Girls Aloud were formed on 30th November 2002, in front of millions of viewers on the ITV1 programme 'Popstars The Rivals'. Thousands of wannabes auditioned to a panel of celebrity judges throughout the summer of 2002. They were Pete Waterman (best known for launching the careers of Steps and Kylie Minogue), Louis Walsh (an Irish manager of many successful acts including Westlife, Boyzone and Samantha Mumba) and former Spice Girl/successful soloist Geri Halliwell. The judges narrowed the number of auditionees down to just 20 young hopefuls. The concept of the programme was to produce a boyband and a girlband who would be 'rivals', and battle it out for Christmas #1 2002. After week-by-week performances commencing from October 2002 until the end of November, five boys and five girls from the 20 finalists were voted into the bands via phone call voting. The 5 lucky girls who were voted into the band were Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts and Sarah Harding. Ironically, two members of the final line up weren't originally within a chance of making it into the girlband, as they hadn't even been chosen for the final 10 initially. After finalist Hazel Kaneswarren was disqualified for being too old, Kimberley was brought in as a replacement. Then another finalist, Nicola Ward, left the show after claiming that the pay the band would go onto receive was too poor, so Nicola Roberts was asked to replace her. Two years later, Nicola Ward joined the girl group Cookie.

The boyband (or as Pete Waterman preferred [insisted] on calling them 'a vocal harmony group') were Jamie Shaw, Keith Semple, Anton Gordon, Daniel Pearce and Matt Johnson.

Girls Aloud and One True Voice were born!

Louis Walsh became the girls' manager, and Girls Aloud were signed to the record label Polydor, home to many of Walsh's successful acts. Pete Waterman was therefore the boys' manager and similarly signed One True Voice up to record label Jive Records, home to his recently demised pop act Steps. Now both bands had been formed, there was full on promotion for their singles, including radio tours and numerous television appearances throughout December 2002. The boys released a double a side, 'Sacred Trust'/'After You're Gone (I'll Still Be Loving You)', but the girls decided on just one track - 'Sound Of The Underground', which had been previously recorded by a defunct girlband called Orchid. Girls Aloud also covered East 17's #1 classic 'Stay Another Day', but stressed that it was just a B Side.

Many people thought One True Voice would bag the Christmas #1 - not because their songs were better than Girls Aloud's single, but because the general consensus was that boybands gain a strong following than girlbands. After all, the majority of the record buying public consists of younger females, who would warm to a new boyband over a girlband - surely? However, whilst One True Voice's singles were criticised by many for being "boring" and "predictable", Girls Aloud's song became a big radio and music tv channel hit. Sound Of The Underground was getting more airplay and video votes than both of One True Voice's singles combined. Who was going to triumph in the Christmas release week? A lot of people across the nation, were proved wrong about their theory on boybands, that was for sure.

Girls Aloud beat their male rivals, One True Voice, to #1 with ease, and spent 4 whole weeks at the top of the chart! They broke a new record by achieving a #1 single in the shortest time after forming a band (just 22 days after 30th November, on the 22nd December 2002!) The single 'Sound Of The Underground' was the 17th Biggest Selling Single of 2002, after only 2wks of sale in 2002 and was also the 21st Biggest Selling Single of 2003! It went on to sell 560,000 copies, and achieved Platinum status. One True Voice had to settle for #2, and went on to achieve Silver status. After the concentrated promotion around Christmas, both bands kept a low profile, locked away recording tracks for their forthcoming albums for the next three to four months.

The Girls proved their popularity was more than just off the back of a talent show when their follow up release 'No Good Advice' entered straight in at #2 in May 2003, and went on to become the 56th Biggest Selling Single of 2003, selling around 105,000 copies. It was beaten to the top of the chart by the massive R Kelly - 'Ignition' hit, which went on to become one of the year's biggest sellers. 'No Good Advice' was voted 'The Best Single of 2003' by NME readers!

Girls Aloud's highly anticipated debut album 'Sound Of The Underground' was released on the 26th May 2003. It reached #2 in the albums charts, and overall became the 71st Biggest Selling Album of 2003. It went onto sell (with 2 versions) just short of 300,000 copies, achieving a Platinum disc. It apparently sold over a million copies worldwide, but this has never been confirmed.

