Divas on a downerSydney Confidential
February 12, 2007 12:00
IDOL spin-off The Young Divas have pulled out of a tour with Westlife amid rumours they are on the verge of imploding.
The girl group had been booked as a warm-up act for the boy band's Oz tour but cited scheduling conflicts for withdrawing before the show hits Sydney this month.
Though industry rumours are rife that Ricki-Lee Coulter is set to walk out on the Divas and pursue a solo career amid clashing egos and infighting, manager David Champion denied there was a rift.
While he conceded her solo commitments was one of the reasons the Westlife gig was cancelled, he also claimed the girls' growing popularity meant they were now too ``successful'' to be a support act.
"Rikki-Lee will be out of the country - that's a factor,'' he told Confidential.
"(But) given The Young Divas have been so successful, instead of supporting Westlife they're big enough to headline their own tour, which they'll be doing later this year.''
He said Coulter had already filmed the video clip for the Diva's next single and wouldn't be leaving the group any time soon, but couldn't confirm how long she'd be hanging around for.
"In pop, the long term is the next six months - it depends on how things go,'' he said.
"She's definitely doing the second album and the tour.''
Meanwhile, fellow Idol product Anthony Callea has no concerns that he is too successful to support Westlife.
Despite holding the record for the highest-selling single Down Under with The Prayer, the pint-size popper was more than happy to jump on the tour bus to replace the girls.
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