If anyone wants to attempt an argument for TV talent shows not being the death of popular music, then this is usually the first (and perhaps only) piece of credible evidence they can produce… Girls Aloud.
Sound of the Underground, by Girls Aloud (their 1st of four #1s)
4 weeks, 22nd December 2002 – 19th January 2003
The Christmas #1 for 2002, by the winning girl group from ‘Popstars – The Rivals’, is the best talent show #1 so far by miles, and miles. It may be the best ever, because it remains a brilliantly fresh pop record, and the descending guitar lick that takes us to the chorus still sounds thrilling.
Guitars? In a pop record? By a girl group? In 2025, in a world with Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish, that sounds perfectly believable. But that’s because acts like Girls Aloud made it so, by blurring the lines between pop and rock, cool and uncool, indie and manufactured. When I was going to indie nights at the student union a couple of years after this had been at number one, you were just as likely to hear Girls Aloud as you were the Arctic Monkeys. And hey, naming your manufactured TV pop group’s debut single ‘Sound of the Underground’ is a pretty ballsy move.
Speaking of the guitars, with this coming a few weeks after Las Ketchup, is it too soon to claim an early noughties surf rock revival? I can think of at least one more upcoming, classic #1 that will also feature them. It has to be said, if you had ‘Sound of the Underground’ described to you before ever hearing it – a TV singing contest girl group, surf guitars, drum ‘n’ bass beat – you’d be forgiven for expecting a car crash.
This, and Sugababes’ two chart-toppers from earlier in the year, set pop music on its way for the rest of the decade. Girls Aloud were the Spice Girls – fun, playful, gobby – to Sugababes’ All Saints – cooler, more attitude, looked like they could handle themselves in a fight. But they needed one another to bounce off; I don’t remember it ever being painted in the press as a rivalry. And of course, the two groups would eventually release a chart-topping duet.
We should take a moment to remember One True Voice, the boyband ‘rivals’ of Girls Aloud. The premise of ‘Popstars – The Rivals’ was that the two groups would release their debut singles the week before Christmas, and the winner would get the festive #1. (Though it would have been hilarious if neither had…) In the end, Girls Aloud sold 213,000 copies that week, almost 70,000 more than One True Voice’s single ‘Sacred Trust’, a rather more predictable, disco-lite ballad (which I’m listening to now for the first time in twenty-three years, and actually quite enjoying…)
One True Voice lasted for exactly one more single, which limped to #10. Girls Aloud, meanwhile, did a little better… We needn’t have worried that they might peak with their debut for, as good as ‘Sound of the Underground’ is, they have at least five better singles in their arsenal. This was the first of twenty consecutive Top 10 hits, right through to 2009. Sadly not enough of them made number one, but when I do my Girls Aloud – Best of the Rest post it will be wall-to-wall bangers.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
I had never heard of Girls Aloud until this blog, honestly. I knew who Cheryl was mainly due to her being Liam Payne’s baby momma (I’m a Zillennial, One Direction was the boy band of my pre-teens/teen years and you can be sure I heard a lot of teenage girls and young adult women hating on her for having Liam’s kid lol). Going through their singles, I think I might had heard their cover of “Jump” as a kid but everything else was new to me. When I first heard “Sounds of the Underground”, to be honest, I was initially underwhelmed. I thought it was just meh. It didn’t blow me away. I think the song’s structure didn’t grab me at first and it was a bit offputting). However, I gave it a several more listens and I recognise that this is a really damn good pop song. The chorus and especially the refrain is awesome. And it rocks as well. I will say this is by far my favourite of their No. 1s. Their other two solo No. 1s in comparison for me are far weaker and are easily surpassed by their other hits like “No Good Advice” and “Biology” which are terrific songs (“Biology” is a goddamn progressive pop song). I still prefer the Sugababes as a group because they were a lot cooler and sexier in their image and sound, but Girls Aloud are really good. It was a nice discovery.
I also love how non media-trained this group was in their prime. They were so blunt and honest and messy and chaotic.
RIP Sarah Harding. She was easily the coolest member of the group. Her and Nadine are my personal favourite (best singers in the group too) and it seems from what I’ve seen from YouTube comments and Reddit posts they’re most beloved by the hardcore fans despite Cheryl and Kimberly (the most attractive member of the group IMO) being more popular with the general public.
Love this throwback! “Sound of the Underground” truly was the exception to the “talent show fluff” rule. That surf guitar riff still sounds so fresh today—you’re spot on about it blurring the lines between pop and indie.
It’s wild to think back to the Popstars rivalry; poor One True Voice never stood a chance against such a banger! Girls Aloud really did set the gold standard for the 2000s. Can’t wait for your “Best of the Rest” post—there are definitely some gems that deserved that #1 spot. Great read!
It’s a classic, when it came out it was hard to judge it intially as it sounded so unlike anything else around, and I’d already decided I liked Sacred Trust – polishing up a recent Bee Gees song always a good move for getting me on board. But Sound Of The Underground has legs, it still doesnt sound like any era, courtesy of the garage/surf touches, and Xenomania won me over bigtime as they went on, pure quality pop beginning to end of Girls Aloud and elsewhere. Not unlike Bucks Fizz and their team in the 80’s.
It’s sobering to consider Girls Aloud and One Direction have both lost a member way too young, re: Cheryl, and when we get to the lesser career of One Direction (quality-wise) we still have to consider what comes afterwards, in which case Harry Styles – proper major quality act who got a break in an unchallenging-musically boyband from a Talent TV show.
One has to only mention Kylie, Harry as unexpected TV show long-termers, not to mention lesser names with good stuff like JADE, Agnes, Olly Murs and many more. I like to think that’s the gift for making me put up with the annual christmas chart-blockers… 🙂