Girls Aloud

2002: Popstars: The Rivals

Girls Aloud were formed on 30 November 2002 on ITV's Popstars: The Rivals. The concept of the programme, hosted by Big Brother presenter Davina McCall, was to produce a boy band and a girl group who would be "rivals" and compete for the 2002 Christmas number one single. Following the initial success of Hear'Say (winners of the original Popstars show), several thousand applicants attended auditions across the United Kingdom in hope of being selected. Ten girls and ten boys were chosen as finalists by judges Pete Waterman, Louis Walsh and Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell. However, two of these were disqualified before the live shows began: Hazel Kaneswaran was found to be too old to participate,^[1] while Nicola Ward refused to sign the contract, claiming the pay the group would receive was too low.^[2] Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts were chosen as their replacements.^[3]

During October and November, the finalists took to the stage participating in weekly Saturday night live performances (alternating week-by-week between the girls and boys). Each week the contestant polling the fewest phone votes was eliminated until the final line-ups of the groups emerged. The five girls who made it into the group were Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, and Sarah Harding; Javine Hylton missed out on a place in the group, despite previous expectations that she would be placed in the line-up.^[4] The group was named Girls Aloud and managed by Louis Walsh, until 2005 when Hilary Shaw replaced him.^[5]

The new group competed with the boys' winning group, One True Voice, to claim 2002's Christmas number-one single. Girls Aloud won the battle with their single "Sound of the Underground", produced by Brian Higgins and Xenomania. The song spent four consecutive weeks at number one and was certified platinum in March 2003.^[6][7] The song received critical acclaim; Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stated that "it proved a first: it was a reality pop record that didn't make you want to do physical harm to everyone involved in its manufacture".^[8]

2002–2005: Sound of the Underground and What Will the Neighbours Say?

After the success of their first single "Sound of the Underground", Girls Aloud spent five months recording the follow-up single and their debut album. Sound of the Underground was completed in April 2003 and released the following month.^[9] The album entered the charts at number two and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.^[10] The second single, "No Good Advice", was also released in May 2003 to similar success. Girls Aloud's third single, "Life Got Cold", charted at number three in August 2003. In November 2003, Girls Aloud released a cover version of the Pointer Sisters' 1980s dance hit "Jump". The single, which charted at number two, accompanied a new edition of Sound of the Underground.

After a brief hiatus, Girls Aloud released "The Show" in June 2004, the first single from What Will the Neighbours Say?, the group's second album. The single entered the charts at number two. The next single, "Love Machine", also peaked at number two in September 2004. Girls Aloud then recorded a cover of The Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You" which was released as the official Children in Need charity single. The song was not well received by critics.^[11][12][13] The cover became Girls Aloud's second number-one single, holding the position for two weeks.^[14][15]

The album What Will the Neighbours Say? was entirely written and produced by Xenomania. Upon its release on 29 November 2004, the album charted just outside of the top five and was quickly certified platinum. The final single from the album, "Wake Me Up", was released in February 2005. It charted at number four, making it their first to miss the top three. In early 2005, the group were nominated for a BRIT Award for Best Pop Act. Following the album's success, Girls Aloud announced their first tour, the What Will the Neighbours Say...? Tour, which took place in May 2005. The group also released their first DVD, Girls on Film.

2005–2007: Chemistry and The Sound of Girls Aloud

Following their first tour, Girls Aloud began work on their third studio album, Chemistry. The album peaked on the UK Albums Charts at number 11 and received platinum certification. The first single from the album, "Long Hot Summer", was released in August 2005. The single ended Girls Aloud's run of top five singles when it charted at number seven.^[16] The follow-up single from the album, "Biology", was released in November 2005. The song was critically acclaimed; Peter Cashmore of The Guardian labelled it "the best pop single of the last decade".^[17] The release was followed by a cover of Dee C. Lee's "See the Day", released in the Christmas week of 2005.^[18][19] Following this, they presented a one-off TV Special, Christmas Mania, on ITV, where they sang songs taken from their Christmas album.^[20][21] Girls Aloud won the Heart Award for the single at the O₂ Silver Clef Lunch. The group travelled to Australia and New Zealand in February 2006 to release "Biology" and Chemistry. Despite a one-week promotional tour, "Biology" peaked at number 26 on the ARIA Singles Chart, failing to break the group in the Australian market.^[22] "Whole Lotta History", the fourth and final single to be taken from Chemistry, was released in March 2006 and charted at number six in the UK.^[23]

