While various forms of commercially produced popular music had existed in Great Britain for several centuries, what is now understood as British pop music emerged in the mid-to late 1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. Like American pop music it has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs. While these basic elements of the genre have remained fairly constant, pop music has absorbed influences from most other forms of popular music, particularly borrowing from the development of rock music, and utilising key technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes. From the British Invasion of the 1960s, led by The Beatles, British pop music has alternated between acts and genres with national appeal and those with international success that have had a considerable impact on the development of the wider genre and on popular music in general.

Early British popular music[link]

Jack Hylton, c. 1930

Early British popular music, in the sense of commercial music enjoyed by the people, arose in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with the arrival of the broadside ballad, which were sold cheaply and in great numbers until the nineteenth century. Further technological, economic and social changes led to new forms of music in the nineteenth century, including parlour music and the brass band, which produced a popular and communal form of classical music. Similarly, the music hall sprang up to cater for the entertainment of new urban societies, adapting existing forms of music to produce popular songs and acts. In the 1930s the influence of American jazz and swing music led to the creation of British dance bands, who provided a social and popular music that began to dominate social occasions and the radio airwaves.

Traditional pop, skiffle and rock 'n' roll 1950-62[link]

In the early 1950s sales of American records dominated British popular music. In the first full year of the charts in 1953 major artists were Perry Como, Guy Mitchell and Frankie Laine largely with orchestrated sentimental ballads, beside novelty records like "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" re-recorded by British artist Lita Roza.^[1] Some established British wartime stars like Vera Lynn were still able to chart into the mid-1950s, but successful new British acts like Jimmy Young who had two number one hits in 1955, did so with re-recorded versions of American songs "Unchained Melody" and "The Man from Laramie" or Alma Cogan with "Dreamboat".^[1] Many successful songs were the product of movies, including number ones for Doris Day in 1954 with "Secret Love" from Calamity Jane and for Frank Sinatra with the title song from Three Coins in the Fountain, underlining the dominance of American culture in both film and music at this time.

A notable British musical genre of the mid-1950s was skiffle, which was developed primarily by jazz musicians copying American folk and country blues songs such as those of Lead Belly in a deliberately rough and lively style emulating jug bands. The most prominent exponent was Lonnie Donegan, whose version of "Rock Island Line" was a major hit in 1956. The success of the skiffle craze, and the lack of a need for expensive instruments or high levels of musicianship, encouraged many working class British males to start their own groups.^[2] It has been estimated that in the late 1950s there were 30-50,000 skiffle groups in Britain.^[3] Sales of guitars grew rapidly and other musicians were able to perform on improvised bass and percussion in venues such as church halls and cafes, without having to aspire to musical perfection or virtuosity.^[2]

At the same time, American rock and roll was emulated in Britain after 1955.^[4] The British product has generally been considered inferior to the American version of the genre, and made very little international or lasting impact.^[4] However, it was important in establishing British youth and popular music culture and was a key factor in subsequent developments that led to the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. Since the 1960s some stars of the genre, most notably Cliff Richard, have managed to sustain very successful pop careers and there have been periodic revivals of this form of music.^[4]

Beat and the British Invasion 1963-69[link]

The arrival of The Beatles in the U.S., and subsequent appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, marked the start of the British Invasion

In the late 1950s, a flourishing culture of groups began to emerge, often out of the declining skiffle scene, in major urban centres in the UK like Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London. This was particularly true in Liverpool, where it has been estimated that there were around 350 different bands active, often playing ballrooms, concert halls and clubs.^[5] Beat bands were heavily influenced by American bands of the era, such as Buddy Holly and the Crickets (from which group The Beatles derived their name), as well as earlier British groups such as The Shadows.^[6] After the national success of the Beatles in Britain from 1962, a number of Liverpool performers were able to follow them into the singles charts, including Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, and Cilla Black. Among the most successful beat acts from Birmingham were The Spencer Davis Group and The Moody Blues. From London, the term Tottenham Sound was largely based around The Dave Clark Five, but other London bands that benefited from the beat boom of this era included the Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. The first non-Liverpool, non-Brian Epstein-managed band to break through in the UK were Freddie and the Dreamers, who were based in Manchester,^[7] as were Herman's Hermits and The Hollies.^[8]

