Hear'Say

Few British pop groups were born in front of as many cameras as Hear'Say, who were assembled in late 2000 through ITV's Popstars, the first UK series of the international franchise. Their five members, Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan, were signed to Polydor Records and unveiled to the public in February 2001, and the story of how they were picked became as much of the appeal as the music itself. Their sound was polished chart pop, and the way they were assembled remains part of the story.

Their debut single, a cover of a Girl Thing album track called Pure and Simple, went straight to number one in March 2001, the fastest-selling debut single of its time. The album Popstars followed, selling 306,631 copies in its first week. Their second album, Everybody, sold a fifth as many as its predecessor, and in January 2002 Kym Marsh left, replaced by Johnny Shentall before the group split in October 2002. In October 2026 four original members reunited for an arena tour with Liberty X from April to May 2027.