Close harmonies, corsets and clever covers. Fabulous frocks, festival stages, lavish private parties, platinum albums and too much TV to recall. Famous fans from Michael Buble and Cyndi Lauper to Seal, Robbie Williams and the King (Charles, that is, not Elvis).

2026 marks 20 years since The Puppini Sisters released their debut album, the fastest seller by a jazz act in UK chart history. What an adventure the band has been on since - touring the world, spawning a new scene and watching as mainstream pop embraced their burlesque-inspired aesthetic.

Bologna-born Marcella Puppini formed the trio at London’s Trinity College of Music in 2004, and by the following year they were signed. Their debut, Betcha Bottom Dollar, saw their sassy, swing rearrangements transform songs from all eras - Mr Sandman, Jeepers Creepers and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (from Company B) sat alongside Blondie’s Heart of Glass, Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights and Panic by The Smiths.

While some critics were sniffy, the public adored them – the album went Top 20 in Britain and spent almost a year on the Billboard chart.

“When we started out, covers weren’t cool,” says Marcella. “Then they took off on YouTube and suddenly everyone was doing cover versions, the more unexpected the better.”

Streaming’s arrival aligned with their ethos of diving back decades and disregarding genres. By then, social media was awash with harmony bands.

“In the early 2010s, what was called ‘antique pop’ exploded online,” says Marcella. “A lot of the acts credited us. A few claimed to have invented it, which made us laugh. It didn’t matter because our focus has always been on performing live. We don’t see anyone as competition.”

The Puppini Sisters’ retro-glam look came initially from Vivienne Westwood, where Marcella used to work, and east London’s underground club scene.

“That ‘50s pin-up look was popular with people on the burlesque scene, like Paloma Faith, which we were part of,” says Marcella. “Plus, I was still getting lots of freebies from Vivienne Westwood.

“Two of her ‘90s collections were key inspirations – Vive La Bagatelle and Storm In A Tea Cup. Corsets were a pivotal part of our outfits. We also borrowed outrageous little hats.

“Back then, it was hard to get hold of those ‘40s and ‘50s styles. Now, there are online stores churning them out cheap and specialist places where you can buy the originals for silly money. We could see vintage booming, but even I can’t believe how big it’s become.”

To celebrate turning 20, The Puppini Sisters have some surprises up their elegant sleeves. Marcella and original band member Kate Mullins have reunited with Rosanna Schura, a very early Puppini Sister who returned briefly in 2016.

“We’re like the Sugababes, getting Mutya back!” laughs Marcella. “There hasn’t been a bust-up, it’s simply scheduling because we all have other projects. Rosanna is our original redhead.”

The trio will release their seventh studio album next year, comprising original material and covers they have been saving up for the occasion.

“From day one, we’ve kept a list of songs we’d like to record, but weren’t sure if we could,” says Marcella. “Some have worked fantastically – Total Eclipse of the Heart and Ma Nah Ma Nah among them. Both camp as hell!

“Others have been epic failures. People assume we can turn any hit into a Puppinis song, but that’s not the case. What didn’t work? Walk This Way and Purple Rain, to name two. But, as always, we had a lot of fun trying.”

Aptly, The Puppini Sisters have reinvented Happy Birthday.

“This album is our party,” says Marcella. “We had to toast ourselves. Our version opens with the waltz, then launches into country-swing and briefly references Stevie Wonder and 50 Cent. It’s a fun pastiche.”

Among the jazz standards tackled are Take The A Train, Honeysuckle Rose and Take Five.

“Take Five is a funny one because I’m not a fan of the song, although I love our version,” says Marcella. “It’s the best-selling jazz song of all time, so the challenge was to make a version that we would enjoy.”

From the 1970s comes the Italian and French favourite Parole Parole, which The Puppini Sisters have performed on tour, but never recorded. Closest to their hearts, however, are the originals. 

Hey Sister is a jaunty self-celebration, while Postcards From The Road, a Marcella and Kate co-write, is packed with tales from their two decades on the road.

“The song is snippets of where we’ve been and what we’ve seen,” says Marcella. “It starts with looking cool in Istanbul and sipping on a Moscow Mule. In Berlin, I drank all the gin. It’s all true.”

Casting their minds back to highlights of their career has been a blast.

“In the 2010s, we were darlings of Russian high society, playing outrageous private parties every other week,” says Marcella. “We even worked with a Russian big band, which I ended up conducting on a tour of Siberia. It was absolutely mental, a proper adventure.

“Probably the most lavish party were played was in Thailand, for a super rich guy who staged his own festival. The production was like Glastonbury, but for a few hundred people.

“Other highlights? Meeting Prince Charles when we did the Royal Variety Show. He was with Camilla for the line-up. We shook hands, he moved on then came back when he realised who we were. He said, ‘Oh, it’s you! Somebody gave me your CD and I think it’s splendid’.

“Working with Michael Buble was great. We went to L.A. to record with him. When we got there, he said he’d been jogging to our Christmas album. He’s a random man, very funny.”

The Puppini Sisters flourished in two worlds at once – the club scene and the mainstream. Over the years, they’ve seen the distance between them diminish.

“Those two extremes aren’t so different these days,” says Marcella. “Festivals have got posher, artier, more theatrical. Meanwhile, burlesque is everywhere. So many big pop stars have gone showgirl, from Christina Aguilera years ago to Taylor Swift today.”

The band who have been called both swing punks and the Spice Girls of jazz simply stay themselves.

“We’ve never given a hoot about trends,” says Marcella. “We’re women in charge, making our own decisions and making the music we’ve always loved. Here’s to the next 20 years.”