Girls Aloud

[Main Pop Girl]

Like the Sugababes, Girls Aloud aren't really an active band anymore in that they're not releasing music, but they're still working together on new projects. They recently announced a new sleepwear range with Primark with all proceeds going towards breast cancer charities to honour their late bandmate Sarah Harding.

They also have a charity concert coming up, but that guy from Years and Years will be performing instead of them   

I'm sure their intentions are very pure, but I can't help but feel like a part of this is testing the waters to see if people care about them as a four piece. I don't know what their sound would be in 2022 and Xenomania is MIA from the pop scene so Idk what they would do together as a group.

What do you guys think?  

[Poison ivy]

Nicola was the instigator behind moving away from Xeno with “On The Metro” and “Beautiful Because You Love Me” during the “Ten” sessions.  Since then she has become more connected in the industry and learned about the specifics of publishing and made herself a key part of that whole side of things, she would want at least 50% songwriting credits on at least half of any sixth studio album. 

They would have greater control this time around, they also signed up for a deal covering at least 3 studio albums shortly before their direction of travel changed that led to the hiatus.

Though it’s inevitable, greater control for them pertaining to A&R decisions is not necessarily a good thing with regard to ‘us’ in our role as fans or what we want from them.

I would advise monitoring Cutebad as a measuring stick with regards to where Xeno are (now and for however long Cutebad last), with regards to how inspired they (Xeno) are creatively.

Then again, there is a counter argument that the (cough) chemistry between GA & Xeno (Brian and Miranda) is where Xeno’s inspiration primarily came from and they needed GA as muses to open their creative flow and without them it closed up.

Essentially GA (as a unit) would be foolish to develop a united rebellion against Brian, as without he (and Miranda), would the sonic DNA of GA even be there?

If Brian snapped out of his policy of only considering Nicola for vocal parts that require a cutesy voice (for example) she may at last start to feel listened to by him and that, in conjunction to a higher publishing cut at least for her (than what Xeno possibly feel comfortable with - but could be talked into if faced with that choice, or nothing), would change the dynamic between them to such an extent that work between them would be possible.

Nicola is one of those people who can walk into a room and if she vibes, then that positivity influences others, if she doesn’t vibe then nobody benefits from the mood that ensues and in creative terms that’s not a good atmosphere for anyone.

The “Deadlines & Diets” standoff (that everyone knows about) was not a one off and the group (minus Nadine) have always pushed for material such as “Beautiful”, over what Polydor/ Xeno know the public want.

We all want them to come back with an Xeno (or at least an Xeno sounding) banger, the question comes down to them being open to advice and there being enough space for everyone’s ego to feel accounted for in business terms.

Kimberly may be a slight issue as her daytime TV host career is slowly building momentum in the U.K (and her agent is clearly motivated to win that away from Rochelle Wiseman).

The whole Cutebad/ Venus narrative is simply not working in the UK in the way the Sugababes/ GA symbiosis once did (in days gone by) which at least provides an opening for that past dynamic to return and show the new girls how it’s done.

Edited October 4, 2022 by Dax Diameter
Syntax

[Heartbreak Anthem]

Visually, the work as a quartet, but I don't know how I'd feel about hearing Girls Aloud without Sarah, whose voice was such an integral part of their overall sound. This is the one way they differ from the Spice Girls, who actually worked in the two versions of a quartet they performed as.

[365MM]

Or what about unused Sarah vocals from unreleased material to make new songs? Respectfully done, I’d be happy to hear new GA material that way!

[BraveNewSeth]

3 hours ago, 365MM said:

Or what about unused Sarah vocals from unreleased material to make new songs? Respectfully done, I’d be happy to hear new GA material that way!

This could possibly work for new music. We all know how much unused material Xenomania have in their vaults. But I’m more worried about what they’re going to do in performances. Sarah was THE Girls Aloud hype woman. She was always the one saying something to get the crowded going and cheering. I just… don’t see how they can work in a live setting without Sarah’s energy.

