From the golden age of Motown to Nineties classics and Noughties favourites, girl groups have continuously shaped the pop landscape and produced some of the most-loved music going.
Which means yesterday's news couldn't be more welcome: Girls Aloud are reportedly reuniting after ten years apart, and will be releasing a comeback single and going on tour next year.
According to The Sun, a source said: “This has been one of the best-kept secrets in pop, but it’s actually happening now.
“The girls really came back together as friends to rally around when Sarah died, and it repaired some of the old rifts and put things into perspective. Suddenly the reunion which had seemed totally impossible for so long just felt a totally natural thing to do — in Sarah’s honour.”
The band’s fifth member, Sarah Harding, died in September 2021 aged 39 from breast cancer.
So, with this in mind, as fans wait with baited breath for the group’s new track, we reflect on all the joy that girl bands have brought us over the years by picking our top ten favourite acts of all time, listed in no particular order.
Girls Aloud
After forming on ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals back in 2002, Girls Aloud became the first hugely successful group to have their origins in a talent show. The group enjoyed incredible success, recording 20 consecutive top 10 singles and four number one. It all began, of course, with their debut single Sound of the Underground in 2002. An extended streak of chart hits followed, along with their loveable appeal that made them one of the most compelling pop groups of the last 20 years.
Little Mix
As well as releasing some of the most memorable pop songs of twenty-tens – Black Magic, we’re looking at you – the X Factor-formed group, who broke up in 2020, were consistently vocal in their support of body positivity and girl power. In an age where social media trolling is unfortunately all too common, the messages that go hand in hand with Little Mix’s music feel especially relevant.
The Pointer Sisters
Although The Pointer Sisters first formed way back in 1969, their legacy more than lives on to this day. The group achieved their commercial peak in the mid Eighties, with the release of I’m So Excited and Automatic in 1982 and 1984 respectively. The girl group’s musical legacy went full circle when their best-selling single Jump (For My Love) was released as a single by Girls Aloud in 2003.
The Bangles
Pop-rockers The Bangles established themselves as one of the biggest acts of the Eighties after releasing the hugely popular singles Walk Like an Egyptian and Manic Monday. The songs introduced the group to the world in 1986, but it was 1989 number one Eternal Flame which really cemented their legacy. This quality piece of songwriting ensures they’ll be remembered as one of the finest girl groups of the decade – and, of course, it got a girl group cover from Atomic Kitten back in 2000.
The Shangri-Las
Hugely influential girl group the Shangri-Las first made their name with melodramatic, epic pop songs in the Sixties and left a lasting impression on the pop landscape. Their music was concerned primarily with troubling themes and telling thought-provoking stories: their unforgettable track Leader of the Pack, for example, was about doomed teenager couple, Betty and Jimmy. Jimmy dies in a motorcycle accident and it’s the emotional heft of the track as well as the group’s unforgettable delivery, which makes it so enduring.
All Saints
Although All Saints formed back in 1993, it was after Canadian twins Nicola and Natalie Appleton joined the gang that things really started to take off. First, their debut album, All Saints, landed at number two in the UK charts. Then, their single Pure Shores was used as the soundtrack of Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Beach (2000). It put them firmly at the forefront of the pop culture zeitgeist in the early Noughties, and they went on to sell 12 million albums. They’ve embarked on a fairly successful comeback in recent years, too, releasing new material and supporting Take That on a stadium tour after getting back together in 2013.
The Supremes
Any number of girl groups signed to Motown in the Sixties could have made this list, not least Martha and the Vandellas and The Marvelettes, but The Supremes are without a doubt one of the most influential acts on the iconic label’s roster. The group enjoyed 12 number one singles between 1964 and 1969, becoming Motown’s most successful and popular act of the decade. Songs like Baby Love, Stop! In the Name In Love and You Keep Me Hanging On are pop at its best, and while Diana Ross went on to leave the group and become a huge star in her own right, there’s a timeless nature to the music of The Supremes that will endure for decades to come.
TLC
As well as releasing No Scrubs, one of the greatest songs of the Nineties, TLC were far more culturally significant and influential than your average pop group. In fact, few best-selling songs are as impactful as TLC’s huge hit Waterfalls and its accompanying video, which makes references to the AIDS crisis and the illegal drug trade in the US. It was pretty groundbreaking at the time and remains a huge moment in the career of a truly great act, who were one of the top selling US girl groups of all time. Sadly, the music world mourned the loss of founding member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in 2002, but her musical legacy with TLC will never be forgotten.
Destiny’s Child
Before Beyoncé became the iconic feminist megastar we know and love today, she was one third of Noughties pop stalwarts Destiny’s Child. Accompanied by Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams in the group’s most widely recognised lineup, Destiny’s Child achieved a string of hits from 1997 to 2005, including Survivor, which has to go down as one of the most empowering songs of the Noughties.
Spice Girls
Not only are Spice Girls the most commercially successful British girl group of all time, with 80 million records sold during their career, they also have managed to retain their star power over the years. The group changed the face of pop music with the release of Wannabe in 1996 and supercharged a wave of Girl Power which captured the imaginations of millions across the world.