The British Invasion of America led by the Beatles from their arrival in April 1964 saw them, uniquely, hold the top 5 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart simultaneously.^[9][10] During the next two years, Peter and Gordon, The Animals, Manfred Mann, Petula Clark, Freddie and the Dreamers, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Herman’s Hermits, The Rolling Stones, The Troggs, and Donovan would have one or more number one singles.^[11] Other acts that were part of the invasion included The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks and The Who^[10] At this point most of the British Invasion bands did not distinguish their rock 'n' roll or blues based music from pop music. However, around 1967 as blues-rock acts, emerging folk rock and some beat bands, including the Beatles, veered towards a more serious forms of music (with an emphasis on meaning, virtuosity and orientated towards the albums market), the term pop music began to be applied to rock and roll based music with more commercial aims, often with inconsequential lyrics, particularly simple love songs, and orientated towards the singles chart, continuing the path of traditional pop.^[12] Although some bands occupied territory that crossed the emerging rock/pop divide and were able to produce successes in both camps, including the Beatles and Rolling Stones, the British pop genre in the late 60s would be dominated by individual singers like Sandie Shaw.^[13]

Band pop, punk and new wave 1970-78[link]

Ian Dury and the Blockheads on stage

The early 1970s were probably the era when British pop music was most dependent on the group format, with pop acts, like rock bands, playing guitars and drums, with the occasional addition of keyboards or orchestration. Some of these groups were in some sense "manufactured", but many were competent musicians, playing on their own recordings and writing their own material. Some of the technically more impressive groups who enjoyed number one hits in the UK were 10cc, Status Quo and Mungo Jerry. Aiming much more for the teen market, partly a response to the Osmonds were The Rubettes and The Bay City Rollers.^[14] Largely vocal-based groups included the New Seekers, Brotherhood of Man, the last of these designed as a British answer to ABBA.^[15] In addition there were the rock and roll revivalists Showaddywaddy, Mud and Alvin Stardust.^[16] Individuals who enjoyed successful pop careers in this period included Gilbert O'Sullivan, David Essex, Leo Sayer and Rod Stewart.^[1]

Perhaps the most unique British development in pop was glam or glitter rock, characterised by outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots.^[17] The flamboyant lyrics, costumes, and visual styles of glam performers were a campy playing with categories of sexuality in a theatrical blend of nostalgic references to science fiction and old movies, all over a guitar-driven hard rock sound.^[18] Pioneers of the genre included Marc Bolan and T. Rex, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople.^[18] These, and many other acts, straddled the divide between pop and rock music, managing to maintain a level of respectability with rock audiences, while enjoying success in the singles chart, including Queen and Elton John. Other performers aimed much more directly for the popular music market, where they were the dominant groups of their era, including and Slade and Sweet.^[18] The glitter image was pushed to its limits by Gary Glitter and The Glitter Band. Largely confined to the British, glam rock peaked during the mid 1970s, before it disappeared in the face of punk rock and new wave trends.^[18]

The initial impact of punk on pop music, even when not banned from the charts, was not overwhelming, but by the end of the decade the British pop music industry was becoming dominated by post-punk new wave acts like Ian Dury and the Blockheads.^[1] Other successful new wave pop bands included XTC, Squeeze and Nick Lowe, as well as songwriters like Elvis Costello, rock & roll influenced bands like the Pretenders, and the reggae influenced music of bands like The Police.^[19] By the end of the decade many of these bands, most obviously the Police, were beginning to make an impact in American and world markets.^[20]

New Romanticism and the second British Invasion 1979-85[link]

David Sylvian (right) of Japan onstage in 1979

The British charts at the opening of the 1980s were dominated by the usual mix of imports, novelty acts, oddities (including rock and roll revivalist and Elvis impersonator Shakin' Stevens) and survivors like Queen and David Bowie, but there were also more conventional pop acts, including Bucks Fizz, whose light lyrics and simple tempos gave them three number ones after their Eurovision Song Contest victory in 1981.^[1] Frankie Goes to Hollywood's, initially controversial, dance pop gave then three consecutive number ones in 1983 and 1984, until they faded away in the mid-1980s.^[1] Probably the most successful British pop band of the era were the duo Wham! with an unusual mix of disco, soul, ballads and even rap, who had eleven top ten hits in the UK, six of them number ones, between 1982 and 1986.^[1]

New Romanticism emerged as the dominant force in the single charts at the beginning of the 1980s. Originally part of the New Wave music movement in London nightclubs including Billy's and The Blitz Club towards the end of the 1970s. Influenced by David Bowie and Roxy Music, it further developed glam rock fashions, gaining its name from the frilly fop shirts of early Romanticism. Among the commercially most successful acts associated with the movement were Adam and the Ants, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran.^[21] By about 1983 the original movement had dissolved, with surviving acts dropping most of the fashion elements to pursue mainstream careers. New Romantic music often made extensive use of synthesisers, merging into Synth pop, which followed electronic rock pioneers in the 1970s like Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, and Tangerine Dream.^[22] Tubeway Army, a little known outfit from West London, dropped their punk rock image and topped the UK charts in 1979 with the single "Are Friends Electric?", prompting their singer, Gary Numan to go solo and release the album, The Pleasure Principle from which he gained a number one in the single charts with "Cars", and which much to popularise the synth-pop sound.^[22] Trevor Horn of The Buggles captured the changing scene in the international hit "Video Killed the Radio Star". New romantic acts that made extensive use of synthesisers included Visage, Ultravox, Duran Duran and Japan.^[22] There were also more straight forwardly pop acts like The Human League, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, and Yazoo. Other key artists from the early-mid 1980s include Eurythmics, Talk Talk, A Flock of Seagulls, Tears for Fears, Pet Shop Boys, OMD, Thomas Dolby, Thompson Twins, Bronski Beat, Heaven 17, Howard Jones and Blancmange.^[22]

