Josie and the Pussycats

“	Do you know why we're called the pussycats? Because we have to claw our way into a room that you can just walk into.	”
	— Josie to Archie^[src]

Josie and the Pussycats (currently known as Veronica and the Pussycats) is a band that initially consisted of Josie McCoy, Valerie Brown, Melody Valentine and Veronica Lodge. They are noted for their signature cat ears and being women of color. Due to Josie and Cheryl being good friends, Cheryl occasionally sings with her and the band.^[1] The band has also performed with Archie. Valerie and Melody disbanded the group after learning Josie was secretly pursuing a solo career, which later resulted in Veronica reuniting the group, without Josie.

History

Josie and the Pussycats were formed prior to the start of the series. According to Valerie, the original members met and befriended each other while working at Power Records. They used to practice together. Josie was the one who came up with the idea of calling themselves the Pussycats, as she showed up to practice one day with cheap cat ears from a Halloween store.

They are highly ambitious and won Rockland County's Battle of the Bands during their freshman year.

Throughout the Series

Season 1

At the start of their sophomore year, they were interrupted during their rehearsal of their song "Fear Nothing", by Archie Andrews, who had hoped to collaborate with them on their music. They refused, as they preferred to use songs they wrote themselves, building a brand in the process. They performed at the back-to-school dance later that evening, covering Cyndi Lauper's "All Through the Night" at Cheryl Blossom's request, in honor of her brother.^[2]

For the annual fall Pep Rally, Cheryl Blossom thought the River Vixens cheer routine needed star power, so she asked the Pussycats to accompany them. The band performed their song "Candy Girl (Sugar Sugar)" as the cheerleaders danced.^[3]

To repay Archie for corroborating her gunshot story, Cheryl asked Josie for a favor, who then allows him to observe the Pussycats’ rehearsal for the upcoming Taste of Riverdale event at which they were performing. Archie wanted the Pussycats to consider performing some of the songs he'd written, but Josie thought otherwise. She wasn't convinced that he could write for “divas of color” like them, pointing out that his privilege would make it easier for him to enter the music industry. Archie managed to win her over in the end with his suggestions on tweaking the song they were working on a little. For the event, the Pussycats performed "All For Me", co-written by Val and Archie.^[4]

Veronica Lodge joined the group when Valerie Brown quit, after an argument with Josie, which stemmed from Josie's stress over her father coming to visit. Val and Josie later reconciled, and she rejoined the group in time to perform at Riverdale High School's 75th annual Variety Show. The foursome performed Donna Summer's hit song "I Feel Love".^[5]

Season 2

At Retro Night, Josie and the Pussycats performed a cover song, Milkshake, as the entertainment of the event.^[6]

Josie and the Pussycats performed a cover song, Out Tonight, at the SoDale Gala Opening, but left in order to save Cheryl Blossom from being raped by Nick St. Clair.^[7]

When Josie was confronted by the fellow members of the Pussycats, Melody and Valerie was infuriated. When asked why, they revealed that they found out that Josie was practicing music by herself and that she was considering a solo career. Josie attempted to denounce those rumors, but the girls wouldn't give her a chance and broke off from the band.^[8]

With Josie still attempting her solo career, Veronica reformed the Pussycats as the lead singer. With Melody and Valerie, "Veronica and the Pussycats" performed at Pickens Day. Unfortunately, however, their performance was interrupted by the arrival of the Southside Serpents, who came protesting the event due to Jughead's article about the truth of Pickens Day.^[9]

Members

Current

Reserves

Cheryl Blossom

Former

Josie McCoy

Songs

"Fear Nothing"
"All Through the Night" (cover)
"Candy Girl (Sugar Sugar)" (cover)
"All For Me"
"I Feel Love" (cover) ft. Veronica Lodge
"Our Fair Riverdale"
"These Are the Moments I Remember" ft. Archie Andrews
"Astronaut"
"Milkshake" ft. Cheryl Blossom (cover)
"Out Tonight"
"Union of the Snake"(cover)

Notes

Josie and the Pussycats is one of the most famous elements of the Archie Comics universe, having gained considerable success through spin-offs and adaptations, such as comic series, animated series, and a film.