Derbyshire’s Emmy Statham always dreamed of a showbiz career. Now, as she tells Fiona Stubbs, her moment has arrived with girl band XO
They’re hailed as one of Britain’s most exciting new pop acts – poised to become the country’s next major girl band.
And, taking her place in the line-up of self-proclaimed “force-of-nature five-piece” XO is Derbyshire singer Emmy Statham.
Alongside bandmates Reanna, Shali, Summer and Zoe, Emmy is celebrating the release of their debut EP, Fashionably Late, via Polydor Label Group.
The six-track project promises a burst of chaotic, Gen Z energy, pairing razor-sharp pop instincts with a refreshingly imperfect ethos.
It follows a whirlwind autumn that included the group’s sold-out debut UK headline tour. Now, XO have announced a bigger run, in May 2026, including dates in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and London.
For Emmy, who grew up in Ripley and went to school in Swanwick, her place in XO is a dream come true. “I’ve always wanted to be a performer,” she says. “Growing up, music was my first love and led me to 15 years of training in dance and performing arts.
“I recently found my bucket list – written when I was 11 or 12 years old – and the last two points were ‘be in a girl band’ and ‘perform to over 50,000 people’. Hopefully I’ll live my full childhood dream and tick off that last point!”
The band is aware of both the opportunities and challenges facing young people and, in 2025, embarked on a tour of schools across the UK, performing to pupils in years 7 to 10 and hosting discussions around mental health, body image and aspirations.
“Our main goal with our music is to encourage our listeners to be unapologetically themselves and we like to think that we carry this within ourselves and our brand,” adds Emmy. “We are in an era of ‘perfection’ – with AI and filters – which particularly affects young adults. We want to bring back the art of being messy and making mistakes and having fun and not taking anything too seriously.
“We always knew that we would attract a young audience, especially since doing our schools tours, but we definitely create – and want to keep creating – music for all ears. It was nice, during our headline tour, to see that our audiences had a wide age range. Some of the mums who brought their kids said the performance gave them a sense of nostalgia from the Spice Girls and the ’90s era.
“The feeling that Britpop brought to the ’90s is something we try to carry with us every day and, if our listeners feel any sense of escapism in that from us, then we couldn’t be happier.”
XO formed after all five members attended the same audition and Emmy says they’ve been inseparable ever since. They discovered a series of coincidences: Emmy and Summer had already danced together on BBC’s The Greatest Dancer; Shali and Reanna lived ten minutes apart.
“It felt a little like fate,” smiles Emmy. “From day one, we realised that we brought out each other’s humour and energy. What’s nice is that, despite having distinct individuality in our voices and personalities, we all piece together so perfectly.”
They describe themselves as ‘chaotic’ and the new EP captures that spirit, charting the arc of a night out, from the frantic fun of getting ready (Rush Hour and Give a Girl Her Shoe!) to letting your hair down (viral fan favourite Ponytail) to romantic feelings in debut single Lovesick.
The track Real Friends is a rallying cry for sisterhood, co-written with Charli XCX, while the closer, Silly Boy, was sparked by an incident of catcalling witnessed by Zoe and Shali.
“Performing is always the highlight for us and we are so eager to get back on stage,” says Emmy. “Our plans for 2026 and onwards are big and exciting. We love travelling and can’t wait to start travelling internationally.
“I hope we can experience everything this career has to offer. We want to make good music that has impact and is important to people – and just to have the most fun along the way.”