Meanwhile, the girls' so called 'rivals' followed up their #2 with a single entering at #10, the rather naff titled 'Shakespeare's Way With Words'. It dropped down the chart like a stone. One True Voice split in August 2003, following the sudden departure of member Daniel. People put down the boyband's lack of success to badly chosen songs and a manager 'stuck in the dark ages'.

It was clear who had won the "battle" by now, as Girls Aloud showed no signs of failing anytime soon. The girls continued in fine form following the split of their 'rivals', promoting their 3rd single 'Life Got Cold', which entered the chart at #3. There was a lack of CD2 formats distributed to stores, thus its overall chart position suffered - they were just 500 copies behind Lemar, who's 'Dance With U' entered at #2. Blu Cantrell's massive #1 smash hit 'Breathe' was at #1. However the #3 placing wasn't all bad news, because it saw Girls Aloud become the first group in history to have their first 3 singles go 1-2-3 in the chart. 'Life Got Cold' went on to become the 92nd biggest selling single of 2003, and sold roughly 80,000 copies in total.

Although Girls Aloud were hugely successful throughout 2003, on a personal level it was a tough year for one particular member of Girls Aloud - Cheryl Tweedy. Back in early January 2003, Cheryl and fellow band mate Nicola went for a night out at "The Drink" nightclub in Guildford. However, their night out ended with disastrous consequences.

Cheryl was accused of punching toilet attendant Sophie Amogbokpa in the face. It was claimed that Amogbopka demanded payment for two lollypops Cheryl had picked up, and a drunken Cheryl lashed out. Amogbopka made allegations that Cheryl had called her a "f**king black bitch". Amogbopka went to hospital with a severely bruised eye. However, Cheryl said: "She called me a bitch so I told her to get lost. Then she punched me in the face. I hit her back and called her a f**king bitch. I only acted in self-defence because I was hit first. I admit I may have called her a bitch in the heat of the moment but I never made any racist comments to her. I am really distraught people are accusing me of racism, it couldn't be further from the truth." Cheryl was arrested on the night of the attack, and was granted police bail the following morning.

In March, Cheryl was charged with racially aggravated assault. Cheryl said in a statement "I have always maintained that I am entirely innocent of the accusations that have been made, and I am determined to prove my innocence."

The court case carried on well into the year, and came to a climax in October 2003. Cheryl found the court case very tough, and even broke down in tears during a court appearance.

Cheryl's side of the story: She said she only punched Amogbopka because she was 'scared' and that Sophie threw the first punch. Cheryl said she picked up some lollypops and reached into her bag to find money to pay when she was hit in the right side of her face. She was 'stunned' by the blow and shouted to fellow band member Nicola Roberts to fetch the club's manager. Cheryl went on to say she felt "scared, upset and angry" and was worried about what was going to happen next. Cheryl said: "As I took the lollipops it became apparent that there was a problem. I do not remember what she (Mrs Amogbokpa) was saying but she was gesturing with her hands and she was ranting and raving. At first I thought maybe it was the amount I was taking. I always intended to pay ... it did not make any difference as far as I was concerned."

Nicola Roberts was called to give evidence, and said Amogbokpa punched Cheryl twice in the face before Cheryl hit back - under cross-examination, she denied having made that up. Nicola said "She (Tweedy) just retaliated in self defence as anybody would if they had been punched in the face. I'm not going to lie for anybody. At the end of the day it's my life, my career, I'm not going to lie for anybody."
The jury on the court case said: "Cheryl Tweedy from Girls Aloud is not above the law because she is a celebrity." They also said she was "full of her own self importance" on the night she allegedly punched Amogbopka, due to experiencing a few weeks of "meteoric success".

Cheryl was found guilty of "assault occasioning actual bodily harm", but was cleared of racially aggravated assault. Cheryl avoided going to prison, but was ordered to do 120 hours of community service, and ordered to pay her victim £500 compensation and pay £3000 in prosecution costs. Fans feared this incident would damage the band's popularity - Sarah was quoted to have said that if Cheryl had to leave the band (or indeed, was imprisoned), then all of Girls Aloud would all leave the group. (i.e. split up). Thankfully, the band's popularity didn't slide at all following the guilty verdict, and success thankfully continued.