Madness on stage in 2005

Having emerged out of the post punk and reggae scenes in the West Midlands in the 1970s, the ska revival associated with 2 Tone records was a remarkable commercial success in the early years of the 1980s. Bands like The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, Madness, Bad Manners and The Bodysnatchers all enjoyed chart success, with Madness and The Specials managing number ones. The Specials "Ghost Town" (1981) is often seen as summarising the disillusionment of Thatcherite, post-industrial urban youth.^[23] Madness managed to sustain a career that could still chart into the second half of the 1980s, but the 2-tone movement faded early in the decade, and would have a longer term impact through American bands of the third wave of ska.^[24] The more reggae based music of UB40 allowed them to continue to chart in to the twentieth century, enjoying four number ones in the UK, the last of these in 1994.^[25]

In the 1980s soul emerged as a major influence on British pop music, with flourishing soul scenes in major cities like London and Manchester, with many black artists, supported by local and pirate radio stations.^[26] This interest was reflected in a series of covers or songs inspired by soul for a number of major acts, including Phil Collins's "You Can't Hurry Love" (1982), Culture Club's "Church of the Poison Mind" (1983), The Style Council's "Speak Like a Child", (1983) Eurythmics' "Missionary Man" (1986), and Steve Winwood "Roll With It" (1998).^[27] For the first time since the 1960s there were also significant acts who specialised in soul. These included George Michael, who reinvented himself as a white soul singer with the multi-platinum Faith album (1987).^[27] Also significant were Sade, Simply Red and toward the end of the decade Lisa Stansfield and Soul II Soul.^[27] Soul II Soul's breakthrough R&B hits "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life" in 1989 have been seen as opening the door to the mainstream for black British soul and R&B performers.^[27]

From its inception in 1981 the cable music channel MTV featured a disproportionate amount of music videos from image conscious British acts.^[28] In the fall of 1982, "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls entered the Billboard Top Ten, arguably the first successful song that owed almost everything to video.^[28] They would be followed by bands like Duran Duran whose glossy video's would come to symbolise the power of MTV.^[28] Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" gently poked fun at MTV which had helped make them international rock stars.^[29] In 1983 30% of the record sales were from British acts. On 18 July, 18 of the top 40 and 6 of the top 10 singles were by British artists. Overall record sales would rise by 10% from 1982.^[28][30] Newsweek magazine featured Annie Lennox and Boy George on the cover of one of its issues while Rolling Stone would release an England Swings issue.^[28] In April 1984, 40 of the top 100 singles and in a May 1985 survey 8 of the top 10 singles, were of British origin.^[31]

Manufactured acts and indie pop 1986-90[link]

Rick Astley performing in 2009

In the late 1970s and early 1970s Hi-NRG (hi energy) disco had become popular in the gay scene of American cities like New York and San Francisco with acts like Divine, and The Weather Girls.^[32] In 1983 in the UK, music magazine Record Mirror championed the gay underground sound and began publishing a weekly Hi-NRG Chart.^[33] Hi-NRG also entered the mainstream with hits in the UK pop charts, such as Hazell Dean's "Searchin' (I Gotta Find a Man)" and Evelyn Thomas's "High Energy".^[34][35] In the mid-1980s, Hi-NRG producers in the dance and pop charts included Ian Levine and trio Stock Aitken Waterman, the latter had two of the most successful Hi-NRG singles ever with their productions of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" (UK #1 & US #11 in 1985) and Bananarama's "Venus" (US #1 & UK #8 in 1986). Their artists, including Rick Astley and Australian actress Kylie Minogue, dominated British pop music and the charts in the late 1980s.^[36]

In stark contrast to the upbeat dance based music of the Hi-NRG was the emergence Indie pop that emerged as part of the independent or alternative rock scenes of the 1980s, following the lead of early 80s independent bands like Aztec Camera, Orange Juice and particularly The Smiths. It was initially dubbed as 'C86' after the 1986 NME tape, and also known as "cutie", "shambling bands" and later as "twee pop".^[37][38] Indie pop was characterised by jangling guitars, a love of sixties pop and often fey, innocent lyrics.^[39] The UK label Sarah Records and its most popular band The Field Mice, although more diverse than the label indicates, were probably its most typical proponents. It was also inspired by the DIY scene of punk and there was a thriving fanzine, label and club and gig circuit. Genres such as Riot Grrrl and bands as diverse as Nirvana, Manic Street Preachers, and Belle and Sebastian have all acknowledged its influence. A further development was Dream pop, which followed bands like Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons, The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into sensual, sonically ambitious soundscapes.^[40] A louder, more aggressive strain of dream pop came to be known as shoegazing; key bands of this style were Lush, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Chapterhouse, Curve and Levitation. These bands kept the atmospheric qualities of dream pop, but added the intensity of post-punk-influenced bands such as The Chameleons and Sonic Youth.^[41]

