‘Double-denim saved us from sexist comments’ – Edele Lynch on B*Witched lasting 25 years

But as Irish pop group B*Witched mark 25 years since the release of their debut album and hit single C’est la Vie, they show no signs of slowing down.

They are still going strong on the touring circuit, performing at Kaleidoscope festival this June 30 and have just released their first new single in eight years, Birthday.

Some 20 years after being first dropped by their record label, they are now back with Sony again in a full-circle moment.

Yet band member Edele Lynch (43) knows that at first glance they may not have looked like a band that would still be performing 25 years later.

“We weren’t the most beautiful girls in the world, we weren’t Mariah Carey vocally so it just probably didn’t make a huge amount of sense for anyone watching. But we could just feel the authenticity of it and the relationship with each other. Something was just happening and we could feel it,” she said.

She set up the band with Sinead O’Carroll (49) and said when they first met, the “match did not make sense at all from the inside in”.

“But it’s that sixth sense when you meet someone. And we both just knew in each other’s company that there was something about the other person, that was just so hungry for it that we were going to make something happen.”

Joined by Edele’s twin sister Keavy and Lindsey Armaou (42), 1998 was a dizzying year for them with three hit singles. They also became the youngest girl band to ever score a UK number one with C’est la Vie.

They sold over three million albums worldwide, touring with stars like Britney Spears before parting ways and then reuniting again in 2012.

As to why the band has managed to last the pace, Edele puts it down to the band forming organically.

“A lot of the bands were auditioned and put together. So against their own will, they were embalmed with other people,” she told the Irish Independent.

“But for ourselves, we were friends first and I just think our friendship has stood the test of time, even though there were moments when we took a break in those friendships.

“So I think that makes a difference because we want to be in each other’s company. We put ourselves together because singing and dancing and performing was something we all wanted to do. So the passion is still behind it too.”

Their passion for ‘double denim’ may have received plenty of attention over the years.

But Edele credits it with saving them from a lot of sexist comments that were doled out to other girl bands at the time.

“We were really lucky with that as we chose the tomboy image so nobody really needed to worry about what we were wearing or what they looked like.

"We chose the double denim and the trainers so we never had any comments on our looks or what we should have looked like.

"Sinead probably wasn’t very happy about being in runners. She never even owned a pair of runners before we met which is hilarious,” she said.

With the release of their new single Birthday this month, they are keen to delve knee-deep back into the industry again as they embrace the changes in the music world.

“From a social media element, we’re learning our craft all over again. A lot of acts of our era, they come back and go ‘I’ve a single and an album and I'm gone again for another five years'. We’re looking to learn the industry as it is now and learn on our feet,” said Edele.

“So this year is going to be a busy year, pushing out new music and just figuring out the industry again.”