Biography

Francesca Rose Connolly was born on October 23rd 1989, in Manchester's Whitefield. She grew up in Helmshore, Rossendale as the youngest of three sisters.

After Frankee left All Saints High School she attended college, but dropped out after two months. 'I finished school and didn’t know what I wanted to do because my grades weren’t very good. I went to do a businesses access course at college in Bury, but left after just two months.'1 During this period she and two friends, just for fun, started up an amateur girlgroup: 'We weren’t looking to be famous - I’d never even had a singing lesson until I got signed!'

Luckily for Frankee, Xenomania discovered the band's MySpace profile and asked the girls to audition for their first home-grown pop act. They all attended the audition but only Frankee got through. 'Only I got chosen… The others were fine about it, so I went for it.' At the next round, in London, Frankee met future bandmate Britt for the first time. They became friends straight away - 'I think it was a Northern thing' - and got into the four-piece group, which then became a three-piece, before the third girl left because she 'wasn't right' for the group. With just two girls remaining, the group were transformed into a duo - Mini Viva.

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