1991-present[link]

The Spice Girls on stage in 2008

The success of American boy bands like New Edition and New Kids on the Block led to replica acts in the UK, including Nigel Martin-Smith's Take That and East 17 from about 1992, competing with Irish bands Westlife and Boyzone.^[42] Soon after, girl groups began to reappear, like the R&B act Eternal, who achieved a string of international hits from 1993.^[43] The most successful and influential act of the genre were the Spice Girls, who added well-aimed publicity and the ideology of girl power to their pop careers. They had nine number 1 singles in the UK and US, including "Wannabe", "2 Become 1" and "Spice Up Your Life" from 1996.^[43] They were followed by British groups like All Saints, who had five number-one hits in the UK and two multi-platinum albums.^[44] By the end of the century the grip of boy bands on the charts was faltering, but proved the basis for solo careers like that of Robbie Williams, formally of Take That, who achieved six number one singles in the UK between 1998 and 2004.^[44] New girl groups managed to continue to enjoy sustained success, including Sugababes^[45] and Girls Aloud, the last of the these the most successful British product of the many Popstars format programmes, which began to have a major impact in the charts from the beginning of the 2000s.^[46]

Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s.^[47] The movement developed as a reaction against various musical and cultural trends in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the grunge phenomenon from the United States.^[47] New British groups such as Suede and Blur launched the movement by positioning themselves as opposing musical forces, referencing British guitar music of the past and writing about uniquely British topics and concerns. These bands were soon joined by others including Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass and Elastica.^[47] Britpop groups brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British cultural movement called Cool Britannia.^[48] Although its more popular bands were able to spread their commercial success overseas, especially to the United States, the movement largely fell apart by the end of the decade.^[47] After the decline of Britpop, British indie was kept alive by "post pop" bands including Radiohead, Feeder, Stereophonics and Travis, who largely abandoned the elements of national and retro-60s culture.^[49][50] Recently British indie bands with a foot in both the rock and pop camps has experienced a resurgence, spurred in part by the international success of The Strokes. Like modern American indie rock, many British indie bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines and Bloc Party draw influence from post-punk groups such as Joy Division, Wire, and Gang of Four. Other prominent independent in the 2000s include: Editors, The Fratellis, Razorlight, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys, the last the most prominent act to owe their success to the use of internet social networking.^[51]

After Soul II Soul's breakthrough R&B hits "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life" in 1989, existing black soul acts, including Omar and acid jazz bands Incognito and Brand New Heavies, were now able to pursue mainstream recording careers.^[27] Particularly noticeable was the proliferation of British female black singers including Mica Paris, Caron Wheeler, Gabrielle and Heather Small.^[26] British soul in the 2000s has also been dominated by female singers, many of them white, including Natasha Bedingfield, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse,^[52]Lily Allen, Florence Welch, Adele and Duffy, all of whom have enjoyed success in the American charts, leading to talk of a "Female Invasion", "British soul invasion" or, together with successful indie acts, a "Third British Invasion".^[53]

References[link]

See also[link]

• List of number-one singles (UK)

v t e Music of the United Kingdom Art music Early music • Baroque • Classical History of popular music Early popular music • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s Traditional genres British folk revival • Ballad • Carol • Children's song • Hornpipe • Jig • Morris dance • Protest song • Reel • Sea shanty • Strathspey • War song • Work song Contemporary popular genres Folk • Hip Hop • Jazz • Pop • Popular • Rock • Soul Ethnic music Caribbean • England • Ireland • Scotland • Wales Media and Performance Music awards Brit Awards • Classic Brit Awards • Gramophone Awards • Ivor Novello Awards • Mercury Prize • Music of Black Origin Awards Music charts Albums chart • Classical charts • Compilation chart • Dance chart • Download chart • Indie chart • R&B chart • Rock chart • Singles chart • Subscription plays chart Music festivals Cambridge folk • Download • Edinburgh • Eisteddfodd • Glastonbury • Isle of Wight • Knebworth • Royal National Mod • The Proms • Reading and Leeds • T in the Park • V Music media The Gramophone • Kerrang! • Melody Maker • Mojo • NME • Q • The Wire National anthem "God Save the Queen" Regional Music British Isles Birmingham • Cardiff • Cornwall • Liverpool • Manchester • Northumbria • Somerset • Sussex • Yorkshire Overseas Anguilla • Bermuda • Cayman Islands • Gibraltar • Montserrat • Turks and Caicos • Virgin Islands

