I would pick Beyoncé because she has the eye for everything. Her performance , vocals, songwriting, dancing are allllllll a 10/10. Would be the perfect addition
Your music takes inspiration from girl groups like Sugababes, Girls Aloud and Destiny’s Child. What do you think makes a girl group iconic, and what do you hope people will associate with Say Now in ten years?
AMELIA – i honestly think a girl group that has true friendship is everything! It’s so amazing seeing iconic groups that we know and love still being best friends and supporting each other in their personal lives too
PinkPantheress co-wrote and executive-produced your debut EP. What was the most unexpected thing about working with her?
MADDIE – I think what was most unexpected for us is how much she can turn a song we don’t like into something that swiftly becomes one of our favourite songs. When we first wrote hot and talking we really disliked it , however she believed in the song and when we played it to her she was like wow this is an instant hit. She then helped us rewrite sections of it and reproduce it to turn it into what is now a completely different song to what it was. We’ve learnt to see the potential of songs completely differently thanks to pink pantheress – she has such an ear
You chose the name Say Now because of the idea of speaking your truth and living in the present. What’s the message you want people to take away from your debut EP, Say What You See?
MADDIE – yes! Say Now have always been about literally saying how you feel and very much being authentic, and this EP will be the first time we really have a body of work to show people and it’s crazy because it feels so US! We really wanted to show all the different sides to our personalities, both individually and as a group. Hopefully, people listen and feel like they can embrace who they are, be a little cheeky, and feel like proper British imperfect princesses hehe , oh and absolutely love the music of course.
In Met My Match, you sing about being single and then finding someone who changes your mind. Which one of you is the biggest romantic, and which one is the most cynical when it comes to love?
YSABELLE – I’d say Amelia is the most romantic but honestly I don’t think any of us are cynical when it comes to love, Amelia probably has the most cautious and then Maddie is the encourager hahaha , I am somewhere in between. Being the only single person in the group it’s funny to see that dynamic
Hot and Talking is about how friendliness can easily be mistaken for flirting. Has this happened to you often enough to inspire a whole song?
AMELIA – I honestly think every woman can relate to being on a night out and getting unwanted attention. I’ve had so many times where i’ve been out with my girls, not looking for any love interests and have spoken to someone who was convinced i was “giving them hints”… like no hun i think you’re hearing what you wanna hear
Maddie– i can think of times in the last week ive seen this happen to us hahaha
You have three UK dates coming up in December. Who is most likely to get stressed out before a show? And what’s your dream number of concerts for 2027?
YSABELLE – I’d say I would probably be the most stressed out before a show hahahaha I need a calm environment with a humidifier and herbal tea <3
Dream number of concerts would be 20 shows? However long being on tour for a month or 2 would be unreal. Getting to explore different cities and cultures whilst being with my best friends is a DREAMMMMM
Finally, what’s something about Say Now that people haven’t figured out yet?
AMELIA – i think a lot of people still havent figured out that we’re british! i hope that becomes clearer to them in this new era with all of the british cultural references
Maddie – also random lol but they think we’re all really tall hahaha
What’s next for Say Now?
With Say What You See arriving on November 13, Say Now are stepping into a pretty exciting moment. The EP, executive-produced by PinkPantheress, brings together their different influences while giving the trio room to figure out exactly what kind of group they want to be. And they’re already getting noticed beyond the studio.
Fresh off a trip to New York, where they sold out their first live showcase for the EP, the girls are heading into their December UK dates with some momentum behind them. Their NYC performance even caught the attention of The Fader, which described it as “fabulous”, praising their “agile vocals and freshly futuristic sound”. They’ve also been spending time with Sienna Spiro and Jane Remover, so it’s fair to wonder what else might be around the corner. If you’re curious about another group finding its place in the new pop landscape, take a look at our feature on VCHA.
For now, there’s a debut EP to look forward to, three girls who clearly have a lot of fun making music together, and a new name to keep on your radar. If Say What You See is any indication, we’re going to be hearing a lot more from Say Now.