This week's feature is on girl group, Girls Aloud, who has been in the spotlight for ten years in the UK, racking up 20 top 10 singles. Let's start from the beginning: Popstars: The Rivals.
The girls all got their start from making it on to the UK hit show, Popstars, back in 2002. From there, the public selected their favorite 5 girls to form a girl band and their favorite 5 boys to form a boy band. The groups then released their first singles and the winner was determined by which ever group ended up number one on the charts; Girls Aloud won with their single 'Sound of the Underground!'
One thing that bothers me is that the girls have been compared to the Pussycat Dolls more so than the Spice Girls for reasons that don't make sense to me. First of all, PCD hardly wears any clothes on stage, while one person in Girls Aloud may wear something skimpy, but they are pretty much covered the whole time. PCD also dances like they are hookers while Girls Aloud's choreography is fun and suits the songs. The biggest reason why this argument just makes no sense to me is because PCD should just be called Nicole Scherzinger and the Pussycat Dolls while Girls Aloud doesn't have a front runner. Sure, Nadine has a lot of parts in majority of their songs but Girls Aloud does a great job of actually incorporating everyone. I.e: if someone isn't singing then they may be at the center dancing. Also, Nicole is always in the center of every photo shoot, every interview, etc, while Girls Aloud rotates for everything. Girls Aloud was also put together by the public on Popstars, a SINGING show in UK, in which the public voted on who should make the band. PCD always had Nicole and Melody as their singers, while Ashley and Kimberly were professional dancers before PCD. I think the only similarity is that they both have 5 girls in their bands. Obviously, this is a pretty touchy subject for me [laughs].
Unfortunately, I don't think Girls Aloud could ever make it in the US as their type of music would probably not sit well with Americans now in days. Maybe if they came over in their early years, 2002-2004, then it could have worked out. I think one of the big reasons why they have had so much success in the UK is because of how well they perform live. When I first heard their songs, I really did not understand the hype, but after I saw their tour DVDs, I downloaded their songs because I just loved how they were performed live. Some of their songs are quite obnoxious really, but because they perform them so well and make them so exciting live, you end up liking the song. A good example of this is their song Love Machine.
One thing that has come out of Girls Aloud that I find to be funny (and quite cute) is the creation of Chim; Cheryl and Kimberly. Chim arose out of the apparent close friendship between the two girls, and it clearly shows when they are performing or during interviews.
Here is a video of the girls making the band.
They went on to release their debut album, Sound of the Underground, in early 2003, which ended up number two on the charts. Not too bad for their first album. In 2004, the girls came back with their second album, What Will the Neighbors Say? with hits like 'The Show' and their ridiculously popular tune 'Love Machine' to land the album at number two again. In 2005, the girls went on their first tour, appropriately named the What Will the Neighbors Say? Tour. It was after this tour where they started to make their rise to become the UK's biggest girl band.
Here are the girls performing one of their hit singles from their Sound of the Underground album on the What Will the Neighbors Say? Tour.
Here are the girls performing a cover of Wheatus's hit song 'Teenage Dirtbag' on their What Will the Neighbors Say? Tour
Later in 2005, the girls released their first single 'Long Hot Summer' off their third album, Chemistry, which is probably my favorite, or close second, of all their albums. They followed that with hit singles like 'Biology,' a cover of 'See the Day,' and 'Whole Lotta History.' In the middle of 2006, the girls embarked on the Chemistry tour, their first arena tour. From watching this tour on Youtube, I can say this is the tour I wished I could have been at the most; so much energy and such a fun show. Their choreographer deserves a gold medal!
Although this was not released as a single here are the girls performing a track off their Chemistry album, 'Models.' Probably one of my favorite performances from this tour.
Here are the girls putting on an incredible cover of 'I Predict a Riot' on the Chemistry Tour.
After their past three albums, Girls Aloud became huge names in the United Kingdom and pretty much everywhere else except for the western part of the world. Already together for four years now, the girls were nowhere close to stopping. Continuing their platinum streak of albums, Girls Aloud released Tangled Up in 2007, which was their most critically acclaimed album to date and probably my favorite of their albums. They took a brief hiatus after the release to film a TV series called The Passions of Girls Aloud, in which the girls went out and pursued their own personal goals for a month or two.
