MUSIC: Cheetah Girl says touring keeps trio young

By Jennifer Christman

The Cheetah Girls: Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams

ADVERSTISMENT

LITTLE ROCK — Perhaps it's a sign of hard times. Or perhaps a sign of changing tastes. But as of press time, there were tickets available for Saturday afternoon's Cheetah Girls concert.

This wasn't the case back in 2006 - before Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers were the titans of teendom - when tickets quickly sold out for the Alltel Arena show of the pop group based on a Disney Channel movie of the same name (and before that a young adult book series) that premiered in 2003.

Other movies - 2006's The Cheetah Girls 2 and this year's The Cheetah Girls: One World - plus their soundtracks and additional albums - Cheetahlicious Christmas, The Cheetah Girls in Concert: The Party's Just Begun Tour and TCG - have followed. As have the concert tours, clothing lines, video games, etc.

The group is now the trio of Kiely Williams (character: Aquanetta Walker or Aqua), Adrienne Bailon (character: Chanel Simmons or Chuchie) and Sabrina Bryan (character: Dorinda Thomas or Do Re Mi).

Raven-Symone was the fourth and, at one point, thebest known Cheetah, but is no longer involved in the project.

Raven-Symone is never mentioned by Williams. When she discusses how the act got together, she talks about knowing Bailon - a former cohort in the girl hip-hop group 3LW - forever and the two of them meeting Bryan when she auditioned: "It was total chemistry. Like they say, love at first sight. We all got along really well."

And they still do says Williams, who insists the members are very close friends who don't argue.

"Usually we're fighting with someone else ... sound people ..." Williams says. "We're so protective of each other. 'Don't you talk to her like that!'"

All three members have their side projects. Williams starred as one of the sorority sisters in the summer comedy House Bunny. Bryan starred on Dancing With the Stars and recently released a co-written novel called The Princess of Gossip. Bailon is keeping up with the Kardashians in her own way, dating Rob.

For now, Williams says, they are focused on the tour, which is scheduled to run until just before Christmas.

"It actually gets more exciting," William says about hitting the road. "With everything wedo, we try to make it bigger and better. We put so much more hard work into it."

She says she's proud to be part of a family-friendly act that her 9-year-old sister can come out and see, and one that young girls find so appealing.

"I think it has a lot to do with us being a multicultural group," she says. "There is something for everyone. Pretty much every girl in America can look at us and see someone like them. You don't have to be just like your friends and you can still get along. Kids identify with that message."

The Cheetah Girls themselves aren't kids. They're technically not even girls; they're women in their 20s. Still, Williams says, they'll continue with movies and tours if the fans demand it.

"'Girl' is a state of mind," she says. "The Cheetah Girls we do completely out of love, and we're enjoying it so much at this point in our lives."Cheetah Girls 4 p.m. Saturday (doors open 3 p.m.), Alltel Arena, North Little Rock. Parent room available for guardians without tickets; see guidelines at www.alltelar ena.com.

Tickets: $35, $45 (501) 975-7575 , www.ticketmaster.com

Weekend, Pages 65 on 10/17/2008