Girls Aloud are to reform for a major tour of the UK and Ireland in 2024. The Girls Aloud Show reunites Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh and will be dedicated to former bandmate Sarah Harding, who died of cancer in 2021.
Speaking about the new tour, Cheryl explains: “We all started talking about the possibility of doing something to celebrate Girls Aloud’s 20-year anniversary a few years ago. The anniversary seemed like an obvious thing that we would celebrate. But when Sarah fell ill all priorities changed. She passed away a year before the anniversary and it just didn’t feel right, it felt too soon. But now, I think there’s an energy that makes it feel right. It’s the right time to celebrate Sarah, it’s the right time to celebrate the band and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this 21 years later.”
“Girls Aloud are a band that made such a huge impact on people’s lives,” adds Nadine Coyle. “We grew up with the band, but so did so many other people. So for us not to do something again feels like such a shame and a waste. We want to have that moment with fans where we can all enjoy it together.”
The quartet made their first public appearance to plug the reunion tour on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast show.
It’s 21 years since the group of five then-teenagers was formed on ITV’s talent show Popstars: The Rivals. The format was that the group would be pitted against a ‘rival’ boyband, One True Voice, with both acts competing for the Christmas No.1 slot. In the end, Girls Aloud triumphed, with debut 45 Sound Of The Underground beating One True Voice’s double A-sided Sacred Trust/After You’re Gone.
During their 10-year career, Girls Aloud notched up 21 Top 10 singles and four No.1s including I’ll Stand By You, Walk This Way (with Sugababes) and the BRIT award-winning The Promise. Their 2003 debut album, Sound Of The Underground, was certified platinum while fifth and final LP, Out Of Control, went to No.1 in 2008.
“Over the last year, we’ve felt this outpouring of love – obviously towards Sarah, but actually towards all of us,” explains Kimberley Walsh. “And I guess it ignited something in all of us again. It feels like something has changed and it does feel like the right time to celebrate Sarah and the 20-year anniversary that we didn’t celebrate at the time.”
Nicola Roberts adds: “What’s really encouraging