Detective Constable Russ Cannon, who led the investigation, said: "The conviction in court today, following a thorough investigation, sends out a clear message that offences of this nature will not be tolerated. ABH is a serious offence and will always be dealt with accordingly."

The court case and verdict is something Girls Aloud now don't wish to discuss, as they have moved on from the incident. 

Overcoming the court case, Girls Aloud bounced back, releasing their 4th single the following month, a cover of the Pointer Sisters 80s hit 'Jump (For My Love)', and featured on the soundtrack to the box office smash hit film 'Love Actually' starring Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, and many other famous names. The Girls Aloud version hadn't appeared on the Sound Of The Underground album, so it was essentially a brand new release. The title was shortened to just 'Jump' and entered the official chart at #2, beaten by a boyband who were far bigger threat than One True Voice ever were - Westlife. Their cover of 'Mandy' beat the girls to #1 and was even voted the best song of 2003 on 'Record Of The Year'. However, Jump did very well for Girls Aloud, and after only 6wks of sale, became the 42nd biggest selling single of 2003! To date it is their 2nd biggest selling single, selling 175,000 in total.

Another random fact: Although Girls Aloud had no number one singles in 2003, both their #2 hits sold more than popular pop/rock group Busted's two #1 hits of the year, released around the same times! Girls Aloud's 'No Good Advice' was the 56th Best Seller compared with the Busted #1 'You Said No's 59th placing (released in April and May respectively) // Girls Aloud's 'Jump' was the 42nd Best Seller to the Busted #1 'Crashed The Wedding's 48th placing (both released in November - Busted the week before Girls Aloud). This goes to prove positions are not everything, and Girls Aloud Singles sell strongly!

In time for Christmas, Sound Of The Underground the album was re-released, including 'Jump' and some new bonus tracks. It only reached #42, in a month of extremely strong album sales. Despite missing the top 40, it sold quite well for a re-issue, just fewer than 100,000. It included a new song 'You Freak Me Out' which featured on the soundtrack to the Disney film 'Freaky Friday', and was rumoured to be the Girls' first single release in 2004, but was cancelled.

After a short break at the beginning of 2004, the girls started to write their 2nd album. After months of speculation, the girls returned to the charts with their 5th single, titled 'The Show'. Some critics compared it to the Spice Girls' 1997 #1 hit 'Spice Up Your Life' for its funky background music. The video for The Show saw the girls acting under different personalities working in a Salon: kitsch but fun! Released at the end of June 2004, it went head-to-head with Usher, R 'n' B's man of the moment after massive success in 2004 so far all over the globe with his single 'Yeah' and album 'Confessions'. His follow up single 'Burn' proved too big for Girls Aloud to contend with, and even found themselves struggling for a #2 place, behind Britney Spears #1 hit 'Everytime', which was continuing to sell strongly. 'The Show' eventually reached #2 on the official chart, after weekend sales, making it the 3rd time they'd been runners up in the singles chart and entered at #2. Unfortunately it is currently their worst seller to date.

The next single the girls released was 'Love Machine'.  The quirky pop track entered at #2 in September 2004 making it their 6th Top 3 single in a row, despite minimal radio support.  This meant Girls Aloud were the first female group since the Spice Girls to achieve this.  Love Machine was also a big hit on the then-recently launched download chart, peaking at #6 and became the 15th most legally downloaded hit of 2004. It was still on the download chart into 2005.

Eric Prydz massive club hit 'Call On Me' beat 'Love Machine' to #1, and went on to spend 5 weeks at #1, becoming one of the years biggest sellers.  However 'Love Machine' has gone on to stand the test of time - not only is it a fan favourite, but it's one of their most recognised hit singles.  It was even covered by the Arctic Monkeys on Radio 1's Live Lounge,

In November, 'I'll Stand By You' was released. The 3rd release from the forthcoming album 'What Will The Neighbours Say?' is 2004's Children In Need Single, chosen over the likes of Geri Halliwell and Busted. It was expected to end Girls Aloud's drought of number ones, and shoot to the top. And despite many negative reviews - it did! After the high exposure of Children In Need night on the 19th November 2004, sales for 'I'll Stand By You' reached an incredible 57,597 for its first week sales. Incredibly, this #1 hit arrived a whole 100wks after their first chart topper 'Sound Of The Underground' hit #1! The single spent two weeks at #1, beating the likes of Geri and Brian McFadden to the top! It's overall total sales were 150,000. The single has been a big hit on the radio too (becoming their most radio-played single since No Good Advice), peaking at #10!

