--- RHIAN ---
Rhian had to pinch herself. She couldn't believe her and the girls were sat opposite Glenn Davies, the Head of Riva Records, being offered the record deal of a lifetime - control over their songs, management of their own image, the chance to work with the hottest producers in town and a minimum five album deal.
It had only been a week since the Soundscaper Rising Stars Festival but they'd already met with two other top-notch record companies who'd both promised the girls the world - at a price. The girls hadn't been impressed with their plans for the band - Marketing revolving around Amy's relationship with Jake Miskew, sexy 'Lolita schoolgirl' videos echoing Rhian's appearance with Psylence and collaborations for Melody 5 to sing sultry harmonies behind an assortment of male rappers.
Rhian was no expert, but even she knew those record companies had seriously missed the point about what had made the girls the most talked about band on the planet since Soundscaper. Whereas Glenn Davies was right on the money.
It had all kicked off at the Festival. As soon as the band had stepped out on stage, the catcalls had started.
"Get your kit off girls!"
"Show us your boobs!"
"Rhian, come and suck on this!"
Most of it came from a few drunken yobs at the back, but that was nothing compared to the ominous presence of Psylence and his crew leering at them near the front of crowd. A wave of nausea engulfed Rhian every time she caught sight of Psylence's malevolent grin. She didn't think she'd get through the opening number, let alone a 30 minute set.
Thankfully Jadine sensed this and quickly changed the running order. As soon the opening bars of Break The Silence kicked in, Rhian felt even more nervous. What if it didn't go down well? What if the whole crowd turned on them? What if they got booed off stage? But it was too late to worry about that now.
Straight away it was obvious the track was an in-your-face response to Psylence's 2 On It and Jadine took great pleasure in directing her first couple of lines right at him.
You said she wanted it
That's a plain lie
You told her to suck it
Made a girl cry
Psylence, you ready to suck it up now?
Melody 5's here, we'll show you how!
The lop-sided grin slowly disappeared from Psylence's face, as people nearby turned and looked at him. Then the rest of the girls kicked in with their vocals...
Amy: Bumping & grinding is fun don't you know.
As long as I chose it, don't call me a 'ho.
Molly: But forcing a girl that ain't cool anymore
You can't make demands just cos you wanna score.
Kat: We all have a spirit, a soul you can't crush
It's there, believe it, don't tell us to hush
Jadine: You got the porn-horn, that ain't what real girls do
Stop jacking around with our minds, and screw you.
The audience gasped in shock then laughed. They were enraptured and wanted more. Rhian took a deep breath and launched into her solo...
Rhian: I did it because
Psylence told me I should
I'm young, I regret it.
You judge me?
You would!
Psylence squirmed as the girls came together for the chorus...
It's time to break
Time to break
Time to break the silence.
It's time to break
Time to break
Break the violence!
A TV camera picked out Psylence and projected his face on to the screens at the side of the stage. The crowd started to jeer and laugh at him, especially when the girls got even more personal...
Amy: To pimp on young girls, Psylence uses blackmail
That don't him no stud, it makes him a slack-male.
Molly: His raps may be slick and be quick and be flick
That don't make him a playa, just makes him a...
Jadine: Dic-tionary needed - we're missing a letter
A spelling improvement highlights this all better
Kat: His rap culture just needs an 'E', don't you see?
Turns into rape culture; stress on misogyny.
Rhian: I know people think
'Why she'd do it?' 'Why stay?'
I don't know myself,
'Cept the world's made that way.
As the girls launched into the chorus again, the people near Psylence were pointing and laughing at him, and the whole crowd booed every time his face appeared on screen. He couldn't take it any longer and stormed to the exit.
"Awww. Did we break the Psylence?" yelled Jadine into her microphone.
The crowd laughed even harder.
"But you'll miss the end," added Amy with a mock pout.
Rhian felt euphoric as Psylence stormed off, knowing that she and the girls had humiliated him, just as he'd humiliated her.
Kat: Silence should be golden
Not make girls beholden.
Molly: But it ain't just one guy
Trying to be fly.
Amy: Premature advances
From immature chancers
Rhian: Overture, rapture
We ain't your capture.
Jadine: Don't try to inspect us
Stand back and respect us!
The crowd went wild. The footage of Break the Silence went viral within minutes. And for days the media was full of discussions and debates about the portrayal of women in pop music, how much they were to blame, how much they were victims of a male dominated industry.
Then to add even more fuel to the fire Kyle Jackson sold the saucy photos Rhian had taken on her phone and sent him. They spread like wildfire online. Once again, Rhian was mortified, but once again the girls turned the situation around to highlight how girls can be abused by guys they trust. They responded on their Melody 5 Twitter and Facebook pages saying that girls shouldn't be pressured into sending sexts and sexy pix; but if they want to send them, then guys should damn well keep them private
Overnight the girls became spokeswomen for girls who'd been bullied by boys. #break-the-silence trended worldwide and Rhian received hundreds of tweets and messages from girls saying they'd been coerced into doing uncomfortable things by boys and thanking her and Melody 5 for highlighting the issue.
Rhian felt like a fraud - surely there were better qualified people than her to talk about this stuff. But girls seemed to like that she was an ordinary girl like them, who'd been a victim of overbearing guys. A lot of it went over Rhian's head - but what she did know was that Melody 5 had become one of the most talked about bands on the planet with a growing army of enraptured fans.
And here was the proof - Glenn Davies offering to sign them with a deal that seemed too good to be true. Finally, Rhian's dream of pop stardom would come true. She'd no longer have to be pushed around by anyone - Psylence, Kyle, her mother, nobody.
"Now if Lena could step out of the room for the next part of the negotiation," said Glenn Davies, looking slightly uncomfortable for the first time during their meeting.
The girls looked at each other.
"Why?" asked Jadine.
"There's something I'd like to put to you privately," said Glenn.
"There's nothing you can say to us that we wouldn't want Lena to hear," said Molly.
Glenn raised his eyebrows. "Very well." He clicked on the intercom to his assistant. "Could you ask Sherri to join us please."
The girls shared another glance.
Sherri?
And sure enough in walked the woman who had conjured up the beginnings of Melody 5 in the first place - Sherri Holt.
"Hello girls," smiled Sherri. "Lovely to see you all again."
The girls mumbled hello, but were confused about why she was even there.
As Sherri took a seat next to Glenn, he continued. "Lena's done a great job bringing you this far, but now you're about to hit the big leagues, you need someone who can handle it."
"Lena can handle it," said Kat.
Rhian was taken aback. Kat hardly ever spoke up in meetings - especially not with that much force.
"Maybe," smiled Glenn. "But we don't want to take the risk. Either you take Sherri back as your manager, or the deal I've just offered you is off the table."
"So, what do you say girls?" said Sherri. "Can I come back?"