mxdwn.co.uk » Nicola Roberts https://www.mxdwn.co.uk all that matters in music in the UK Fri, 01 May 2026 18:26:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1 Girls Aloud Reunite For New Song To Honour Former Bandmate Sarah Harding https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/girls-aloud-reunite-for-new-song-to-honour-former-bandmate-sarah-harding/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/girls-aloud-reunite-for-new-song-to-honour-former-bandmate-sarah-harding/#comments Sun, 12 Nov 2023 22:31:05 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=97743 Girls Aloud have recorded a new song to honour the memory of their former bandmate Sarah Harding who tragically passed away from breast cancer in 2021. The new single will be their first in over 10 years.

The group have reportedly already filmed the music video for the new track, with an inside source sharing that they are dressed as “superhero characters complete with Wonder Woman-style costumes and capes.” The video is said to have been shot at a North London studio, with the band secretly reuniting to complete the project.

Following the passing of Sarah Harding, the remaining Girls Aloud members are keen to honour her memory. The group, made up of the now mononymous Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicole Roberts and Kimberly Walsh, are said to be excited by their new upcoming chapter, teasing many new plans.

An inside source shared, “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.”

They also shared, “this has been one of the best-kept secrets in pop, but it’s actually happening now,” with a possible upcoming album and tour being hinted at too. The newly reunited Girls Aloud are said to be “very excited to be back working together, even if there is a bittersweet element to it,” promising that there will “always be nods to Sarah’s contribution to the group” as they move forwards.

The news of the new single has sparked rumours surrounding Girls Aloud as a headlining act at Glastonbury 2024. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, however bets are already being placed on their place in the lineup, with Alex Apati of Ladbrokes Live saying that they have “sent the British pop world into complete meltdown this morning with the announcement of a new single… and given the reception they’ve had, we wouldn’t be surprised to see them take centre stage at Glastonbury next year.”

Throughout their career, Girls Aloud achieved 21 top 10 UK singles with this including 5 no.1 songs, as well as amassing 5 Brit Award nominations.

Their comeback is already being celebrated on social media, with one fan writing “I am not joking when I say the last girls aloud comeback changed the trajectory of my life.”

 

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/girls-aloud-reunite-for-new-song-to-honour-former-bandmate-sarah-harding/feed/ 0 Girls Aloud Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Debut Album, ‘Sound of the Underground’ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/girls-aloud-celebrate-20th-anniversary-of-debut-album-sound-of-the-underground/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/girls-aloud-celebrate-20th-anniversary-of-debut-album-sound-of-the-underground/#comments Sun, 07 May 2023 11:26:40 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=61184 Girls Aloud are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, Sound of the Underground with a deluxe edition reissue.

The group disbanded in 2013 following their ten year anniversary tour, with this being the first new material for their fans in a decade.

Taking to Twitter, the group shared that the 20th anniversary reissue “brings together rarities, remixes and B-sides, plus brand new sleeve notes.”

Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh spoke to the Daily Mail on the group’s plans to honour this anniversary, saying, “We’ve got some fun alternative versions of songs lying around and little re-releases just to kind of mark that because, you know, it’s a big deal. 20 years is a long time and the love that we still feel for Sound Of The Underground and some of the songs from the first album are still huge.”

Walsh went on to discuss the group’s plans to have a fully fledged reunion, saying, “We’re not really doing anything together as a group for obvious reasons.” Walsh is referencing the tragic passing of their fellow band member Sarah Harding here, who lost her battle with breast cancer at just 39 years old in September 2021.

The group chose to mark this anniversary in a low-key way as they’re still grieving their friend and bandmate, with Walsh saying, “I think there’s already been one re-release of Sound Of The Underground with different girls singing different lyrics, which is quite fun. I mean, if you’re a fan, it’s fun. I’m not sure how much fun it is if you’re not really into Girls Aloud. But yeah, just things like that.”

To kickstart the 20th anniversary celebrations, the “Sound of the Underground” music video has been remastered in 4K and is available to watch here:

An alternative vocal mix of the album’s titular single has also been released, complete with different music video that is said to feature “unseen footage from the GA vaults.”  

In the description of the new video, Chris Fox shares, “You never know what you might find when you dig into the raw footage from a music video and we were amazed to find that director Phil Griffin had recorded each of the girls singing every line of the song… In total, the band recorded about four hours of footage and there were so many beautiful moments to squeeze into the video.”