Here is a clip of Cheryl pursuing her aspiration of being a 'street dancer.'
The girls returned to go on another exciting, big production tour in 2008; the Tangled Up Tour. What a great lineup they put together for this show and I will try to keep it to just a couple videos for this one.
Here's their incredible opening to the Tangled Up show!
Here are the girls performing 'Fling,' another fun track off their Tangled Up album. Check out that walk out! Epic!
Here are the girls performing a track, 'Control of the Knife' off their Tangled Up album. Such a fun performance with amazing choreography, including an incredible dance section with Cheryl!
In late 2008, the girl's released their last album to date, Out of Control. Their first single 'The Promise' went straight to number one, and their success for that year didn't stop there. The album was their most successful, going double platinum, and the girls won their first Brit Award for 'Best British Single' for 'The Promise.'
From there, they toured the UK with their Out of Control Tour.
Here are the girls performing one of their biggest hits 'Something Kinda Oooh.'
Here is a medley they did, combining majority all their big hits over the years.
According to the Guiness Book of World Records, Girls Aloud is the most successful girl band of all time in the UK with 20 top 10 singles, ousting the Spice Girls. The girls have been on hiatus ever since the Out of Control Tour. They have stated several times they have not broken up, they simply went on a break to pursue things they have always wanted to do on their own. Cheryl, Nicola and Nadine all released solos albums, with Cheryl's being wildly successful. Kimberley went over to the west end of London to star as Fiona in Shrek: The Musical.
The girls in detail:
Sarah Harding(bleach blonde hair): Sarah is the 'loud one' of the group as they all call her. Sarah may not be the most popular in the group but she brings so much energy to their performances. She may not be the best dancer (she's actually quite awkward), but she sure as hell can sing. You can tell that she is just having an absolute blast performing. She always improvises while performing, shouting out to the crowd and always gets them hyped up in between songs. Unfortunately for Sarah, she is normally the one put in the skimpy outfits.
Here is great bit of Sarah performing 'Footloose' as a part of a 10 minute medley on their 2006 Chemistry Tour.
Nicola Roberts (red hair): First off, I would argue that Nicola has the most beautiful voice in the group; however, my problem with Nicola is that she slacks off a lot. It's almost as if she only comes alive when she is singing her solo parts. Now, maybe she is just shy and nervous, but you would think after a couple years that would go away. Especially on the their tour DVD's, the cameras could be on them at any time, which makes it crucial for her to always put on her stage face. There are way too many times the camera cuts to Nicola and she looks like she's miserable; like the lights are on but nobody's home. To Nicola's credit though, I would say she is one of the strongest dancers in the group (second or third to Cheryl), but then again, she is so off and on; absolutely killing it for a couple eight counts and then slacking for the rest of the song. On the contrary, I look forward to every time Nicola sings because her voice is so versatile. Performances like the one below are definitely what Nicola does best and where she contributes to the group the most.
Here is a beautiful vocal performance from Nicola, singing Robyn's 'With Every Heartbeat' on the 2008 Tangled Up Tour.
Nadine Coyle (blondish): There is no doubt Nadine gets the most singing and argueably, the most spotlight of the group. My problem with Nadine is that it seems like everything she does is just for show or attention. The girls did say in an interview that Nadine could be the vain one in the group and it kind of shows. Even though Nadine is probably one of the weaker dancers along with Sarah, she either really gives it an honest effort or says "screw it" and doesn't even try (or so it seems). However, there is a reason why Nadine is somewhat the front runner of the group; her voice is so versatile and she sings incredibly well live.
Here is one of Nadine's best performances on the Chemistry Tour.
Kimberly Walsh (light brown hair): Kim, or Kimba as the girls like to call her, is probably my second favorite of the group mainly because of her triple threat factor. Kim has an incredible voice that doesn't always suit their upbeat pop songs but she definitely gets to show it off when they do ballads. Her dancing is second to Cheryl's, never slacking. Along with Cheryl, Kimberly is probably one of the best performers in the group, her facial expressions are always full out and dances with her own flavor.
Here is Kimba killing it, performing 'Love is Key' on the Out of Control Tour.