The long awaited second album 'What Will The Neighbours Say?' hit shelves on the 29th November 2004. Critics were very favourable of the album, some going as far as calling it the 'best pop album of 2004'. Praise indeed, but would the album perform well on the chart? The answer is yes! Despite missing the top 5 (entering at #6) it did staggeringly well - it became the highest new entry of the week, beating off competition such as Lemar and Brian McFadden! It also sold 85,717 copies - double the amount their debut sold in its first week. It went on to sell a quarter of a million copies in just three weeks, and by the years end, with just 5 weeks of sale, it had sold 391,629 copies! It has gone Platinum, and has become a huge favourite with all the fans (and critics). What Will The Neighbours Say? was confirmed to have sold 453,969 copies in thirteen weeks, and in total around 490,000 copies.

The 8th single 'Wake Me Up' was released on the 21st February 2005. Hype around the single kicked off in early January, with reports suggesting the girls had had to re-record the lyrics of the song so it doesn't refer to alcohol and under-age drinking. Lines such "Was it just the margaritas, or are you talking to me?" were amongst those supposedly getting the chop, so the girls could perform it on child-friendly music shows such as CD:UK and Top Of The Pops. However, they were obviously rumours, as throughout promotion (and on the eventually released single), the single version had exactly the same lyrics. The video sees the girls riding motorbikes, complete with a rather sexy attitude-laden image, which received a rather mixed response from their fans! The song managed to get B-listed on Radio 1, and also made #2 on The Box's video request chart.
However, all things have to come to an end, and with this release Girls Aloud ended their so far unbroken Top 3 singles run. Wake Me Up reached #4 (Not bad considering it was midweek #5 all week) and just missed out on the Top 3 by a few thousand sales. However, this was a very good result for the single, and in turn managed to keep their album comfortably in the charts as well! It has sold around 50,000 copies.

The single scheduled for release after Wake Me Up was initially confirmed as 'Wicked Game', a cover of the 1990 hit by Chris Issak. Cheryl Tweedy even spoke to the site Popjustice, saying their version of the classic song was "very good".  It was scheduled for a 30th May 2005 release date, but was shortly cancelled. The excuse given was that the girls' wanted to concentrate on their tour without the pressure of a new single.  To date the song 'Wicked Game' has not surfaced, and has not been included on the 'Chemistry' album, or even as a B Side.  Mysterious!

The girls have always wanted to tour. A tour was originally scheduled in 2003, as part of the "Popstars: The Rivals Tour". Unfortunately that tour, alongside One True Voice was "cancelled due to a lack of interest". However at the time, Girls Aloud's spokesperson said: "This doesn't affect the girls - they'll do their own tour." And two years on, that is just what they went and did!

Girls Aloud announced in December 2004 that they would be finally touring, and 'What Will The Neighbours Say - Live!' kicked off in May 2005! Tickets went on sale on the 10th of December 2004, and nearly all of the venues were sellouts. Girls Aloud kicked off their first tour in Rhyl (2nd May 2005) as a "warm up" to their first big venue - Nottingham on the 4th of May, and ended at Dublin's Olympia (2nd June 2005). The girls have received a mixed response from critics, but most comments leaned towards the positive!  Undoubtedly the fans enjoyed the long awaited tour.  The tour, which was mostly performed live, gave their fans a taste of what the girls are really made of. Their May 29th date at the Hammersmith Apollo was released on DVD six months later.

Girls Aloud hired a new manager, Hilary Shaw in April 2005. She is handling the girls' "day to day affairs". It was reported that Girls Aloud had become frustrated with Louis Walsh, as they don't seem to be his #1 priority - he is seemingly concentrating on other acts like G4 and Westlife. Sarah even spoke her mind on the Radio about Louis whilst the girls were on tour!

Girls Aloud released their first DVD 'Girls On Film' on June 13th. It peaked at #5 in the Music DVD Charts, and spent 3 months in the Top 30!