“I wanted to give each section of the shoot its moment to shine: the performance, the slow motion, the glitter drop. There are fewer fast-paced cuts so we can soak up every moment and bask in the glory of Girls Aloud. The film negatives were rescanned in true 4K – giving fans a crystal-clear look into the past – and the final edit was colour graded to closely match the original music video.”

The 20th Anniversary reissue of Sound of the Underground will be released 16th June 2023, and is available to preorder here. The album will also be released on vinyl for the first time, with details below:

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/girls-aloud-celebrate-20th-anniversary-of-debut-album-sound-of-the-underground/feed/ 0 Artists Appear in New NHS Mental Health ‘Help’ Campaign https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/artists-appear-in-new-nhs-mental-health-help-campaign/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/artists-appear-in-new-nhs-mental-health-help-campaign/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2022 14:29:20 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=52146 In support of the many struggling with their mental health at the moment, the NHS has announced some very good news. A boost of £2.3 billion a year will be given to its community mental health services, helping services such as talking therapy be more accessible to people. In a bid to increase awareness, they’ve teamed up with some well-known names in the music industry for a promotional video.

People involved include Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, Max George of The Wanted, Craig David and many more. The video made use of the classic 1965 Beatles single, “Help!“, which includes appropriate lyrics such as “Help me if you can, I’m feeling down“ and “Every now and then I feel so insecure.“ The artists recite the lyrics in the video, and at the end, we’re reminded that anyone struggling can either refer themselves or go through a GP to get some professional support.


Some of the artists involved also spoke of their own struggles with mental health, and how important talking to someone was for them. Nicola Roberts struggled with trauma after being stalked for five years by an ex-partner. She said that “I’m someone that has benefited hugely from talking therapy. I think there is such a taboo around it that people almost feel like they’ve failed or they weren’t strong enough to figure out a situation by themselves. But if you’re feeling like you can’t see the wood from the trees or light at the end of the tunnel, it’s imperative to reach out because you can’t always do it alone.”

Craig David also noted that he’d “had points in my life where I struggled with my mental health, but what was so important for me was opening up and starting to talk about how I was feeling. I now know that real courage & strength isn’t in trying to do it alone, but instead being able to share our feelings in a safe space with people who can help“.

The campaign comes as 2.3 million have reportedly signed up to the NHS talking therapy services since the start of the pandemic. Other figures show that over half of the population last year were worried about their mental health, but most did not try to find professional help. The campaign has been backed by charities such as Mind, AGE UK and Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Claire Murdoch, the NHS mental health director, had this to say: “The pandemic has taken a toll on the nation’s mental health, and we know January can be a particularly tough month for many .… If you are experiencing anxiety, stress, or are feeling low, it’s important you know you are not alone and that it is okay to get help. No one should suffer in silence.”

If you’re struggling at the moment, you can look for help on the NHS website here.

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/artists-appear-in-new-nhs-mental-health-help-campaign/feed/ 0 Cheryl Set To Return To the Stage at Birmingham Pride https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/cheryl-set-to-return-to-the-stage-at-birmingham-pride/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/cheryl-set-to-return-to-the-stage-at-birmingham-pride/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2021 15:39:44 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=42456 Cheryl from Girls Aloud bandmate Sarah Harding’s sad passing from Breast Cancer was announced by her mother on September 5th. Following the sad announcement Cheryl and her other bandmates Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh expressed their grief and love for Harding.

 

The band are said to be in the process of holding a charity event in memory of Harding and to also raise funding for cancer charities. The singer is now set to return to the stage at Birmingham Pride as the headline act on September 25th three weeks on following Harding’s sad passing.

The singer shot to fame with Girls Aloud when she was chosen by the public in 2002 from the show Pop Idol: The Rivals. The singer began her solo career in 2009 whilst still in the band and has released four solo albums, 3 Words (2009), Messy Little Raindrops (2010), A Million Lights (2012) and Only Human (2014).

The singer hit the number 1 spot in the UK Official Singles Charts with her debut single “Fight For This Love” (2009) and scored another four number 1 hit singles with “Promise This” (2010), “Call My Name” (2012), “Crazy Stupid Love” (2014) and “I Don’t Care” (2014).  

The singer performed at the Mighty Hoopla Festival on September 4th and the Birmingham Pride event will be the first time that the singer has performed since Harding’s sad passing. An inside source when speaking of the singer said “Despite her heartbreak she is devastated by Sarah’s passing but also knows the last thing Sarah would have wanted was for her to let down their fans”

Cheryl will be performing with various artists at Birmingham Pride on September 25th and tickets are available here  

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/cheryl-set-to-return-to-the-stage-at-birmingham-pride/feed/ 0