Cheryl Cole: As you should all should know, Cheryl is probably one of my favorite performers of all time, which of course, means she is my favorite in Girls Aloud. There is no doubt Cheryl is a standout in the group. Although the other girls are stronger vocally, no one has as much charisma or has a stronger stage presence than Cheryl. With that being said, Cheryl along with probably Kimberly, and Nicola at times, hold the other two up when it comes to the dancing. It's really a no brainer why Cheryl got called to be an X Factor judge over the rest of them. She may not be the greatest singer, but she is one hell of a performer and really knows how to put on a show.
Here is Cheryl KILLING it performing a cover of 'Push It' on the Tangled Up Tour.
As a part of the Out of Control Tour, they featured one of the girl's on their own camera for one song on the tour. Here is the 'Cheryl Cam' for 'Revolution in the Head.' Just in case you thought I was lying about her always performing like the cameras are on her ;)
One thing that bothers me is that the girls have been compared to the Pussycat Dolls more so than the Spice Girls for reasons that don't make sense to me. First of all, PCD hardly wears any clothes on stage, while one person in Girls Aloud may wear something skimpy, but they are pretty much covered the whole time. PCD also dances like they are hookers while Girls Aloud's choreography is fun and suits the songs. The biggest reason why this argument just makes no sense to me is because PCD should just be called Nicole Scherzinger and the Pussycat Dolls while Girls Aloud doesn't have a front runner. Sure, Nadine has a lot of parts in majority of their songs but Girls Aloud does a great job of actually incorporating everyone. I.e: if someone isn't singing then they may be at the center dancing. Also, Nicole is always in the center of every photo shoot, every interview, etc, while Girls Aloud rotates for everything. Girls Aloud was also put together by the public on Popstars, a SINGING show in UK, in which the public voted on who should make the band. PCD always had Nicole and Melody as their singers, while Ashley and Kimberly were professional dancers before PCD. I think the only similarity is that they both have 5 girls in their bands. Obviously, this is a pretty touchy subject for me [laughs].
Unfortunately, I don't think Girls Aloud could ever make it in the US as their type of music would probably not sit well with Americans now in days. Maybe if they came over in their early years, 2002-2004, then it could have worked out. I think one of the big reasons why they have had so much success in the UK is because of how well they perform live. When I first heard their songs, I really did not understand the hype, but after I saw their tour DVDs, I downloaded their songs because I just loved how they were performed live. Some of their songs are quite obnoxious really, but because they perform them so well and make them so exciting live, you end up liking the song. A good example of this is their song Love Machine.
Here are the girls performing Love Machine back in 2006 on their Chemistry Tour. As you can see, the crowd goes absolutely nuts for this song and it may be just be because of the energy when the song is performed.
Here are the girls performing 'Long Hot Summer' back in 2006 on their Chemistry Tour. Also a song that is not very catchy but the way they perform it makes the song 10x better; specially with Cheryl's part at the beginning.
One thing that has come out of Girls Aloud that I find to be funny (and quite cute) is the creation of Chim; Cheryl and Kimberly. Chim arose out of the apparent close friendship between the two girls, and it clearly shows when they are performing or during interviews.
Chim's Best Moments ;)
What I absolutely love about Girls Aloud is their chemistry as a group. You would think that after 10 years that they would be completely sick of each other, but it's quite the opposite; they have all gotten along from day one and closer as the years went on. Especially with groups, you can always tell in interviews and performances when there is tension (*cough* PCD) but you don't get any of that with Girls Aloud. Even to this day, the girls hang out and keep in touch. In an early morning interview on GMTV this year, Nicola waved and said hello to Cheryl because Cheryl had told her that she couldn't sleep so she was going to watch her interview. How cute, right? For Cheryl's recent birthday in June, she partied alongside Nicola and Kimberly in Vegas (pictured below).
Nicola tweeted this picture of the 3 of them taking shots of Patrone. Gosh, I love them.
There is no doubt that some girls in the group are better at certain things than others, but what one girl lacks, the other makes up for, and that is a great quality to have in a girl band. Girls Aloud still have three albums to make according to their contract with their record label so I would not count them out for awhile. This year marks the 10 year anniversary for the girls so look for a huge reunion later this year!
