Here come the girls! Girl groups DOMINATED the 00s, and I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that they pretty much defined the sound of my childhood. Here we celebrate some of our favourites!
The Spice Girls
So, I’ll tell you what I really, really want… The Spice Girls to go on tour again. They embodied ‘girl power’ and their own individuality through their personas in the mid to late 90s – it’s no wonder that they’re the most successful British female group of all time!
The Official Charts Company stated in 2019 that the Spice Girls’ debut album Spice topped the UK chart of the best-selling albums of all time from a girl group. This album featured the singles ‘Wannabe’, ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ and ‘Say You’ll Be There’, spent 15 weeks at number one in 1996 and 1997, and has notched up over 2.98m combined sales as of June 2019. Likewise, Spice World followed in 2nd place on the UK chart of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 1.6m sales as of June 2019!
Their Spice World tour in 2019 sold out within minutes. Even though they broke up in 2004, the demand to see them live speaks volumes – they’re a part of so many people’s childhood and still remain popular. Not only that, their clothes were iconic… sparkly Union Jack dress anyone?
… And that is why they’re the ultimate girl group of all time.
Jo Lisney
Check out ‘Wannabe’, via Virgin Records, down below.
Destiny’s Child
Destiny’s Child have gone through many line-up changes; however, the group is best known for the final line-up consisting of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. What makes Destiny’s Child a fantastic band is their ability to empower women and showing real power is from within. This is the key theme in their third studio album Survivor, which includes iconic tracks like ‘Independent Women’, ‘Survivor’ and ‘Bootylicious’.
Destiny’ Child have released powerful tracks with all of them holding a close place to my heart, but it has to be ‘Girl’ from their fifth and final album, Destiny Fulfilled, that is my personal favourite. The song was written by Beyoncé and Williams as a request for Rowland to leave an abusive relationship – it’s an incredibly empowering song and allows others going through similar situations to know that they are not alone.
Billboard has ranked Destiny’s Child as the greatest musical trio of all time after selling over 60 million records to date. Though the group disbanded in 2006, their music is timeless and is just as relevant as it was when it was first released. Since disbanding they have had many reunions with their latest occurring in 2018 at Beyoncé’s Coachella performance, which you can watch on Netflix.
Morgan McMillan
Check out ‘Survivor’, via Sony Music, down below.
Girls Aloud
After being put together by Simon Cowell on the UK TV show Popstars: The Rivals, pop girl group Girls Aloud, formed of Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, Cheryl Tweedy and Kimberley Walsh, have gone on to be one of the biggest pop acts of the 21st Century.
Dominating the charts between 2002 and 2012, Girls Aloud were able to accumulate 21 UK top ten singles and two UK number one albums. ‘Sound of the Underground’, their debut single, went straight to number one in the UK and spent four weeks there, proving that from the get-go they were always bound to be successful.
As well as all of this chart success, the girls went on six successful UK tours over eight years and won a multitude of awards, and that, in my opinion, is enough to give them the crown for being the biggest girl group of the 2000s.
Hits like ‘Love Machine’ and ‘The Promise’ are always karaoke favourites and are more than likely to feature in your cheesy pop playlists. We have all jammed out to a Girls Aloud song at some point in our lives, and if you deny that then you’d be lying.
Charlotte Brennan
Check out ‘Sound Of The Underground’, via Polydor, down below.
Sugababes
The Sugababes were undoubtedly a defining part of the 2000’s. When they burst onto the scene as teenagers in 2000 with their debut single ‘Overload’, critics were struck by their stunning harmonies, infectious lyrics and unique R&B sound. Throughout the next 10 years, they had several line-up changes: Siobhan Donaghy was replaced by Heidi Range in 2001, Mutya Buena was replaced by Amelle Berrabah in 2005, and Keisha Buchanan was replaced by Jade Ewen in 2009. However, they never stopped releasing absolute bangers. As well as the classics like ‘Push The Button’, ‘Freak Like Me’, ‘About You Now’ and ‘Hole In The Head’, their ballads such as ‘Caught In A Moment’ and ‘Too Lost In You’ really showcased their vocal talent. A decade on from the last Sugababes album, the original line-up are back together, having recently released a cover of Sweet Female Attitude’s ‘Flowers’ alongside DJ Spoony. They’re still as brilliant as always and deserve to be heralded as one of the best girl groups ever.
Becky Davies
Check out ‘Push The Button’, via Universal Island Records, down below.
Fifth Harmony
Fifth Harmony filled the gaping void in American girl groups for the 2010s; after rising to fame in One Direction fashion on X Factor USA, the five members auditioned as solo acts before being grouped together during their time on the talent show. Starting as girls from small towns they rose to become the most iconic girlband of their time, not unlike Destiny’s Child and The Pussycat Dolls. Fifth Harmony, commonly shortened to 5H, evolved the term ‘girl band’ even further with international hits ‘Work From Home’, ‘Worth It’ and the powerful, confidence boosting ‘That’s My Girl’. The term ‘girl band’ and girl power have been debated to reflect a cultural response to the crisis of female adolescence and the desperate need for female empowerment. Fifth Harmony deliver unlike any other girl band; they bring the positive vibes and mad sexy vocals that send chills, literal chills through your body. Not to mention the stunning goddesses Normani and Dinah-Jane who are wrongfully shadowed by Camila and Lauren (no shade implied Camila but Normani just brings it hard). Their lyrics and popular, catchy beats with hints of R&B give you that little boost of self-love and girl power. You can argue against me all you want but Fifth Harmony are the most iconic and girl power fuelled girl group of the 2010s. I’m praying they come out of hiatus for some brand spanking new girl power ballads.
Olivia Dellar
Check out Fifth Harmony’s ‘Worth It’, via Epic Records, down below.
Listen to our boy bands and girl groups playlist down below!