Girls Aloud merchandise is available to buy, including a Year Book annual, a 2006 calendar, Barbie Dolls and more besides. A Tour DVD was released on 7th November and peaked at #6 in the Music DVD Charts.

An hour long documentary "Girls Aloud: Home Truths" was shown in October 2005 on ITV2, showing that after 3 years of success Girls Aloud were still very much grounded, and preparing for the release of their third album with much enthusiasm.

It was just under two months since the completion of their debut tour that Girls Aloud announced they'd be releasing a brand new single. Their 9th single (and first single from upcoming third album 'Chemistry') 'Long Hot Summer' hit shelves on 22nd August 2005. However, it didn't sell as well as their previous singles, and became their first single to miss the Top 5 - it entered at #7. And the single certainly didn't have a Long Hot Chart Run, as the single had slipped out of the Top 40 after just a month. It went on to sell around 45,000 copies in total.

But that was just a temporary blip - Girls Aloud came storming back with a vengeance with their next single 'Biology', a song that yet again demonstrated the unique, yet perfect, marriage between Girls Aloud and Xenomania.  Released on 14th November 2005, the single entered straight in at #4, becoming their 10th Top 10 hit in a row.  They became the first female group since the Spice Girls to achieve this! The single has sold roughly 85,000 copies in total.

Their long awaited third album 'Chemistry' was released on 5th December 2005.  It entered at #11 - their first UK release not to make the Top 10.  However Chemistry has done brilliantly.  It had sold enough copies in its first week to have been #1 in 22 weeks of the year 2005!  Its first week sales stood at 81,962 copies.  In its 3rd week of sale (the Christmas chart week) Chemistry sold just under 100,000 copies - the highest amount of albums they've ever sold in one week.  To date the album has sold around 310,000 copies.

Only 5 weeks after the release of 'Biology', 'See The Day' hit the shelves, competing in the Christmas chart.  It ended up entering at #9, their lowest charting single to date, but it sold over 20,000 copies - a great amount for a relatively low peak.  It also became their 11th Top 10 single in a row - meaning they're the first girl group ever to achieve this feat (from debut single), and have since gone on to break their own record.

Up to this point they were the 9th best selling British Singles act of the 21st Century, behind Craig David, Sugababes, Blue, Robbie Williams, S Club 7, Atomic Kitten, Gareth Gates & Will Young.

Girls Aloud started off 2006 by going down under to promote 'Biology' in Australia & New Zealand.  It was rumoured that depending on their success in these countries, they'd try to crack America, but at the time of writing there are still no plans for the group to promote there.  'Biology' peaked at a relatively disappointing #26 in Australia, and the album 'Chemistry' did not make their Top 50.  'Biology' was followed up with a release of 'The Show' in the early summer, but with no promotion it became their worst charting single there to date, reaching #67.

Their latest single 'Whole Lotta History' became one of the first singles to enter the official Top 200 combined chart on downloads only (without a physical format).  From the 6th March 2006 all singles will chart a week before physical release on the strength of their download sales only.  'Whole Lotta History' entered at #80.  With the physical release on 13th March, the single zoomed up to #6.  They're currently still the only act to enter outside the Top 75 on downloads and climb into the Top 10 the following week.  It became their 12th Top 10 in a row - thus breaking their own record!  'Whole Lotta History' was widely recognised as one of the highlight tracks from the album 'Chemistry', with many critics comparing it to the huge 1990s hit 'Never Ever' by All Saints.  Unfortunately 'Whole Lotta History' did not touch the million selling success of 'Never Ever', and actually became Girls Aloud's worst selling single to date, selling just over 30,000 copies in total.

In early March it was announced that a new pop-orientated Polydor label would be launching, named Fascination, with Peter Loraine (former Top Of The Pops magazine editor) taking charge.  He has worked with Polydor since 1998.  Polydor co-president David Joseph believes the pop artists currently signed to Polydor required a more focused team around them - "The traditional pop market as we knew it has changed; with the focus Peter and Fascination can provide, we want to re-energise this whole area."  Priority acts include Girls Aloud, with future albums released via Fascination.