[365MM]

1 hour ago, BraveNewSeth said:

This could possibly work for new music. We all know how much unused material Xenomania have in their vaults. But I’m more worried about what they’re going to do in performances. Sarah was THE Girls Aloud hype woman. She was always the one saying something to get the crowded going and cheering. I just… don’t see how they can work in a live setting without Sarah’s energy.

Very valid point. Sarah electrified every interview with some fun not matched by the others. 😔 

[Musicsongs]

I doubt the girls will want to reform as a band without Sarah. Music wise, they’ll have tonnes of her vocals stored, unused verses, melodies etc. Sarah did solo work with Xenomania aswel so they could make new music with or without Sarah if they wanted to. 

I think the best we can hope for is a celebration rerelease of each era and album with rarities like the Spice Girls. Maybe a rerelease of each single also. Sound Of The Underground album was released in May 2003. So it’s 20 years old in 7 months. They may be working on something for that. If it’s still too soon I think they’ll consider 21st Birthday rerelease celebrations instead.

I can’t see them ever touring again. 

I hope to see new music via rereleases with demos and unreleased tracks. 
 

[Main Pop Girl]

On 10/7/2022 at 2:56 AM, Heartbreak Anthem said:

Visually, the work as a quartet, but I don't know how I'd feel about hearing Girls Aloud without Sarah, whose voice was such an integral part of their overall sound. This is the one way they differ from the Spice Girls, who actually worked in the two versions of a quartet they performed as.

Very true. Plus, Geri and Vic probably had the least vocals out of all the girls, whereas I would guess Sarah is just behind Nadine as the singer with the most lines in GA (or maybe tied with Cheryl?)

8 hours ago, 365MM said:

Or what about unused Sarah vocals from unreleased material to make new songs? Respectfully done, I’d be happy to hear new GA material that way!

I'd be really here for that actually! I know they have a heap of unreleased songs lying around, and Xenomania has always been great at splicing together different tracks to make a masterpiece. I'd love to hear something new from them!

4 hours ago, BraveNewSeth said:

This could possibly work for new music. We all know how much unused material Xenomania have in their vaults. But I’m more worried about what they’re going to do in performances. Sarah was THE Girls Aloud hype woman. She was always the one saying something to get the crowded going and cheering. I just… don’t see how they can work in a live setting without Sarah’s energy.

Sarah definitely had an amazing energy on stage and always brought that rock edge to their live vocals. I will say Cheryl is pretty good at hyping up a crowd too and given that Nicola has (imo) the best voice and very few lines, they could easily divvy Sarah's parts out between her and Kimberly. Still, songs like Sexy No No No wouldn't be the same without Sarah's energy up there  

[Poison ivy]

I am sad Sarah has gone, it is shocking the devastation Cancer can cause but in terms of an end product, aside from a few lines here and there. Nothing musically would be affected.

To reiterate how much I really did appreciate Sarah’s presence, I always had beef with Cheryl (who grew up surrounded by Junkies), never truly caring for Sarah enough to ever step in to use that formative experience in aiding Sarah’s rehab at any point in Sarah’s addiction or recovery (over the years) and the fact Cheryl turned the other cheek and only followed Sarah on Instagram 24 hours prior to the press release that revealed Sarah’s health status, would ordinarily me all I need to know about her..

However as a business commodity, there is market demand for GA as a group and that won’t be lost on executives.  I find it surprising that (whilst not implicitly stated), some appear to now view them as a ‘legacy act’ and I don’t believe they should be marketed in that way at all.

They are the only act in Xenomania’s history who have the potential to re-inspire and re-energize Xenomania in creative terms. It’s just so sad that the question has to be asked, would they want to?

Edited October 8, 2022 by Dax Diameter
Syntax

[Heartbreak Anthem]

6 hours ago, Leaving said:

Very true. Plus, Geri and Vic probably had the least vocals out of all the girls, whereas I would guess Sarah is just behind Nadine as the singer with the most lines in GA (or maybe tied with Cheryl?)

Sarah was definitely more vocal, especially in those earlier Girls Aloud songs, unlike Geri or Victoria, who were more-so used as middle-eight section singers. Melanie B, Melanie C & Emma were used more prominently.

[BraveNewSeth]

On 10/8/2022 at 3:55 AM, Leaving said:

 

Sarah definitely had an amazing energy on stage and always brought that rock edge to their live vocals. I will say Cheryl is pretty good at hyping up a crowd too and given that Nicola has (imo) the best voice and very few lines, they could easily divvy Sarah's parts out between her and Kimberly. Still, songs like Sexy No No No wouldn't be the same without Sarah's energy up there  

Cheryl definitely knows how to get the crowd going, but Sarah always had an undeniable “spark” that always made people go wild. Something you can’t put into words, that je ne sais quoi. 

On 10/8/2022 at 2:15 AM, Musicsongs said:

 

I think the best we can hope for is a celebration rerelease of each era and album with rarities like the Spice Girls. Maybe a rerelease of each single also. Sound Of The Underground album was released in May 2003. So it’s 20 years old in 7 months. They may be working on something for that. If it’s still too soon I think they’ll consider 21st Birthday rerelease celebrations instead.

 

I think this is the best we can hope for. It would be a great way to honor their legacy by releasing the albums on vinyl, remastered with unreleased songs, demos, etc. How amazing would it be to finally get their version of Wicked Game? Or maybe even the Britney duet version of Graffiti My Soul (aka my stan wet dream)? It would be the bow on top of the gift that is their discography. 

I do think that maybe (and this is a big MAYBE) we’ll see them back on stage for a reunion tour at some point. Nostalgia is a strong drug, and I’m sure they may want to tap into that once money starts drying up. But I don’t see it happening any time soon. The wounds of Sarah’s passing are still too fresh, and I think the vast majority of GA stans can agree with that.

[Poison ivy]

The 20 year anniversary celebration has already started with the single:

https://store.universalmusic.com/GirlsAloud/*/*/Sound-of-the-Underground-7-Inch-Single/7L910000000

£20 for an unreleased vocal version of a previously released song (on vinyl only), geez!

.. On other matters, I have no doubt we will hear new music from them within two years (outside chance 3). There is no way they are going to settle for legacy act status at their age. Also, let us not forget they are all signed up to a three album deal they have yet to fulfill.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Dax Diameter
Grammar

[365MM]

2 hours ago, Dax Diameter said:

The 20 year anniversary celebration has already started with the single:

https://store.universalmusic.com/GirlsAloud/*/*/Sound-of-the-Underground-7-Inch-Single/7L910000000

£20 for an unreleased vocal version of a previously released song (on vinyl only), geez!

.. On other matters, I have no doubt we will hear new music from them within two years (outside chance 3). There is no way they are going to settle for legacy act status at their age. Also, let us not forget they are all signed up to a three album deal they have yet to fulfill.

Yeah, lil pricey but happy to see something come out but it’s also for charity. I ordered!

[Main Pop Girl]

3 hours ago, Dax Diameter said:

The 20 year anniversary celebration has already started with the single:

https://store.universalmusic.com/GirlsAloud/*/*/Sound-of-the-Underground-7-Inch-Single/7L910000000

£20 for an unreleased vocal version of a previously released song (on vinyl only), geez!

.. On other matters, I have no doubt we will hear new music from them within two years (outside chance 3). There is no way they are going to settle for legacy act status at their age. Also, let us not forget they are all signed up to a three album deal they have yet to fulfill.

Nice! Seems promising that we'll get some more stuff coming up for the album anniversary. Open up the vaults girls  

[Heartbreak Anthem]