Girls Aloud

Girls Aloud (formed 2002)

Girls Aloud is a British all-girl pop group. The band formed on the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals. The line-up of the band has remained stable throughout their existence: Cheryl Cole (née Tweedy), Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Sarah Harding.

Girls Aloud: Musical Career

Following their success on Popstars: The Rivals, Girls Aloud released their debut single 'Sound of the Underground'. The song went straight to number one and gave them the record of having the shortest length of time between forming and gaining a number one single. The debut album, released a few months later, was also named Sound of the Underground. It went in at number two, second only to Justin Timberlake's Justified. The album featured tracks written by Bryan McFadden of Westlife and Edele Lynch of B*Witched.

In 2004, Girls Aloud returned to the public arena to promote the debut single from their second album. 'The Show'. The single reached number two in the charts, as did its follow up, "Love Machine'. Their second number one single came with the release of a cover of 'I'll Stand By You', originally by The Pretenders. The album, What Will the Neighbours Say? was released in November 2004. 'Wake Me Up' became the band's eight consecutive single to chart in the top five.

Girl's Aloud's third studio album was named Chemistry. The album featured tracks such as 'Long Hot Summer' and 'Biology.' The album features writing credits for 'N Sync's JC Chasez. Despite critical acclaim, the album peaked at number eleven in the charts; their lowest to date.

The band's cover of 'See the Day' (originally by Dee C. Lee) at Christmas earned the band their largest amount of radio play since their debut single.

In 2006, Girls Aloud released The Sound of Girls Aloud, a compilation of hit singles and unreleased tracks. The double CD featured live cover versions of Blondie's 'Hanging on the Telephone' as well as Kaiser Chiefs' 'I Predict A Riot.'

The release of 'Something Kind Ooooh' saw Girls Aloud become the first band to reach the top five purely on download sales.

In March 2007, Girls Aloud collaborated with Sugababes for a cover of 'Walk This Way', originally by Aerosmith. The collaboration was in aid of the charity Comic Relief.

Girls Aloud's fourth studio album, Tangled Up, was released in 2007. The debut single 'Sexy! No No No' was performed for the first time for the Channel 4 show T4 On The Beach. The album debuted at number four. The album also featured the single 'Can't Speak French.'

'The Promise', released in October 2008, was the first single from the band's fifth studio album. The track debuted at number one in the charts, making it their fourth number one single. The next month, the album, Out of Control was released and also debuted at number one, having sold over 85,000 copies. The next single was confirmed as 'The Loving Kind.'

Girls Aloud: Other Projects

Cheryl Cole is a judge on 2008's series of The X- Factor. She replaced former judge Sharon Osbourne and there has been much media speculation surrounding tensions between Cole and fellow judge Dannii Minogue. Girls Aloud's former manager, Louis Walsh is also a judge on the show.

In 2008, the girls released their own autobiography entitled Dreams That Glitter - Our Story.

Girls Aloud: Personal Lives

Cheryl's relationship with her husband, the footballer Ashley Cole, has been the subject of much tabloid gossip. She briefly stopped wearing her wedding ring when it was revealed that Ashley had cheated on her but reports suggest that the relationship is now back on track.

For a brief while, Nadine Coyle dated the Desperate Housewives star Jesse Metcalfe, whilst Sarah Harding was rumoured to be dating the actor Stephen Dorff.