A 6-part documentary was aired on E4 - "Girls Aloud: Off The Record", which ran from 11th April 2006 to the 16th May 2006.  The series was a fly on the wall documentary following the chart topping group behind the scenes; a look at their professional and personal lives.  The documentary was released on DVD on 4th September 2006, and includes an unseen Pilot episode.

It was rumoured that a 5th single 'Models' would be uplifted from 'Chemistry' in May to coincide with their tour and documentary, but this unfortunately never materialised.  However, the song was included as an extra track on a future single.

Their first arena tour "Chemistry 2006" was a sell-out across the UK.  They performed 10 dates, starting at the Nottingham Arena on May 22nd and climaxing at Wembley Arena on June 3rd.  The tour got mainly positive/favourable reviews from critics and fans alike.  "Chemistry 2006" was a notable step up from the "What Will The Neighbours Say? 2005" tour, with a bigger budget to work with and a longer set list - featuring all their hit singles bar 'Life Got Cold', plus numerous tracks from 'Chemistry'.  Their cover of the Kaiser Chief's 'I Predict A Riot' went down a storm, and they also performed a medley of Musical hits including 'Fame', 'What A Feeling' and 'Footloose'.  A tour DVD has yet to be confirmed, but will presumably be released in time for the Christmas market.

In early June 2006, The Sun newspaper ran a story on Kimberley, showing a picture of what appeared to be her smoking a lighted spliff.  The newspaper reported that Kimberley had "immediately owned up" to them when questioned about it, and that she apologised to her young fans and their parents for being a bad role model and that she was ashamed.  She apparently told the newspaper: "I realise what I did was wrong, especially as I'm in a position where fans look up to you. I got caught up in a moment and I'm sorry".  It was said that the incident happened in a private home, and that the picture was never expected to leak.  The rest of Girls Aloud apparently told her "it's not the end of the world" after she apologised to them.  However, Kimberley's father dismissed the Sun's article as "absolute rubbish" to a local Bradford paper (where Kimberley and her family come from) , therefore contradicting Kimberley's apology.  He said that Kimberley had told him that she'd been pressured by the tabloid into apologising for something she hadn't done.  He went on to say that it wasn't a spliff, but simply a rolled up cigarette that wasn't even lit, and that it was being passed around the room, with Kimberley "putting it in her mouth for a joke".  Mr Walsh went on to say that Kimberley doesn't even smoke cigarettes, that she is anti-drugs and smoking and that she takes her responsibility to her fans seriously.  Thankfully the newspaper's claims didn't cause much drama, and was very quickly forgotten about, not damaging the group's image whatsoever.

After meeting in Australia in March, Nadine Coyle and American actor Jesse Metcalfe (famous for his role in Desperate Housewives and more recently in movie John Tucker Must Die) started dating, and confirmed their relationship in a June issue of OK! magazine.

Around this time, both Sarah & Nadine confirmed on their official website that no members were planning on leaving the group, after a couple of false articles were written.  Sarah confirmed that the group had "loads of exciting stuff planned" so she'd be "crazy to even think of going!"

Over June & July, Cheryl kept fans informed on the state of the group, dismissing rumours that she would leave the group after marrying Ashley Cole.  She was quoted in OK! magazine saying:  "Of course I have no plans to give up Girls Aloud just yet. We have so much left to do. I'll just have to juggle being a mum and a popstar!" (Note: Cheryl isn't pregnant).

The couple got married on 15th July 2006, and the rest of Girls Aloud were her bridesmaids, squashing further rumours that there were fights within the band.  Cheryl was quoted in her Wedding issue of OK! magazine saying:  "Oh God, there's been this rumour [That Girls Aloud are about to split up] ever since we got together.  I swear it's just this one journalist who does the same story every other week.  He clearly doesn't have anything to write about.  We're definitely not splitting up.  We know our schedule for next year!  We're not going anywhere.  Get used to it!"

Cheryl was also asked about whether she got on with Nadine after there was a story that they didn't get on.  She replied:  "I just don't know what more to say on this.  I've got no problem with Nadine, I've got no problem with any of the band."

Girls Aloud performed at the V festival in August 2006, which is a brave step for the band, even though the festival is very welcoming of different musical genres.  On the day the girls went down well with the crowd, with only one bottle thrown at the stage!  The pop act were so successful at the festival, that the tent had to be closed off to ensure there was no over crowding.