Cheryl Cole
Cole performing with Girls Aloud at Battle Abbey in 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Cheryl Ann Tweedy
Born	(1983-06-30) 30 June 1983 (age 28)
Origin	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyneside, England
Genres	Pop, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, dancer, model
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Fascination, will.i.am music[1]
Associated acts	Girls Aloud, will.i.am, Taio Cruz
Website	cherylcole.com

Cheryl Ann Cole (née Tweedy; born 30 June 1983), often known professionally as Cheryl, is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls Aloud.^[2] Cole has been part of the group's twenty consecutive top-ten singles (including four number one singles) in the UK and five platinum albums (two of which went to number one) and earned five BRIT Award nominations from 2005 to 2010. In 2009, Girls Aloud won "Best Single" with their song "The Promise". In 2009, Girls Aloud announced their musical hiatus and Cole went on to release two solo albums, which both went to number one in the UK: 3 Words (2009) and Messy Little Raindrops (2010). She achieved a number of hits, including two number one singles: "Fight for This Love" and "Promise This". Cole is set to release her third solo album A Million Lights on the 18 June 2012, with lead single "Call My Name" being released on the 10 June 2012.^[3]

Cole has become a recognised and photographed style icon;^[4][5][6] referred to as a fashionista by the press.^[7] She has been photographed for the covers of British Vogue,^[6] Elle^[8] and Harper's Bazaar, while also becoming the new face of cosmetic company L'Oréal.^[9] Cole was married to England footballer Ashley Cole from July 2006^[10] until September 2010, when she divorced him. ^[11][12] Cole became a judge on The X Factor in 2008,^[13][14][15] becoming the winning judge twice out of the three series she judged. In 2011, Cole left the UK version of The X Factor to judge the American version. However, Cole was sacked from the show.^[16][17][18] Cole's net worth was estimated at £15 million in April 2012.^[19]

Biography[link]

1983-2001: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Cole was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyneside, and grew up on council estates in the districts of Walker^[20] and Heaton.^[21] She is the fourth of five children of Joan Callaghan,^[22] and the eldest child of Gary Tweedy. Cole's parents never married each other; they separated when she was 11.^[23] She has a brother, Garry (born 1987, Newcastle)^[24] and three elder maternal half-siblings: Joseph, Gillian and Andrew.^[25]

As a small child in about 1990, she appeared in a television advert for British Gas.^[26]

As she was interested in dancing from an early age, Cole started sequence dancing at the age of four,^[27] before joining The Royal Ballet's summer school at the age of nine.^[28] She won modelling competitions, including the titles of Boots Group's "bonniest baby", Mothercare's Happy Faces Portrait competition, "Best Looking Girl of Newcastle", The Evening Chronicle's "Little Miss and Mister", and "Most Attractive Girl" at the MetroCentre.^[29] She also appeared in two British Gas adverts, an SCS advert, and an Eldon Square Christmas advert with younger brother Garry as well as appearing in dance recitals on some television shows.^{[citation needed]} She attended Walker Comprehensive School in Newcastle,^[30] and left at 16 with few qualifications. During her time there, she was suspended twice: once for fighting with another pupil and again for swearing on a bus.^[31] After leaving school in 1999, she took a job as a waitress in a restaurant.^[31]

2002–08: Girls Aloud, assault and marriage[link]

Cole performing with Girls Aloud

On 11 January 2003, Cole was involved in an altercation with a nightclub toilet attendant and was subsequently charged with assault over the incident.^[32][33] She was subsequently found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at her trial on 20 October,^[34] and sentenced to 120 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay her victim £500 in compensation, as well as £3,000 prosecution costs.^[34] Cole auditioned for the reality television show Popstars The Rivals in 2002 with the song "Have You Ever".^[35] Several thousand applicants attended auditions across the UK in hope of being selected. Ten girls and ten boys were chosen as finalists by judges Pete Waterman, Louis Walsh and Geri Halliwell. These finalists then took to the stage, participating in weekly Saturday night live performances which alternated weekly between the girls and boys. Each week, the contestant polling the fewest phone votes was eliminated, until the final line-ups of the groups emerged. Cole joined Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh to form the new girl group Girls Aloud, as determined by a public vote administered through the show on 30 November 2002.^[2]

