Pop
Interview: Dane Bowers will always be Katie Price's ex but he has reclaimed his music legacy with Another Level
Dane Bowers talks to Contact Music about being back in Another Level, why he had to revisit the '90s in Katie Price's new documentary and why he is as "hooked" as everyone else on her chaotic marriage to Lee Andrews.
Dane Bowers has lived a life where chart success, controversy, celebrity headlines and reinvention have collided in spectacular fashion. From late-90s boy band fame and one of the era’s most talked-about pop hits to tabloid romances, reality TV reunions and a new life in Dubai, his story is one of British pop’s most eventful journeys.
As a member of Another Level, Dane became one of the most recognisable voices of the late-1990s UK R&B scene. Alongside Wayne Williams, Bobak Kianoush and Mark Baron, the group made their mark in 1998 with their self-titled debut album, delivering a string of huge hits including Be Alone No More, Guess I Was a Fool and From the Heart. Their biggest moment arrived with Freak Me, a provocative cover of Silk’s 1993 R&B classic that stormed to number one in the UK and became one of the defining songs of the era.
The track also became one of the most controversial pop moments of its time, with its explicit lyrics pushing boundaries for mainstream radio and television, with Top of the Pop viewers stunned by what the boys were singing. Lines including “Let me lick you up and down till you say stop” and “Baby, don’t you understand I wanna be your nasty man? I wanna make your body scream, then you will know just what I mean” sparked debate, but also helped turn Freak Me into an unforgettable late-90s anthem.
Away from the stage, Dane’s personal life became a tabloid obsession. His relationship with Katie Price between 1998 and 2000 made them one of Britain’s most talked-about celebrity couples, with their romance played out under constant media attention. Their split became headline news, with Dane’s close friendship and collaboration with Victoria Beckham cited as a source of tension. The pair had teamed up with garage act True Steppers on the 2000 single Out of Your Mind, which saw Dane share the charts with one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.
The drama surrounding Dane and Katie reached another level when a sex tape of the couple was leaked, featuring an unusual act. It became one of the most infamous celebrity scandals of the early 2000s and further cementing their place at the centre of the tabloid spotlight.
After Another Level’s initial split, Dane launched a solo career, releasing his own material before returning to the world of boy bands through supergroup projects, including the line-up created through ITV’s The Big Reunion. The TV show gave former chart stars the chance to reconnect with fans and celebrate the nostalgia surrounding the music that defined the 1990s and 2000s.
Today, Dane has traded the UK celebrity whirlwind for a new chapter in Dubai, where he runs an entertainment events company and lives with his partner Nicole. However, his connection to his musical past remains strong, with Another Level continuing to perform live shows. As Dane explains, “It’s been good, that’s because we get to do what we want to do ... So we’re loving it at the minute. Obviously, ‘90s and Noughties music is massive at the minute so it’s all going well.”
Dane has also revisited his headline-making past in new documentary Katie Price: Nothing To Hide, reflecting on their relationship and the extraordinary media storm that surrounded them. He also shares his thoughts on Katie’s current headline-making marriage to Lee Andrews, admitting, “I’m hooked on it as well. My missus tells me new updates and it’s like madness. I just don’t know when it’s going to stop. But it is funny.”
From controversial chart-toppers and celebrity chaos to sold-out nostalgia shows and a fresh start overseas, Dane Bowers remains one of British pop’s most fascinating survivors.
Contact Music caught up with Dane - who was speaking on behalf of Zingo Bingo a new, online bingo brand with several music-themed bingo rooms - to find out whether Another Level could release new music, why he agreed to take part in Katie Price's new doc, why he reached out to his glamour model ex-girlfriend as her marriage drama unfolds and what life is really like in Dubai...
Contact Music: How have the shows with Another Level been going?
Dane Bowers: It’s been good, that’s because we get to do what we want to do. We do some great shows.