Over the Summer, rumours began that the next album release from Girls Aloud would be a Greatest Hits.  Cheryl confirmed to DigitalSpy in July that the girls had been back in the studio writing and had recorded material for a proposed Greatest Hits:  "After our tour finished we went into the studio to record three new songs for the Greatest Hits," Cheryl told the Daily Star. "We've come up with six tracks we love and are now thinking we should do a new studio album instead.  When Ashley and I get back from honeymoon we'll have a meeting with our record label and see about putting back the Greatest Hits. Pop is on a roll right now with Lily Allen and Nelly Furtado - and we want to continue being a part of it".

As it turned out, the Greatest Hits went ahead after all - "The Sound Of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits" was released on 30th October 2006 on 2 formats - a standard 1 disc version and a limited edition deluxe 2 disc version.  The album features all 14 of their hit singles.

The lead single from the album was "Something Kinda Ooooh", which went straight in at #5 on the official charts on download sales only following its digital release on 16th October 2006, making them the first British Act to enter the Top 10 on downloads only.  The following week they climbed to #3 on full release, making it the first time they'd graced the Top 3 since #1 hit "I'll Stand By You" nearly two years previously.  The single has proved to be a huge success for the girls, which was just what they needed after the lukewarm reception to third album "Chemistry" and its singles - "Something Kinda Ooooh" is currently on its 11th week inside the Top 40 and was still as high as #21 on 31st December 2006.  It is their biggest selling single since "I'll Stand By You", and their fourth biggest selling single ever.

The following week "The Sound Of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits" managed a feat which not even their most devoted fans had thought possible - it went straight in at #1, blowing all other competition out of the water - the girls' first album to peak at #1, and their first appearance in the UK Top 5 albums chart since their debut album "Sound Of The Underground" peaked at #2.  So far the album has sold just over 700,000 in 3 months, 84,000 of which were sold in its first week and 130,000 in the Christmas week - the highest amount of albums Girls Aloud have sold in a single week.  It is their best selling album to date, and was the 16th best selling album of 2006.  It was also the best selling Greatest Hits of the year (Oasis' collection "Stop The Clocks" sold more, however it didn't actually contain a great deal of their biggest hits) and the best selling album by a female group.  It is also (to the writer's knowledge, but not 100% known to be) the only Greatest Hits compilation by a British female group to reach #1.

Their May 2006 "Chemistry Tour" from Wembley was released on 13th November, albeit with a name change to "The Greatest Hits Live From Wembley" to coincide with the Greatest Hit's album release.  It proved to be a best selling music DVD, reclimbing in the Top 20 over the Christmas period.

The second release from the Greatest Hits album was a cover of Tiffany's 1980s hit "I Think We're Alone Now", in a newly remixed form for its single release.  It was Girls Aloud's third attempt at bagging a Christmas #1, but with X Factor finalist Leona Lewis guaranteed the festive #1, Girls Aloud were never going to manage it - no one else would either.  It went on to reach #4 after debuting at #50 on downloads the week previous.  It thus became Girls Aloud's 14th Top 10 in a row, making them the first girl group to achieve over 13 Top 10s, taking the record away from Atomic Kitten & The Supremes.  It was also their 11th Top 5, making them the first girl group to achieve over 10 Top 5s, taking the record away from the Spice Girls.

After a hugely successful 2006, the girls entered 2007 on top of their game.  Their next release was a duet with Britain's other leading girl group the Sugababes - a cover of Aerosmith & Run DMC's hit "Walk This Way", with all proceeds going towards the Comic Relief 2007 appeal.  This made Girls Aloud & Sugababes are the first females to front a Comic Relief single for a decade, the last being the Spice Girls in 1997.  The single received its first airplay on 31st January, to coincide with the Comic Relief launch.  The single was released on March 12th, four days before Red Nose Day on March 16th, on which they performed.  Like many previous Comic Relief singles before it, the "super girl group" went straight in at #1.

Unfortunately the single's success was limited.  With minimal promotion & media support, it sold just over 50,000 in its first week, way down on the units shifted by previous Comic Relief singles.  Then it freefell down the chart, spending just 4 weeks in the Top 40 and 6 weeks in the Top 75.  Total sales currently stand at 95,000 copies, indeed making it both Girls Aloud's & the Sugababes' least successful #1.