Cole performing with Girls Aloud at the O2 arena

The group's debut single "Sound of the Underground" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 2002 Christmas number one.^[36] Girls Aloud hold the record for the shortest time between formation and reaching number one.^[37] The group released their debut album Sound of the Underground in May 2003,^[38] which entered the charts at number two and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) later the same year.^[39] Since 2003, Girls Aloud have released twenty additional singles, with all but one charting within the top ten, and 15 reaching top five positions. Their singles "I'll Stand by You", "Walk This Way", and "The Promise" have charted at number one. Two of their albums have reached the top of the UK Albums Chart: their greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud and 2008's Out of Control, both of which entered the chart at number one, with over one million copies of the former being sold.^[40] All five of their studio albums have been certified platinum by the BPI.^{[citation needed]} They have been nominated for five Brit Awards, and in 2009 won "Best British Single" at that year's Brit Awards for "The Promise".^[41] The group has sold ten million records worldwide.^[42] Girls Aloud have become one of the few UK reality television acts to achieve continued success, and had amassed a fortune of £25 million by May 2009.^[43] The 2007 edition of Guinness World Records listed them as "Most Successful Reality TV Group",^{[citation needed]} while they also hold the record for "Most Consecutive Top Ten Entries in the UK by a Female Group" in the 2008 edition.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2009, Girls Aloud announced they would take a year-long hiatus in the pursuit of solo projects, but would reunite for a new studio album in 2010.^[44] In August 2010, bandmate Nicola Roberts revealed that she wasn't anticipating a reunion of the band until 2012.^[45] Cole began dating England and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole in September 2004, announcing their engagement after he proposed in Dubai in June 2005.^[46] The couple were married at a ceremony at Barnet, North West London on 15 July 2006.^[47] They signed an exclusive deal with OK!, reportedly worth £1 million, regarding the rights of the photographs.^[48] In January 2008, a hairdresser named Aimee Walton alleged in The Sun^[49] that she had engaged in drunken extramarital sex with Ashley Cole. Subsequently, glamour model Brooke Healy claimed that she had spent the night and had sexual relations with Ashley Cole in December 2006.^[50] The couple, however, reconciled.

[edit] 2008–09: 3 Words, Cheryl Cole's Night In and X-Factor

Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" in 2008. She was picked to appear as a dancer in the video after taking streetdancing classes during the filming of the ITV2 series The Passions of Girls Aloud,^[51] in which the members of the band achieve something they had always wanted to do, other than sing.^[52] She was later asked, by will.i.am, to sing additional vocals on the track.^[53] In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material.^[54] Her debut album, 3 Words, was released in the UK on 26 October 2009.^[55] Cole was reunited with will.i.am for the album, in addition to collaborating with Fraser T. Smith, Syience, Danish production team Soulshock & Karlin, singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, Wayne Wilkins, and Steve Kipner. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cole mainly collaborated with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, the executive producer of 3 Words. It crosses from contemporary R&B, dance pop, house and a more general pop sound. Cruz was asked to write two songs for Cole, the first of which, "Break Your Heart", was written specially for Cole but Polydor label boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton felt the song was too similar to Heartbreaker, the track Cole did with Will.i.am.^[56] When asked about the album's title Cole revealed she had already contemplated an album title which contained the phrase 3 Words before the title track was recorded.^[57] She had considered titles like Three Syllables, although the strongest contender was Unveiled as Cole "felt like she didn't have any protection without the girls [Girls Aloud]" and because it correlated with the veil on the album cover.^[57] The album begins with its title track, a duet with will.i.am and Cole's favourite song on the album.^[58] She said the song was "totally different from anything I've done [with Girls Aloud] or liked before" and took its inspiration from Cole's newly acquired love for dance music on the charts, especially David Guetta & Kelly Rowland's "When Love Takes Over".^[58]

3 Words spent two weeks at number one.^[59] On 6 November 2009, BPI certified the album Platinum, denoting shipments of over 300,000 units.^[60] It later tripled this feat.^[60] The first single from the album, "Fight for This Love", was written by Andre Merritt, Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins, and produced by Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins. According to Cole, it was released as the lead single because she "connected with the song so well".^[61] Following a performance on The X Factor live results show, "Fight for This Love" became the fourth best-selling single of 2009 in the UK.^[62] It charted at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Chart.^[63] In 2010, "Fight For This Love" went to number one in Denmark, Norway and Hungary.^[64] "Fight for This Love" gained positive to mixed reviews. Ruth Harrison from 'Female First' was impressed by the song after initially being worried that Cole would not be able to cope going solo. She said "Whilst it does sound just a little big Girls Aloud-y, we still love it, and can see it being a huge hit on the club circuit up and down the country ... we think this is going to send her well on her way to global superstardom."^[65] The single was later certified silver in the UK. Cole's second single "3 Words", which features will.i.am, went to number 4 in the UK and seven in Ireland.^[66] In 2010, the single was released in Australia and charted at number 5 and was certified platinum.^[67] The third single, "Parachute", charted in the top five in both the UK and Ireland. The single was certified silver in the UK.^[60] From May to July 2010, Cole was the opening act for The Black Eyed Peas at the British shows (as well as some European dates) of The E.N.D. World Tour.^[68][69][70] Chris Johnson of the Daily Mail wrote, "she was supposed to be the support act. But as it turned out, Cheryl Cole ended up being the main event".^[71]

