If anyone got the so-called “villain edit,” it’s Building the Band star Alison Ogden. Since the Netflix music competition series dropped earlier this month, people online have been sharing lots of strong opinions about the singer, comparing her to Tess Tyler from Camp Rock and Regina George from Mean Girls. The backlash is fueled by a series of controversial moments on the show, including Alison calling another girl a “crybaby,” dominating her band, Sweet Seduction, celebrating when others were sent home, criticizing her bandmates’ dancing and style choices, and breaking down in tears when she was later called out.

Alison sees things differently, of course. She describes herself as “confident, driven, direct, and communicative.”

During an exclusive interview with Betches, the singer revealed if there’s anything she wishes she’d done differently, now that she’s watched the show and had time to process. “We can’t go back in time and change anything, but watching yourself on television can be a very interesting experience,” Alison said, carefully. “I’m definitely using this as an opportunity to grow and better myself. I want to better myself every single day, and I’m trying to use this as a positive learning experience and push myself, not even performance-wise, just personally into a better direction.”

She spilled all the Sweet Seduction tea (including her thoughts on Haley Gosserand and Elise Kristine Anderson’s recent TikToks), opened up about working with Liam Payne before he passed, and teased her next music era.

Building The Band Star Alison On Sweet Seduction Drama, Liam Payne, New Music

Alison Talks Sweet Seduction Drama, Responds To Elise And Haley’s Recent TikTok Comments

Apparently, the Sweet Seduction girlies stopped working together as soon as filming wrapped. “We never really had a closing conversation,” Alison revealed. “Haley and I stayed quite close after the show and have spent a lot of time together … Elise and I didn’t stay as close after the show, but we did talk in a group chat all together.”

While that final moment of closure never happened, Alison said, “I don’t want to speak for them, but I definitely wish them the best. I know they’re going to do great things in the entertainment world.” She shared that she “definitely wanted to keep working as a band,” adding, “I truly had a great time with them.”

And yes, she’s seen their recent TikTok commentary. (In a lengthy video about her BTB experience, Elise claimed she experienced “trauma” and said she would “never be friends” or “work” with Alison again. Haley’s also joked about “building emotional strength” instead of building a band.) “I have seen some of their social media posts, but everyone’s experience is valid,” Alison told Betches. “Everyone’s feelings are valid. I think it’s just important to keep in mind that we shot for about eight weeks and we got 10 episodes out of that.” She pointed out that there were “numerous moments and positive things” that weren’t shown.

Alison also admitted that they all have “things going on for views and clicks and reactions.” Tea.

Despite the drama that we saw on-screen, Alison claims she “just tried to stay positive in our connection and focus on what would be best for all of us” throughout the experience. She added, “Not that that’s up to me by any means, but I mean just trying to keep my eye on the prize for all three of us girls and not let any little things affect us in a serious way.”

Given everything that went down with Sweet Seduction, does she wish she’d formed a band with Mandy Ratchford and CeCe Keating instead? “I mean, I’m very much a ‘everything happens the way that it’s supposed to, God has a plan,’ kind of person,” Alison reflected. “So I don’t think that I would’ve gone back in time and made another choice. That’s not to say I don’t think I’m compatible with them.” In retrospect, she thinks it would’ve been cool if they all got to work together in one big group.

Alison Reflects On Her Experience Working With Liam Payne

Growing up, Alison was a certified Directioner, so working with Liam was a very special experience for her. “I had all of their bobbleheads above my bed from when I was 12 to 14,” she told Betches. “So when I saw him and met him, I just was a little bit starstruck, if I’m being honest. I was like, ‘Whoa.'”

She and Haley first crossed paths with the former One Direction star when they unexpectedly ran into him coming out of a dressing room. “I turned and I was like, ‘Hey,'” she remembered. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, hey. Oh my gosh, it’s so nice to meet you.’ I was like, what the fuck? And he was just like, ‘So nice to meet you. Shh, you’re not supposed to know I’m here yet.’ I was like, got it, lip locked.”

Alison feels “blessed” to have met the late singer and worked with him on his last project. “He had such incredible advice and insight to give everybody,” she said. “I watched the last few episodes with Mandy and we were both just crying. I mean, it’s just so emotional to know that that was ultimately the last public project that is shown of him, and I feel really blessed to be a part of it.”

She continued, “It’s heartbreaking what happened, and my heart just goes out to his family, his friends, his girlfriend, everybody that knew him and loved him.”

Alison Teases New Music, Next Era

@itsalisonogden album soooooon 👀 #originalmusic #netflix #alisonbuildingtheband #trending #foryou ♬ sweet surrender – Alison Ogden

Now that Building the Band‘s out and Sweet Seduction is in her past, Alison’s focusing on her next musical chapter, which seems to be a solo pop star era. “I’m working on a lot of new projects I’m really excited about,” she dished. “Some of them are secret. I will say I’m going to finally do an EP/album this year for the first time.” Alison’s excited to share her first music videos this year too.

She actually worked on her latest single, “Sweet Surrender,” with her Building the Band costar, Mandy. “We’ve gotten really, really close since the show came out,” she said. “It’s been really fun to form a friendship with her and creatively, we just mesh so well together in the writer room. It’s so fun.” Alison joked that there was “definitely tequila involved” in the “Sweet Surrender” writing process.

“I’m going to really just be diving in with all the visuals and things like that and just really go big or go home on that front,” the Building the Band star added, teasing, “And there are some surprise collaborations that are in the works that I don’t think anybody’s going to expect.”

At the moment, she’s “taking everything in stride and checking out whichever door opens and hoping for the best.”