In 2005, Girls Aloud filmed a one-off documentary entitled Girls Aloud: Home Truths for ITV2. The success of the show later made way for Girls Aloud: Off the Record, a six-part fly-on-the-wall documentary series for E4. Girls Aloud then appeared in an episode of Ghosthunting with... (without Nadine) towards the end of 2006, in which Yvette Fielding guided them through haunted locations.^[24] In May 2006, Girls Aloud embarked on their first arena tour, named Chemistry: The Tour. In the same month, Girls Aloud were moved to Fascination Records, a sub-label of Polydor Records. ^{[citation needed]}

In October 2006, Girls Aloud released their first greatest hits collection, The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits. It debuted at number one on the UK album chart and went on to sell over one million copies.^[25][26] The album was accompanied by the single "Something Kinda Ooooh". Girls Aloud became the first British act to reach the top five purely on download sales;^[27] the single peaked at number three following its physical release.^[28] The next single was a cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" which peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart.^[29] In March 2007, Girls Aloud collaborated with fellow British girl group Sugababes for the cover of the song "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith. Billed as "Sugababes vs. Girls Aloud", the song served as the official single for Comic Relief which became the group's third number one.^[30] In May 2007, Girls Aloud embarked on their third tour, The Greatest Hits Tour.

2007–2009: Tangled Up and Out of Control

Girls Aloud released their fourth studio album, Tangled Up, in November 2007. The first single from the album, "Sexy! No No No..." peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. The second single, "Call the Shots", entered the top three. The third and final single from the album, "Can't Speak French", continued Girls Aloud's top ten streak.^[31] The release of the single coincided with Girls Aloud's second television series, The Passions of Girls Aloud.^[32] The show revolved around each member, with the exception of Coyle, pursues aspirations outside the group.^[33] The group received their second Brit Award nomination in 2008, nominated for the Best British Group award.^[34] In May 2008, Girls Aloud embarked on the Tangled Up Tour which consisted of 34 concerts around the United Kingdom.

Girls Aloud then recorded two tracks for the soundtrack to the 2007 film, St Trinian's. They made a cameo appearance in the film, as the school band. The soundtrack was released on 10 December 2007,^[35] and the music video for "Theme to St. Trinian's" premiered in December 2007.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2008, Girls Aloud released their fifth studio album, Out of Control. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and^[36] became their most successful studio album to date, being certified double platinum.^[37] The album's lead single, "The Promise", became the group's fourth number one on the UK Singles Chart.^[38] The single also returned the group to the top two on the Irish Singles Chart.^[39] "The Promise" was awarded Best British Single at the 2009 Brit Awards; the group also performed the song during the ceremony.^[40] For the promotion of the album, Girls Aloud appeared in a variety show entitled The Girls Aloud Party which aired on 13 December 2008 on ITV.^{[citation needed]}

The second single from Out of Control, "The Loving Kind", was produced by Xenomania. Peaking at number ten, it became the group's twentieth consecutive top ten single.^[41] The final single from the album, "Untouchable" was released in April 2009. It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the first single of the group to miss the top ten. The group embarked on the Out of Control Tour, from April to June 2009. A singles boxset collection was released to coincide with the tour.

