Girls Aloud

Despite their fabricated formation through a television program called Popstars: The Rivals, Girls Aloud achieved both mainstream success and widespread critical acclaim in their native England. Through Popstars' process of elimination, Girls Aloud's membership amounted to Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, Cheryl Tweedy, and Kimberley Walsh. The group took shape in November 2002, and soon began a streak of Top Ten singles that broke a record for girl groups and remained unbroken through the end of 2006, when the compilation The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits was issued. Their first three proper albums -- 2003's Sound of the Underground, 2004's What Will the Neighbors Say?, and 2005's Chemistry -- were similarly successful, though the latter stalled at number 11 on the album chart. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide