Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
reality TV show ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
''
franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
. The group, who were signed to
Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
, originally consisted of
Danny Foster,
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is a British musician, singer, presenter, model and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...
,
Kym Marsh
Kimberley Gail Ratcliff (''née'' Marsh, previously Ryder and Lomas; born 13 June 1976) is an English actress, television presenter and singer. In 2001, she won a place in the band Hear'Say as a result of appearing on the reality television ser ...
,
Suzanne Shaw
Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...
, and
Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan (born 28 July 1980 as Noel John Hayes) is a Welsh singer and actor. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the talent show '' Popstars''.
Early life
Sulli ...
.
Hear'Say achieved instant fame, breaking chart records with their debut single "
Pure and Simple" and the album ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
''. However, their second album failed to match this success.
In January 2002, Marsh left Hear'Say due to conflicts with Klass and Sullivan. She was replaced by former
Boom! member
Johnny Shentall
Johnny Shentall (born John George Shentall; 3 September 1978) is a British pop singer. He was first a member of the pop group Boom! before joining another pop group, Hear'Say in 2002. He is married to Steps band member Lisa Scott-Lee.
Caree ...
a month later. During a summer promotional tour, Hear'Say were constantly harassed by members of the public.
"Lovin' Is Easy", the group's only single to be released with Shentall, failed to make a commercial impact. Hear'Say announced their split in October 2002, twenty months after their formation, citing "abuse from the public" as the main reason for their demise. After the band's break-up, all members went on to achieve individual success elsewhere in the entertainment industry.
History
2000–2001: Formation, ''Popstars'' and ''Everybody''
Over the course of six weeks in late 2000, thousands of hopeful singers attended open television auditions for
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
'' talent show. The contestants were judged by
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe OBE (; born 9 July 1949), also known as Nasty Nigel, is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the ...
, Paul Adam (director of A&R at
Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
, who had rights to the finished group), and
Nicki Chapman
Nicola Chapman, known professionally as Nicki Chapman (born 14 January 1967) is an English television & radio presenter, talent show judge and public relations agent who previously worked in the British pop music industry.
Chapman was a judg ...
, who had worked with the
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...
. The judges reduced the contestants to a group of ten, before visiting each of them at their homes to reveal whether or not they had been selected for the group. The five chosen singers –
Danny Foster,
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is a British musician, singer, presenter, model and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...
,
Kym Marsh
Kimberley Gail Ratcliff (''née'' Marsh, previously Ryder and Lomas; born 13 June 1976) is an English actress, television presenter and singer. In 2001, she won a place in the band Hear'Say as a result of appearing on the reality television ser ...
,
Suzanne Shaw
Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...
, and
Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan (born 28 July 1980 as Noel John Hayes) is a Welsh singer and actor. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the talent show '' Popstars''.
Early life
Sulli ...
– formed Hear'Say. The five unsuccessful finalists went on to form the group Liberty (later renamed
Liberty X
Liberty X (originally called Liberty) are a British-Irish group originally consisting of Michelle Heaton, Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young. The group was formed by the five finalists of the 2001 ITV talent show ''Popstars' ...
after a legal dispute). The programme documented Hear'Say recording and promoting their first single with the series ending on the night the single charted in the UK Singles Chart. ''Popstars'' became an instant success, taking in audiences of over 10 million viewers.
In March 2001, Hear'Say released their first single, "
Pure and Simple", a cover of a little-known album track by
Girl Thing
Girl Thing were an English-Dutch girl group, consisting of members Jodi Albert, Anika Bostelaar, Linzi Martin, Michelle Barber and Nikki Stuart. They were formed in 1998 by Simon Cowell and were originally intended to rival the Spice Girls, b ...
. The song went straight to number one on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in March 2001, selling just under 550,000 copies.
"Pure and Simple" was the fastest-selling debut single at the time, as well as the fastest-selling non-
charity single
A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity.
George Harrison's " Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-mad ...
– a record beaten a year later by ''
Pop Idol
''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...
'' winner
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 Pop Idol (series 1), inaugural series of the ITV (TV network), ITV talent contest ''Pop Idol'', making him the f ...
.
The track spent two more weeks at number one.
With the release of their debut album ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
'', Hear'Say became the first act in UK chart history to simultaneously top the UK Singles Chart and
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
with their debut releases.
''Popstars'' sold 306,631 copies in its first week, breaking yet another record for fastest-selling debut album.
The album featured cover versions of "Monday Monday" by
the Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...
and "
Bridge over Troubled Water" by
Simon & Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...
, alongside original tracks purchased for the group.
Hear'Say released their second single, "
The Way to Your Love
"The Way to Your Love" is the second single from British pop group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of ''Popstars''. The song was written and produced by Norwegian production team StarGate and was released as the second and final single fro ...
", in June 2001. The song became their second consecutive number-one single.
The group were invited to perform at the 80th birthday celebrations of
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...
. Hear'Say went on to present their own ITV show called ''Hear'Say It's Saturday'', which featured performances, comedy sketches and celebrity guests. This followed on from a mini-series named ''Meet the Popstars'' which was intended to allow the public to get to know the group and their music away from the talent show format. In August 2001, Hear'Say toured the United Kingdom. They initially announced five dates which quickly sold out, causing the band to schedule thirty more dates.
However, the new dates struggled to sell out as hundreds of tickets remained unsold.
The group also released a live DVD.
Whilst on tour, the group began recording their second studio album, ''Everybody''. In November 2001, just nine months after the release of their debut album, Hear'Say released ''Everybody''. The album was preceded by a single of the same name. The single debuted at number four, while the album crept into the chart at number 24.
''Everybody'' went on to sell just one fifth as many copies as ''Popstars''. Despite the second album's lack of success, it did achieve Gold status by the BPI but over a decade after its release and plans were made for an arena tour but these were later cancelled.
2001–2002: Line-up changes, decline and break-up
Tabloids began reporting that Kym Marsh, who had gained attention due to her relationship with former ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' actor
Jack Ryder, had left the band following feuds with bandmate Myleene Klass.
A representative for Hear'Say denied the reports, stating: "Everybody who is involved with Hear'Say will be sitting down this week to discuss the future. Kym Marsh is still with the band."
However, in January 2002, Kym Marsh announced that she was leaving Hear'Say, later revealing she often fought with Klass and Noel Sullivan. Auditions were held to find Marsh's replacement.
The audition process was televised in segments of ''
This Morning'', an ITV daily morning show, mirroring the procedure during which the original members of Hear'Say were chosen.
Johnny Shentall
Johnny Shentall (born John George Shentall; 3 September 1978) is a British pop singer. He was first a member of the pop group Boom! before joining another pop group, Hear'Say in 2002. He is married to Steps band member Lisa Scott-Lee.
Caree ...
, husband of
Steps singer
Lisa Scott-Lee
Lisa Scott-Lee (born 5 November 1975) is a Welsh singer and member of the pop group Steps, formed in 1997. Scott-Lee signed a record deal with Mercury Records and launched a solo career in 2003 although her success was limited after the release ...
, won the auditions, joining the group on 5 February 2002.
Controversy erupted when it was found out that Shentall had previously been a member of short-lived pop group
Boom! and a back-up dancer for Hear'Say.
In March 2002, Hear'Say cancelled their planned arena tour to allow Shentall time to "settle in" to the group.
Hear'Say began recording their third album. During the summer of 2002, the group toured the UK radio roadshows circuit, where they were constantly booed and abused by members of the public, with a performance in Brighton being cut short due to the animosity concerned – evidence of the degree of public animosity that had built up. During the tour, the group's vehicle was threatened by an apparently armed man at a motorway service area on the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
in Leicestershire.
The man, later arrested, claimed to have been playing a prank on the group. In August 2002, Hear'Say released their only single with Shentall, entitled "Lovin' Is Easy". The track had a new sophisticated feel in an attempt to regenerate interest in the group's music. The single became Hear'Say's lowest charting single to date when it peaked at number six.
Media reports suggested that Polydor Records wanted the single to at least reach the UK Top 5. Following the disappointing sales of the single, it was thought that they would be dropped by the label, though no official word came from Polydor.
Hear'Say split up on 1 October 2002, citing "abuse from the public" as the main reason.
The group admitted to being a
fad
A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period.
Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short- ...
that had passed.
Hear'Say's popularity had been eclipsed by that of
Liberty X
Liberty X (originally called Liberty) are a British-Irish group originally consisting of Michelle Heaton, Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young. The group was formed by the five finalists of the 2001 ITV talent show ''Popstars' ...
, a band composed of the five other finalists of ''Popstars''.
Discography
Albums
Singles
Filmography
*''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
'' (2001)
*''
ITV Panto
The ITV Panto is a series of televised pantomimes originally broadcast on ITV in 1998, 2000, and 2002, and have Rerun for over the last 20 years since they were filmed. All written by Simon Nye, they included an array of celebrities playing the l ...
:
Dick Whittington
Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale ''Dick ...
'' (2002)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:HearSay
British pop music groups
British vocal groups
Kym Marsh
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical groups disestablished in 2002
Popstars winners