In February 2009, Girls Aloud signed a new record deal with Fascination that would see the group release another three studio albums.^[42] In July 2009, the group announced that they were taking a year-long hiatus to pursue solo projects, and would reunite for a new studio album in 2010 which did not materialise.^[43] In September 2009, the group briefly interrupted the hiatus to perform two shows supporting Coldplay along with Jay-Z at Wembley Stadium.^[44]

2012–2013: Ten

After three years of hiatus, Girls Aloud reunited for the group's tenth anniversary. On 16 November 2012, the group released their new single, "Something New" – the official charity single for Children in Need. The single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart.^[45] The group released their second greatest hits compilation, Ten, on 23 November 2012. The second single taken from Ten, "Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me," was released on 17 December 2012 and failed to chart in the top 40.^[46] A documentary special entitled Girls Aloud: Ten Years at the Top aired on ITV1 on 15 December 2012.^[47][48] In February 2013, the group embarked on Ten: The Hits Tour.^[49] On 20 March 2013, the group performed their final concert at Echo Arena Liverpool. A few hours later, they announced their split on Twitter.^[50]

2021: Death of Sarah Harding

On 26 August 2020, group member Sarah Harding stated that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer that had advanced to "other parts" of her body.^[51] In March 2021, she said that the disease was terminal and that she "won't see another Christmas".^[52][53] She died on 5 September 2021 at the age of 39.^[54] On 24 July 2022, Girls Aloud appeared in Hyde Park, London, to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. Tweedy, Roberts and Coyle participated in the event, with Walsh taking part in a remote event.^[55]

2023–present: The Girls Aloud Show and reissue campaign

In November 2023, the group announced a reunion tour for the following year, the Girls Aloud Show, serving as a dedication in memory of Harding and a "celebration" of the group's music.^[56] Featuring thirty shows, the tour took place from May to June 2024, commencing in Dublin, Ireland, and concluding in Liverpool, England.^[57] It was the most successful UK arena tour of the year.^[58] On 14 October 2024, it was announced one of the London concerts at the O₂ Arena was filmed for ITV1 and ITVX, and will feature "sneak peeks behind-the-scenes" and air as a one-hour special.^[59] The special, billed as The Girls Aloud Show: Live at the O2, aired the following month on 17 November.^[58] Physical formats were released in June 2025.^[60][61][62] In November 2024, it was announced Girls Aloud would re-release "I'll Stand by You", featuring newly-discovered lead vocals from Harding from the original recording sessions. The release, subtitled "Sarah's Version" was released as that year's Children in Need single.^[63][64]

On 14 August 2025, Girls Aloud announced a twentieth anniversary deluxe version of Chemistry; on the same day, they released the promotional single "Singapore (Definitive Version)".^[65] That October, it was announced the first-ever standalone release of their holiday album, Christmas 'Round at Ours.^[66] The collection was originally released in December 2005 as a limited-edition bonus disc accompanying their third studio album, Chemistry.^[66] The 2025 release, issued on digital, CD, and vinyl formats, features remastered audio of the eight tracks—which include four original songs and four classic covers—as well as new sleeve notes.^[67] On 9 July 2026, Girls Aloud announced a deluxe version of Tangled Up featuring two previously unreleased songs.^[68]

Philanthropy

All five members of the group have been involved in charity work. Girls Aloud's cover of The Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You" was released as the official 2004 Children in Need single, with proceeds going to the charity.^[81] Nicola Roberts said, "Hopefully if our single does well it's a lot of money going to the charity."^[81] Their cover of Aerosmith and Run DMC's "Walk This Way", a collaboration with the Sugababes, was the official charity single for Comic Relief in 2007, recorded at Comic Relief co-founder and trustee Richard Curtis' request.^[82][83] Kimberley Walsh said, "It's a fantastic song and hopefully will raise tons of money for people living in really difficult situations here and in Africa."^[82] In March 2009, Cheryl, Kimberley Walsh, and various other celebrities climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief.^[84] Girls Aloud celebrated their 10 years as a group by releasing another Children in Need single, "Something New", which they performed on the Children in Need TV special on 16 November 2012.^[85]

Musical style

Girls Aloud worked closely with Brian Higgins and his songwriting and production team Xenomania throughout their career. Xenomania produced all of Girls Aloud's albums and singles, excluding nine songs from their debut album, Sound of the Underground, the charity single "Walk This Way" and two songs from Ten. Of Higgins and Xenomania, Girls Aloud's former manager Louis Walsh says, "He just makes great songs for radio. They just jump out at you and stay in your brain."^[86] In a review of the group's debut single "Sound of the Underground", The Guardian's Alexis Petridis exclaimed it "proved a first: it was a reality pop record that didn't make you want to do physical harm to everyone involved in its manufacture."^[87] In response to Girls Aloud's debut album, Jacqueline Hodges of BBC Music said that "Higgins injects an element of instant-catchy-cool to the songs without going overboard in trying to shape uber-chic dance floor hits."^[88]