It is fair to say the single was completely overshadowed by another single release from Comic Relief - Peter Kay & Matt Lucas joined forces with the Proclaimers to release a comedy version of (I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles.  Knocking Walk This Way off the top spot after one week, the single spent three weeks at #1 and sold over three times the amount of copies in total.

Fresh off the back of scoring a #1 Greatest Hits album, tickets went on sale for the Greatest Hits tour in November 2006.  The main tour dates kicked off in Newcastle on 13th May 2007 and came to a close in Belfast on 2nd June 2007.

They revisited all of the arenas they performed at on last year's Chemistry tour, but extended the number of dates to 16, including two gigs in Ireland.

13 of the 16 dates were sell outs, making it Girls Aloud's best selling tour to date, performing to more people than ever before.

The show came under early criticism.  Said to be "Madonna-like" and extremely raunchy, the girls showed off their figures in fishnet tights & corsets.  There was also a rumour that one dance move simulating sex, prompting a mother to disallow her daughter to see the show despite already having bought tickets, according to a report.  A spokesman for the band apparently said of this story: "Girls Aloud are NOT aimed at a teenage audience and they never have been.  They have built a prolonged and successful and critically acclaimed career by aiming at young adults. Their new tour has been designed to reflect that."

The tour celebrated all but one of Girls Aloud's hit singles up to May 2007 (See The Day was left off the setlist) and generally got rave reviews from both fans & critics.

It is likely that this tour will not see a DVD release.

After a hugely successful Greatest Hits album & tour, Girls Aloud showed no signs of flagging, and were straight back in the Xenomania studios to record their fourth studio album.

The first single taken from the girls' fourth album 'Tangled Up' was 'Sexy! No No No...'. Band member Sarah described the single as "a great new edgy sound", while Cheryl said of the single prior to its debut: "[It's] fantastic, it's good, put it that way".

It received its first radio play on 20th July 2007, and its first television performance followed two days later at the T4 on the Beach concert. The single's video is described by Kimberley as "arty and different"!

'Sexy! No No No...' was released on Friday 31st August 2007 to download, and managed to chart on the strength of just two days worth of sales at #64. When released physically on 3rd September 2007, the single shot up the charts to #5, becoming Girls Aloud's 16th Top 10 hit in a row - an outstanding achievement that was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records 2007. The single went on to sell over 80,000 copies.

The next single from the girls was 'Call The Shots'. The song is quoted to be Cheryl's favourite song from the 'Tangled Up' album, saying to The Daily Star before its release: "It's my favourite track. It gives me goosebumps."

The song was played on radio for the first time on 16th October 2007, and went on to become the most successful Girls Aloud song on radio, reaching #1 on 23rd December 2007. The video premiered on 17th October 2007, and was filmed on Malibu Beach in LA - only the second video Girls Aloud filmed abroad. It became their most viewed video on YouTube with over 2m views.

The single was available on download sites from 19th November 2007, and entered the UK Top 75 at #9 - preventing the physically released Spice Girls' single 'Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)', their first in 7 years, from reaching the Top 10. Released a week later on CD, 'Call The Shots' climbed to #3, staying there for a fortnight. It went on to become Girls Aloud's most successful single since their debut single, going on to spend 21 weeks in the Top 75, and selling nearly a quarter of a million.

The theme of Girls Aloud's fourth studio album 'Tangled Up' is described by Kimberley as "Girls Aloud, but more grown up and edgier, along the lines of 'Something Kinda Ooooh' and 'Sexy! No No No...'". During the recording process, Cheryl said to Fascination Record's site: "It's definitely heading in a more mature direction. We're not necessarily singing about things that we would have when we were 16. Now we're singing about things that you talk about in your early 20s. There aren't very many ballads. At the moment there's only one! The rest are mid-tempo and then there's obviously the typical Girls Aloud bangers. There's even a garage sounding track on there."

Released on 19th November 2007, the album opened at #4 with first week sales of nearly 50,000 - their first studio album to reach Top 5 since their debut release. The album went on to be their longest lasting on the charts, spending 32 weeks in the Top 75, with sales well over 400,000.

Singles: