In a career spanning almost 20 years, Ricki-Lee Coulter has gone from the shock of an early elimination in Season 2 of Australian Idol to a prominent presence on the pop culture landscape thanks to her 15 top 50 hit singles, four studio albums, hosting gigs on two of the country's top reality shows (including the 2023 revamp of Idol) and role as a radio host. In the first part of a two-part chat, Ricki discusses her decision not to originally sign with Sony Music but go with independent record company Shock Records instead and the string of hits she had on that label, many of which she co-wrote. Why did she cry on the set of her very first music video for debut single "Hell No!"? How did her highest-charting single, "Can't Touch It", wind up on a Hollywood film soundtrack? Which of her music videos was Video Hits unhappy about? Why did she release a singles collection after only two studio albums? Ricki-Lee has the answers. We also hear about her detour into girl group territory with Young Divas and some surprising never-before-shared memories of that roller-coaster ride. In Part 2 (coming soon), we'll cover Ricki's departure from Shock following her decision to shelve her third album, her move to EMI for the landmark Fear & Freedom album, the messy rollout of fourth album Dance In The Rain and the road to new music, including current single "On My Own".

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
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