Petridis of The Guardian described What Will the Neighbours Say? as "a great album: funny, clever, immediate, richly inventive."^[89] He later wrote that Chemistry is "a record that dispenses with the tiresome business of verses and instead opts for songs apparently constructed by stitching eight different choruses together."^[90] Talia Kraines of BBC Music exclaimed that Girls Aloud "have resuscitated [pop music's] corpse by wedding chart-friendly melodies to experimental avant-garde sounds".^[91] "Biology" was described as "about as far from tired formula as you can possibly get. It sounds like three separate melodies condensed into one."^[92] Popjustice referred to the song as "pop music which redefines the supposed boundaries of pop music."^[93] In a review for 2007's "Sexy! No No No...", Nick Levine of Digital Spy complimented Xenomania's work on the song: sacrificing "conventional song structure in the name of keeping [...] hooks coming thick and fast – and quite right too."^[94]

Despite being most generally associated with the pop genre, Girls Aloud have experimented with other genres,^[95] in particular rock music with singles like "Sound of the Underground", "Graffiti My Soul", "Wake Me Up" and "Sexy! No No No...".^[96]

Influences

The band members themselves are known to be fans of artists such as Ne-Yo and Oasis.^[97][98]

The group's debut album Sound of the Underground takes influence from a number of 1980s genres, such as synthpop, power pop, and new wave, and 1990s styles like big beat, drum and bass, and garage.^[99] The album received comparisons to girl groups such as Bananarama, the Bangles, and the Spice Girls.^{[9][100][101]} Similarities to Kylie Minogue and Madonna were also noted.^[101][102] A majority of the songs make use of guitars and electronic beats. The rise of indie rock also inspired Brian Higgins to "blur the edges between commercial music and so-called 'indie' music."^[103] He continued, "pop music was on its backside and indie music was about to rise, through The Strokes and everything else. We were an independent company and we were as indie as the other bands around us. The guitar riff on No Good Advice is very very similar to the riff on the track Michael by Franz Ferdinand."^[103] What Will the Neighbours Say? further explores different subgenres of pop, especially electropop. Synthesisers are more prominent on the album, although the usage of guitar remains prominent in several songs. The backing track to "Love Machine", composed by Xenomania musicians Tim Powell and Nick Coler, was inspired by the Smiths,^[104] while "Wake Me Up" includes a guitar riff inspired by garage rock.^[89][92]

Chemistry takes influences from a wide variety of sources, including "everything from French chanson to piano-pounding blues to the clipped R&B of the Small Faces".^[90] Rapping in the same vein as artists like Betty Boo and Neneh Cherry is prominent.^[105][106] Yahoo! Music says "there's nary a 'formula' in sight. There are as many sudden tonal and tempo switches as the tricksiest Chicago art rock band. And all but one song here gives guitars a starring role."^[105] The songs are noticeably less rooted in electronic music, although "Swinging London Town" is "a dark, squiggly synth pop epic a la Pet Shop Boys" and "It's Magic" is composed of "little Röyksopp-like keyboard riffs".^[107] Alternatively, Tangled Up features a dancier, more electronic sound, inspired by the success of their 2006 single "Something Kinda Ooooh". "Call the Shots", "Close to Love", and "Girl Overboard" are all electropop numbers reminiscent of 1980s music. However, "Control of the Knife" is more inspired by reggae and ska,^[108] while "Black Jacks" recalls "sixties psychedelica".^[109] Out of Control features a number of songs inspired by 1980s electropop, while also exploring retro styles.^[110][111] "The Promise" is a 1960s Spector-influenced number, while "Rolling Back the Rivers in Time" was compared to the works of Burt Bacharach.^[112]