Rochelle Humes, the 37-year-old presenter and mother of three, shares that she earned more money during her time with S Club Juniors than with The Saturdays. She rose to fame at age 12 in the early 2000s alongside Frankie Bridge, Aaron Renfree, Jay Asforis, Stacey Franks, Calvin Goldspink, Daisy Shelvey, and Hannah Richings. The group, aged 11 to 14, achieved success with hits like ‘Automatic High’ from 2001 to 2003.
Transition to The Saturdays
Rochelle and Frankie later joined The Saturdays in 2007 with Mollie King, Una Healy, and Vanessa White. The band topped charts with tracks such as ‘All Fired Up’ and ‘Higher,’ yet members received salaries rather than substantial earnings from music sales.
Financial Insights from the Music Industry
In a candid discussion on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast, Rochelle explains: ‘I made more money in S Club Juniors than I did in The Saturdays. The music industry… the money just went out of it. It wasn’t the same space to be in anymore.’
She highlights the pressure to maintain an ‘expected lifestyle’ despite limited funds, which primarily came from brand deals and tours, not singles. ‘When someone says your record deal is X amount of money, that doesn’t mean that’s what we’re making. That means they’ll put this money into the album, pay these producers, the marketing budget.’
Rochelle notes a shift where artists profited from touring and endorsements like shampoo campaigns. However, record labels introduced 360 deals, taking cuts from brands and live shows. After taxes, agents, and splitting among five members, sustaining the lifestyle proved challenging.
Paparazzi Encounters
Reflecting on The Saturdays’ 2014 split, Rochelle describes invasive paparazzi experiences: photographers lying on the ground to take up-skirt photos. Her husband, Marvin Humes, from a boy band, was shocked by the difference. ‘We’d leave somewhere, and he would stand behind me when I got in the car… It was a really strange period of time that we weirdly were just a bit accepting. We weren’t earning enough money.’
Family Reflections and Absent Father
Rochelle expresses no respect for her estranged father, Mark Piper, who left when she was a baby. She recalls waiting for him at the window, feeling angry for years. After giving birth to daughter Alaia-Mai in 2013 with Marvin, she lost all curiosity: ‘The day I had Alaia I instantly had zero curiosity to get to know my dad and I would never respect him as a person.’
Mark later had three children—Love Island star Sophie Piper, Lili, and Jake—with whom Rochelle reconnected after 23 years. Despite his absence, uncle Paul Ince, former England captain and Manchester United player, provided male role model support. Though not blood-related, he attended her events, took her to West Ham games, and walked her down the aisle in 2012. ‘My uncle was there for me… he gave me away at my wedding and Marv had to ask Paul to marry me.’
