Girls Aloud

Girls Aloud are a British girl group formed in 2002 through the ITV1 reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals. The original lineup consisted of Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh. The group was created as part of a televised competition to form a new girl group, with Girls Aloud ultimately winning the public vote against the competing male group One True Voice.
Girls Aloud made their recording debut with Sound of the Underground, released in December 2002. The single reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and established the group as one of the most successful British pop acts of the 2000s. Their music became particularly associated with the production and songwriting team Xenomania, whose work helped shape the group's distinctive sound through unconventional song structures, electronic production, layered vocals, and influences from dance-pop, synth-pop, rock, and alternative pop.
Between 2002 and 2009, Girls Aloud achieved four UK number-one singles and 20 consecutive UK Top 10 singles. Their studio albums Sound of the Underground, What Will the Neighbours Say?, Chemistry, Tangled Up, and Out of Control established the group as one of the defining British pop acts of their era. They received multiple BRIT Award nominations and won Best British Single in 2009 for The Promise.
The group announced a hiatus in 2009 while the members pursued individual projects. They reunited in 2012 for their tenth anniversary, releasing the single Something New and the greatest-hits compilation Ten, followed by Ten: The Hits Tour in 2013. The group subsequently split following the completion of the tour.
In 2020, Sarah Harding announced that she had been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She died on 5 September 2021, aged 39. Following her death, the remaining members continued to maintain their connection to the group and its legacy.
In November 2023, Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh announced the reunion of Girls Aloud as a four-piece. The reunion resulted in The Girls Aloud Show, a UK and Ireland arena tour held in 2024, with the group dedicating the tour to the memory of Sarah Harding.
Girls Aloud are regarded as one of the most influential and commercially successful British girl groups of the 2000s, particularly for their collaborations with Xenomania and their role in expanding the possibilities of mainstream British pop music.