We do some festivals, we’ve done a couple of Butlin’s gigs, which are some of the best gigs. We run into some of the old faces and we don’t have to do anything we don’t have to do, so we’re loving it at the minute. Obviously, ‘90s and Noughties music is massive at the minute so it’s all going well.
Is new music a possibility?
We haven’t really thought about doing more songs, new music. At the minute I’m just enjoying the shows, people are loving it at the moment.
You never know, but at the minute we’re just going to get the summer festivals out of the way and then at the end of the year we’ve got something happening abroad. We’re just really enjoying that we’re doing what we want to do. If it takes us somewhere else then great.
How is life in Dubai with your girlfriend Nicole? How has it been since the war between America and Iran broke out?
It’s great, you wouldn’t really know anything has gone now to be honest. Obviously tourism is down, so it’s a little bit quieter. But we’re all getting looked after as residents, the government over there is brilliant at what they do, so life goes on.
We’ve got a lot of good deals at the minute on food and drink and hotels and stuff so we’re enjoying that. It’s summer now, so it’s boiling hot so it does quieten down.
Of course, your ex Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews is in Dubai, what are your thoughts on Lee and his behaviour since marrying her?
I mean, obviously being in Dubai I know people who know him, it’s all just very bizarre. I don’t think anything that has been said is true. I don’t get it. He must know that people know he’s talking rubbish, so I don’t know. It’s just bizarre.
I’m hooked on it as well. My missus tells me new updates and it’s like madness. I just don’t know when it’s going to stop. But it is funny.
And you reached out to Katie, right? To see how she is doing?
It was more I was having a conversation with my missus and I went, ‘I’m going to ask her.’ I literally messaged her and said, ‘Look, is this some sort of wind-up or what?’ I hadn’t spoke to her in years. I was just like, ‘What is going on?’ She didn’t really say much.
But I would say we're friendly. If we saw each other we’d say hello, I’ve got nothing against Kate and probably vice versa.
You appear in her new documentary Katie Price: Nothing to Hide. I think people don’t realise now just how famous you two were as a couple back in the late ‘90s. Is it weird to look back on your life from that period?
Dane and Katie together in 2000 / Credit: Famous
That is why I did the interview. It was about what it was like being in that sort of relationship back in the day. My memory is terrible anyway, so I don’t remember a lot of it. But it was big. I was trying to negotiate a relationship whilst having all that in your face. It was obviously too much to deal with, especially for me. It was a different time for me. I wouldn’t be able to do that now and I wouldn’t do that now. Looking back at it, it was a bit like, ‘Oh s**t, I remember that. That was hard work, that was crazy.’
Katie remembers everything, I don’t really remember anything. I had to be reminded.
For you, was it a cathartic experience looking back?
Yeah, I knew the team doing it so I was like why not have a chat about it and remember some bits and pieces. I get asked all the time so I just thought I’d answer some questions on it. There were some things that I just totally forgot about. Things were put in newspapers and were out there but you forget at the time because you just throw it out of your head.
What’s next for you?
I’m lucky that I’ve got a really good entertainment company in Dubai - DB Entertainment. We do a lot of corporate stuff, a lot of events in and around Dubai like brunches and club nights and quizzes even. That’s doing really well. I’m really happy with that. So that’s kind of what I’ve moved towards. And we’ve still got the other Another Level shows coming up all over the country and a few abroad as well.
You’re in Katie’s documentary, you and Another Level were a huge part of that pop scene in the Noughties. Would you be up for a documentary made about the group?
I don’t think we’d want to talk about most of the stuff we got up to! That’s why I’ve never done a book or anything. The stuff that people saw great, otherwise no. We’ve done some great stuff and interesting stuff, but I think a lot of it we wouldn’t want to talk about.
And there’s no temptation to write an autobiography at all?
I wouldn’t because I think the interesting stuff would be stuff I wouldn’t really want to talk about - the things that people would want to know. I’ve done a lot of stuff but I don’t know how much of that would be interesting enough. These days people want a bit of craziness.
People would probably want a list of all the other famous women you went out with…
Exactly! Stuff I can’t talk about!
