Hear'Say - WikiHQ

Hear'Say were  a British pop group. They were formed in November 2000 through the ITV reality TV show Popstars, the first UK series of the international Popstars franchise, and unveiled to the public on 3 February 2001. The group, who were signed to Polydor Records, originally consisted of Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, and Noel Sullivan.

Hear'Say achieved instant fame, breaking chart records with their debut single "Pure and Simple" and the album Popstars. 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 a month later. During a summer promotional tour, Hear'Say were constantly harassed by members of the public. The five unsuccessful finalists went on to form the group Liberty (later renamed Liberty X 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 at number 1. 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. The song went straight to number one on the UK Singles Chart 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 record beaten a year later by Pop Idol winner Will Young. With the release of their debut album Popstars, Hear'Say became the first act in UK chart history to simultaneously top the UK Singles Chart and UK Albums Chart with their debut releases. The group were invited to perform at the 80th birthday celebrations of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. 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 embarked on their first tour, the Popstars 2001 Tour, throughout the United Kingdom. They initially announced five dates which quickly sold out, causing the group to schedule thirty more dates throughout August and September. However, the new dates struggled to sell out as hundreds of tickets remained unsold. The group also released a live DVD.

2001–2002: Everybody, line-up changes, decline and break-up

Whilst on tour, the group began recording their second studio album, Everybody. In November 2001, Hear'Say released the album's title track as the lead single, with the album following a week later, just over eight months after the release of their debut album. The single debuted at number four, while the album crept into the chart at number 24. and plans were made for an arena tour, due to begin in September 2002. 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." 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, husband of Steps singer Lisa Scott-Lee, 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 press alleged that he had previously been a back-up dancer for Hear'Say, which the group denied. 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 that had passed.

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| EUR

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| IRE

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| NZ

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| SCO

! scope="row"| Popstars

Released: 26 March 2001
Label: Polydor (#549821)
Formats: CS, CD

| 1 || 10 || 4 || 1 || 1

UK: 3× Platinum
EUR: Platinum
NZ: Platinum

! scope="row"| Everybody

Released: 3 December 2001
Label: Polydor (#589541)
Formats: CS, CD

| 24 || — || — || — || 23

UK: Gold

| colspan="15" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" colspan="8"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| UK

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| EUR

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| GER

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| IRE

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| SWI

! scope="row"| "Pure and Simple"

| rowspan="3"| 2001

| 1 || 72 || 6 || 83 || 3 || 1 || 1 || 29

UK: 2× Platinum

| rowspan="2"| Popstars

! scope="row"| "The Way to Your Love"

| 1 || — || 9 || — || 10 || 44 || 1 || —

UK: Silver