Rochelle Humes reveals she made more money in S Club Juniors than The Saturdays after ‘the money just went out of the music industry’

by

Rochelle Humes shared that being in The Saturdays felt pressured to maintain a certain image, and surprisingly, she actually earned more money during her time with S Club Juniors.

Oh my gosh, I still remember when she first burst onto the scene! She was only twelve when she joined S Club Juniors – can you believe it?! That was way back in the early 2000s, with Frankie Bridge, Aaron, Jay, Stacey, Calvin, Daisy, and Hannah. I’ve been following her ever since, and it’s amazing to see how far she’s come! Seriously, she was so cute back then, and now look at her!

Between 2001 and 2003, this group of young musicians, aged 11 to 14, achieved success with songs like ‘Automatic High’.

In 2007, Rochelle and Frankie successfully auditioned to join The Saturdays, completing the group alongside Mollie King, Una Healy, and Vanessa White.

Although the group of five achieved chart success with songs like ‘All Fired Up’ and ‘Higher’, they didn’t earn substantial income and were simply paid a regular salary.

Rochelle Humes revealed on Jamie Laing’s podcast, Great Company, that she earned more money during her time with S Club Juniors than she did with The Saturdays.

‘The music industry… the money just went out of it. It wasn’t the same space to be in anymore.’

Okay, so she just revealed this, and I’m completely floored! Apparently, everyone thinks the group’s music made them rich, but she said that’s not really true! She explained they were supposed to live this perfect, glamorous life, but most of their income actually came from sponsorships and going on tour – way more than from the songs themselves! I always knew there was more to the story, and now it’s out! It’s amazing, honestly.

Let me tell you something about record deals – that big number you hear? It’s not what we artists actually take home. Think of it as the total budget for the whole project. That money covers everything – paying the producers, recording the album, and, crucially, getting the word out through marketing. It’s an investment in the music, not a paycheck for us right away.

She explained that for a while, musicians were earning most of their income from touring and sponsorships, rather than from record sales. Records themselves weren’t a significant source of profit for them.

Our plan was to become the public face of a shampoo brand, each with our own unique fragrance – that’s how we’d earn most of our income. These brand partnerships, along with going on tour, were crucial to our success.

Record labels later shifted how they did business, moving towards what they called “360 deals.” This meant they didn’t just take a percentage of record sales, but also a share of earnings from sponsorships and concert performances.

Let’s talk money, because it’s a huge part of this lifestyle. Honestly, when you start earning, the first thing to realize is you don’t actually get all of it. Taxes and agent fees immediately take a big chunk – think of it as automatically cutting your earnings in half. And then, if you’re part of a group – say, a band or a team – that money gets divided again. It creates a situation where the lifestyle people expect you to have – the travel, the appearances, everything – can quickly outpace what you realistically have coming in. It’s a constant balancing act, and something I always advise people to be very aware of.

Rochelle talked about her time in the pop group before it broke up in 2014, and shared how the paparazzi would aggressively try to take inappropriate photos of them, even falling over in their attempts.

She shared that when she and Marvin Humes first started dating, he was surprised. She pointed out that he had been in a boy band, while she was in a girl group, and their experiences in the music industry had been quite different.

Whenever we went out, he’d wait behind my car as I got in. Paparazzi would often lie on the ground trying to take inappropriate photos, and it was a terrible experience.

We went through a really odd phase where we surprisingly just went along with things, even though we weren’t making enough money. We didn’t reach a point where we said, “This isn’t working, we need to change things.”

During the conversation, Rochelle stated she will never forgive her father, Mark Piper, for leaving her and her mother when she was a baby, and as a result, she has no respect for him.

The speaker explained she has very few memories of her father, who left when she was a baby. She shared that she spent many years feeling both angry and hurt by his absence.

You know, becoming a mom really changes your perspective on everything. For me, it wasn’t until my daughter Alaia-Mai was born back in 2013 that I finally came to terms with my relationship with my own father. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I think having a child of my own shifted something inside me and I just…let go of needing to understand or even respect him anymore.

Although she didn’t have a father figure growing up, the This Morning presenter received support from her uncle, Paul Ince – a former England football captain who played for Manchester United and West Ham.

Rochelle said: ‘My dad left when I was one, I don’t really remember him. 

I used to wait by the window for him on weekends, but he never showed up. It bothered me for years, and I felt a lot of anger and sadness about it.

From the moment Alaia was born, I lost all desire to have a relationship with my father, and I could never bring myself to respect him. I simply don’t want to be around him.

Mark is the father of three children: Sophie Piper, who appeared on Love Island, and Lili and Jake, whom their mother, Rochelle, reconnected with after they hadn’t seen each other for 23 years.

She explained that growing up was difficult, and although he later had three more children, she felt he prioritized them over her. Despite their close bond now, she remembers feeling overlooked as a child.

Rochelle shared that Paul, a well-known footballer who’s been like an uncle to her, walked her down the aisle at her wedding to Marvin in 2012. Though not related by blood, she’s always admired him.

My uncle stepped in as a father figure when I needed one, but my mum always handled everything, taking on many different roles, she explained.

My uncle Paul, who famously played football for England – he’s Paul Ince – gave me away at my wedding. Apparently, my partner Marv even had to ask Uncle Paul for permission to marry me!

I used to love going to watch West Ham every weekend, and he was a real role model for me growing up.

I didn’t think of him as someone I admired until I started high school. His wife, Claire, and my mom are really close friends. He’s not technically my uncle by blood, but since my mom was the first in our families to have a child, he’s always been a constant presence in my life – and always will be.

I always felt like I had a strong male presence in my life because he consistently made time for me, practically every weekend.

Read More

2026-04-16 11:19