Ever since the day of the Spice Girl's, the UK has never stop giving pop music lovers' beautiful girl groups. Although recently, none have been able to be as exuberant or as successful as the Spice Girl's in the late 90's, the talent and great production is there. America has tried to capitalize on this craze with such groups as Rich Girl, TLC, Destiny's Child, Pussycat Dolls, or Danity Kane, but it seems that many fail to stay together for deeper reasons within the group or management. After doing some research and exploring of this phenom, I came across some of the most well known groups in the UK as well as a new one formed under the management of the infamous Matthew Knowles. So in newest to oldest, I dedicate this post to the the girl groups from overseas, who may not be the most pleasant to listen, are some of the most attractive I have seen over the past few years.
Newest:From Above
Destiny's Child was one of the most successful R&B/pop groups of the 90's to mid 2000's thanks to the beautiful faces Beyonce and Kelly Rowland, catchy female empowering anthems, and genius management from Matthew Knowles. After their public and drama-free breakup, Knowles continued to manage each member''s solo career. To no one's suprise, Beyonce went on to become the most successful with 4 #1 albums and sold-out world tours. However as time went by, Knowles' singers dropped him one-by-one as their manager and most recently Beyonce left her father's guidance to continue management under her husband Jay-Z.
Well they say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, but Beyonce's father and former manager is determined to test that theory (salty?) by launching a new girl group called From Above. Feeling that the market is lacking a phenomenal female band, he turned to the UK and some girls from Texas to bring together Seyi Joshua, Daisy Evans, Ashley Shaw, Monique Robert, and Chelsea Reynolds. The girls have already been picked up for a reality tv show, currently airing in the UK and their debut single "Not the Same Girl" was released November 29th. I took a listen to the song and it seems a little formulated and the video adds more to the cheese-factor. I am not sure that they will be a huge international commercial success but I am sure they will be successful overseas.
"Not the Same Girl"
The Saturdays:
Capitalizing on the electropop and R&B sounds that have been making their way into mainstream music for the past decade is the group The Saturdays. This British and Irish group consists of members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sanford, Vanessa White, and Rochelle Weisman. They were formed in 2007 and have recently signed a deal with Geffen Records. Hoping to reach international appeal, mostly America, their latest album On Your Radar is a solid pop mix of dance tracks and heartfelt ballads that show off each members vocal ability coupled with great production. This album is not just for the clubs but is a solid work that offers up a mix between slow jams and songs girls would play before heading out to party all night. I came across this group while doing some youtube video searching and began to appreciate look and sound of the group. Lyrically the lines are a little corny in some parts of "Notorious" and "All Fired Up", but not much is expected out of pop music and these seem to be strictly for a catchy hook and beat.
"Notorious"
"All Fired Up"
One of the most well known and successful of the girl group's overseas is the five membered Girls Aloud. Based in London, they were created via the TV talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002 and consist of members Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberly Walsh. Although the girls have not released any new material since their 2008 album Out of Control, due to a hiatus and solo projects, their previous works have all gone multi-platinum and have also worked with Brian Higgins, Coldplay, and performed with Jay-Z. What sets them apart from many other groups is their strong vocal talents, as well as their fame from TV. As solo acts, each member is looking to reach fame in the US and have been working on their own projects. Expect to see more from each member in the near future.
"Can't Speak French"
"Untouchable"
One of the most controversial but successful female groups from overseas are the Sugababes. Based in London, this trio originally consisted of members Siobhan Donaghy, Mutya Buena, and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album One Touch was released in 2000 and had the standout hit "Overload." This was my first exposure to the girl group and I loved the indie pop, drum-driven beat of the song and soft vocals from each member. Since then I have not really followed them because they are an overseas group and internet was not as savvy back in the early 2000's, but recently I did some searching and came across their latest work. What I found interesting was the new faces of the group. None of the original girls are in it and there have been some slight visual upgrades. The sound, as well, has changed to a more pop/dance heavy with a few slow beat ballads. I am not exactly sure what happened between the original three but this group has seen more member rotations than a NFL team line up during pre-season games, but they still remain on top of the charts. Now the group consists of Jade Ewen, Heidi Range, and Amelle Barrabah. They have toured all over the world and have 5 platinum albums. Their last project titled Freedom is set to be released later this year or early next year in the UK.
"Overload"
"Hole in the Head"
"About You Now"
"About A Girl"
"Freedom"
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