Sister Sledge star shares secret behind success and why she won't be retiring anytime soon

Kathy Sledge, former lead singer of Sister Sledge, has shared why she and her sisters are still making music after decades of success. The 65-year-old star took to the stage at BBC Radio 2 in the Park last weekend as they released their latest single - Promise Me.

Speaking about their success so far, Kathy told Express.co.uk: "I realise that there's a whole new generation who don't know what Sister Sledge brought to the music industry."

She added: "I feel like we were the first girl band... We kind of opened the door for girl bands like the Spice Girls. We were always in Spandex, dancing full on, lots of movement and bright colours. That's what we bring."

Unveiling that the band still had a few tricks up their sleeves, Kathy continued: "I'm surprising everyone today. For the first time in a very long time I'm introducing a new single. It's funny because when I go to concerts, I want to hear your hits. I like new music.

"But I actually wrote this song 20 years ago and I think it's the biggest compliment that people miss my voice. It's called Promise Me, I'll be introducing it tonight."

Explaining the song to us, the 80s pop star said: "It's one of those songs, when I wrote it years ago, it has a timeless vibe to it. But I love the presentation of it. I told the choreographer 'I want you to imagine if Bruno Mars were a girl band'. So the movement is really cool."

Of course being in the limelight has been mostly an enjoyable experience for Kathy and her sisters, but it hasn't come without its challenges. Speaking about her family dynamic the singer said: "I think my biggest challenge, as people know, growing up in a family band is always challenged.

"Are we family? Yes, of course we are. But that's always been a challenge, because having a song called We Are Family and being in the forefront, I feel like the sisters and I, we always get compared to maybe the Waltons.

"We are not the Waltons! We're a normal family, but in the end I do think you have to grow and expand."

Speaking of why Sister Sledge aren't planning on retiring anytime soon, Kathy shared some advice that the band recieved from their mum, Florez Sledge.

She said: "My mum used to always tell us - she was the first ever 'momager' in the industry - but she used to say 'no one reads an old newspaper', and what that means is never rely on a hit record for your performance, always be able to entertain from your heart. I think what I do love is the biggest compliment being 'we miss your voice'."

Speaking about their future career, Kathy promised: "There's more to come."