Ting Tings went AWOL before record deal

Rex Features

The Ting Tings have revealed that they went into hiding before signing a record deal.

Katie White and Jules De Martino said that their experiences with former band Dear Eskimo made them especially wary when they were starting out as a duo.

Di Martino told the Daily Star: "We were really nervous about getting involved with a label after being dropped before.

"When it came to putting pen to paper we panicked. It was horrible. I fled to the Scottish Highlands for a week and Katie hid at her mum’s so they couldn’t find us."

The drummer admitted that it was only when veteran DJ Mike Pickering and US producer Rick Rubin offered to help the band that they agreed to sign.

"At that point we thought: 'Look, they obviously like us so let’s do the deal'," he added.