Cole was given a one-off television programme for ITV1 titled Cheryl Cole's Night In, which aired on 19 December 2009.^[72] The programme, hosted by Holly Willoughby, featured music and interviews with Cole and some of her favourite performers. Alexandra Burke, Rihanna, Will Young, Snow Patrol and will.i.am made appearances.^[73] Cole told the press, "I couldn't be happier that ITV have asked me to round off the year with my own show, working with some of my favourite artists".^[74] The programme attracted 5 million viewers on its first airing, substantially less than the 8.1 million viewers that Strictly Come Dancing received during the same time slot.^[75] In June 2008, it was announced Cole would replace Sharon Osbourne as a judge for the fifth series of The X Factor alongside Dannii Minogue, Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh. Cole was given the girls category (made up of female contestants between 16 and 25) and subsequently ended up as the victorious judge when Alexandra Burke was crowned the fifth winner of The X Factor on 13 December 2008.^[76] Cole returned for the sixth series in 2009 and was given the boys category (made up of male contestants aged 16 to 25).^[77] Cole emerged as the winning judge for a second consecutive year after Joe McElderry was crowned the sixth winner of The X Factor.^[78] Simon Cowell, the show's creator, said, "I knew she was going to be good because she speaks like normal people speak. People can relate to that. And I think that is the best sign of a judge."^[79] Cowell has referred to Cole as "one of the best I've ever worked with."^[80] Cole was interviewed during an episode of the fourth series of Piers Morgan's Life Stories. The show, which aired on 23 October 2010, drew an audience of 7.2 million: the highest figure in the chat show's history.^[81] As a member of Girls Aloud, Cole has also appeared in the fly on the wall documentary Girls Aloud: Home Truths, the E4 documentary series Girls Aloud: Off the Record, an episode of Ghosthunting With..., and a one-off variety show entitled The Girls Aloud Party.

[edit] 2010–11: Messy Little Raindrops, divorce, malaria and The X Factor USA

Cole alongside Simon Cowell on The X Factor

In March 2010, Cole stated that she had begun working on a follow up album to 3 Words, which she hoped to release "later on in the year".^[82] Cole's second solo album, titled Messy Little Raindrops, was released on 1 November 2010. The album's first single, "Promise This", was released on 24 October 2010 and became her second number-one hit in the UK.^[83] "Promise This" is an up-tempo dance-pop song written by American songwriter Priscilla Hamilton, British music producer Wayne Wilkins, who was responsible for Cole's debut single "Fight for This Love", and Christopher Jackson.^[84][85] The album was largely produced by Wayne Wilkins.^[86] The album also features guest vocals from August Rigo, Dizzee Rascal, Travie McCoy, and will.i.am.^[87] Cole started recording sessions for her second album in February 2010^[88] though in an interview on Alan Carr: Chatty Man she admitted that some of the songs submitted for the record dated back to 3 Words (2009).^[89] Messy Little Raindrops has received generally mixed reviews from music critics. A predominantly positive review came from Jon O'Brien of Allmusic who awarded it four out of five stars.^[90] Cheryl Cole made a high-profile appearance on Piers Morgan's Life Stories, in which she discussed her marriage and divorce with Ashley Cole and her life-threatening battle with malaria.^[91][92]

In early February 2010, news broke that Cole's husband had cheated on her with five more women.^[93][94][95] On 23 February, Cole announced she was separating from her husband.^[10][11] On 26 May 2010, Cole filed for divorce at London's High Court citing "unreasonable behaviour" of estranged husband Ashley as the reason for their break-up.^[12] She was granted a decree nisi on 3 September.^[96] In October of that year, Cole stated in an interview with The Guardian that she would continue to use her married name, saying that changing it back would make her seem "ashamed" of her marriage.^[97]

On 3 July 2010, Cole was admitted to hospital with suspected acute malaria after a visit to Tanzania.^[98] During an X Factor photoshoot in Cardiff, Cole has said that she noticed her lips were blue.^[99][100]

Cole returned for the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010 to mentor the girls category once again.^[101] In this series, Cole faced intense scrutiny from the public and the media after she rejected popular contestant Gamu Nhengu to go through to the live shows in favour of Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel, even though both had fluffed their performances at judges' houses. Cole also receive more criticism after she refused to vote for an act in the fifth week, which resulted in claims that the show was fixed. This series would also mark the first that Cole was not the winning mentor, after a contestant in her category, Rebecca Ferguson, lost out to Matt Cardle, who was mentored by Dannii Minogue.

On 5 May 2011, it was officially announced after months of speculation that Cole would appear as a judge alongside Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Paula Abdul on the American version of The X Factor.^[102] However, after only three weeks as a judge and completing the auditions in Los Angeles and Chicago, Cole departed the show.^[17] Cowell said that the reason why Cole left was because he offered her the job in the UK version back and he felt that she would have been more comfortable there.^[103] Additionally, it was later confirmed that she would not be returning to the UK version either, as Tulisa Contostavlos had taken her place on the UK judging panel.^[104] Nicole Scherzinger replaced Cole on the judging panel of The X Factor USA for the rest of season 1.^[105]

[edit] 2012–present: A Million Lights

On 1 April 2012, Cole announced that the lead single from her third studio album will be called "Call My Name". Cheryl uploaded an audio video of the single on April 19, 2012 to her YouTube account.^[106] On 2 May 2012, the full length music video premiered.^[107] The song debuted on Capital FM's breakfast show on 20 April 2012.^[108] The single was written and produced by Calvin Harris and will be released on 10 June 2012.^[109] The video for the single was directed by Anthony Mandler and shot in Downtown Los Angeles.^[110] On 18 April 2012, Cole revealed the title of her third studio album, A Million Lights, which will be released on 18 June 2012.^[111]

Cole previewed a song entitled "Love Killer" on her official soundcloud.^[112] The album artwork for A Million Lights, as well the official track listing for the standard and deluxe versions of the album was revealed via Cole's Facebook and official website on 24 May 2012.^[113]

Other endeavours[link]

Products and endorsements[link]

Cole contributed to the book Dreams that Glitter – Our Story, an autobiography with her Girls Aloud bandmates, in October 2008. The book was written with a ghostwriter and published by the Transworld imprint Bantam Press.^[114][115] The book featured unseen photographs, included insights into the members' personal lives, their success together, style tips, and "everything [they]'ve learned about life, love and music."^[115][116] The book was previewed and serialised by OK! prior to its release. Girls Aloud held a book signing at Waterstone's in Piccadilly, London to promote the release.^[117] The title Dreams that Glitter comes from a line in the group's 2007 single "Call the Shots". Cole's first official book, entitled Through My Eyes, was published on 30 September 2010 by Bantam Press.^[118] The book is described as "a series of stunning exclusive new photos plus informal shots from her own personal collection ... a revealing and intimate portrait of the world of Cheryl Cole".^[119] Through My Eyes offers a glimpse of Cole in the recording studio, backstage on tour, behind-the-scenes at The X Factor, at photo shoots and at award ceremonies. She said the book is "filled with pictures that capture those moments, [her] memories and the people [she's] closest to".^[120] Cole is the subject of several unauthorised biographies,^{[121][122][123]} as well as books detailing her relationship with and divorce from Ashley Cole.^{[124][125][126]} In February 2009, Cole appeared on the cover of British Vogue. The media coverage of her appearance in the magazine boosted the magazine's circulation to 240,000: its best ever February figure.^[127] She also appeared on the November 2009 cover of the UK's Elle magazine.^[8] In late 2009, Cole became the new face of L'Oréal. However, her recent advertising campaign promoting the L'Oréal Elvive shampoo and conditioner range attracted criticism amid claims that she had deliberately deceived persons wishing to buy the product, since it shows Cole with hair extensions.^[128] As a member of Girls Aloud, Cole has endorsed Barbie,^{[citation needed]} Kit Kat,^[129] Nintendo DS,^[130] Samsung,^{[citation needed]} and Sunsilk.^[131]

Charitable activities[link]

In March 2009 Cole climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief.^[132] The trek raised £3.4 million for the charity.^[133] Between 3 February and 23 March 2009, Cole raised money for Comic Relief by providing the voice for the BT Speaking Clock.^[132]

In February 2011, Cole launched her own charitable foundation with The Prince’s Trust following a meeting with The Trust’s President, HRH Charles, Prince of Wales. The Cheryl Cole Foundation will provide vital funds for The Trust in the North East, helping disadvantaged young people from Cole’s region.^[134] On 13 June 2011, she auctioned 20 dresses with ASOS to raise funds for the foundation.^[135][136]

Filmography[link]

References in media[link]

Cole was referenced in Lily Allen's "Cheryl Tweedy", a b-side to her 2006 debut single "Smile". Cole took the song as a compliment to her, although Allen later pointed out that it had been tongue-in-cheek.^[137] Allen has since retracted her comments.^{[138][dead link]}

Discography[link]

• 3 Words (2009)
• Messy Little Raindrops (2010)
• A Million Lights (2012)

Tours[link]

With Girls Aloud[link]

As solo supporting act[link]

• The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. World Tour (Europe, 2010)

Awards and nominations[link]