Hi-5 (Australian group)

Hi-5 were an Australian children's musical group formed in 1998 in association with the children's television series of the same name. Helena Harris and Posie Graeme-Evans created the television series for the Nine Network, which premiered in 1999. The group were made up of five performers who entertained and educated preschool children through music, movement, and play. Kellie Crawford, Kathleen de Leon Jones, Nathan Foley, Tim Harding and Charli Robinson were the founding members. By the end of 2008, all of the original line-up had left, and the group's membership changed several more times after that. They collectively starred in several television series, released albums, and performed on worldwide tours. The television series features puppet characters Chatterbox and Jup Jup, who were included in the group's live stage shows.

Hi-5 were one of Australia's highest paid entertainment groups, placing in the Business Review Weeklys annual list several times, earning an estimated A$18 million in 2007. As employees of the brand, once owned by the Nine Network, the members of Hi-5 did not hold equity. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified their albums as double platinum (It's a Party), platinum (Jump and Jive with Hi-5, Boom Boom Beat, It's a Hi-5 Christmas) and gold (Celebrate). Four of them reached the top 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart; It's a Party (number four, July 2000), Boom Boom Beat (number three, August 2001), It's a Hi-5 Christmas (number four, December 2001) and Hi-5 Hits (number ten, July 2003). By 2004, the original line-up had received three Logie Television Awards for Most Outstanding Children's Program and five consecutive ARIA Music Awards for Best Children's Album.

The group's later iterations did not enjoy the same popularity or critical success as its original line-up. Hi-5 were last nominated for a major Australian award in 2012 and last released an album in 2014. The Nine Network sold the brand in 2012 to Malaysian-based group Asiasons, who shifted its commercial focus to the Southeast Asian market. After a short-lived television revival in 2017, the group's production company wholly relocated to Singapore and began employing a roster of temporary performers for touring purposes until 2019.

History

1998–1999: Formation

Hi-5 were formed in September 1998 in Sydney, Australia, as a children's musical group. Television producer Helena Harris, who had worked on Bananas in Pyjamas, co-created Hi-5 as a concept for a new television show of the same name for the Nine Network. She and co-producer Posie Graeme-Evans developed the series as preschool entertainment, blending educational theories with a musical appeal to capture children's attention. The name of the series and featured group was derived from the high five gesture. Harris said that while Hi-5 was predominantly a television series, its music was able to be differentiated from the show. Harris was inspired to develop a show with broad appeal and accessible themes such as family and animals. She modelled the group's style on the fast-paced nature of contemporary music videos and strove to allude to items of current interest (such as relevant curriculum as well as popular jokes, films and music) to keep children engaged. Harris recalled watching the Spice Girls, whose dance moves she believed preschoolers could copy. The creators saw the need for "life-affirming" television for rapidly maturing preschoolers and found most children learn from programs which use music and movement.

After auditions for the group in June 1998 (narrowing down around 300 people to only five), the television pilot for Hi-5 was produced in mid-1998. The original cast consisted of Kellie Crawford (née Hoggart), Kathleen de Leon Jones, Nathan Foley, Tim Harding and Charli Robinson. In September, Sony Music released their debut album, Jump and Jive with Hi-5, which reached number 33 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Chart.

2000–2006: Early success

thumb|left|[[Kellie Crawford and puppet character Chatterbox, January 2006|alt=A distant stage shot of a female performer wearing bright clothes and singing into a headset microphone. A jack-in-the-box style puppet sits behind her on a movable section, which is brightly coloured.]]

Hi-5 won the 2000 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Children's Program in recognition of their television program, and the ARIA Award for Best Children's Album for Jump and Jive with Hi-5. Their releases consistently received album accreditations; Celebrate was certified as gold, while Jump and Jive with Hi-5, Boom Boom Beat and It's a Hi-5 Christmas went platinum, and It's a Party received double platinum status. Four of their albums reached the top 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart; It's a Party (number four, July 2000), Boom Boom Beat (number three, August 2001), It's a Hi-5 Christmas (number four, December 2001) and Hi-5 Hits (number ten, July 2003).

Hi-5 toured nationally for up to eight months of every year, with sell-out concerts in venues such as the Sydney Opera House. The quintet's production of Hi-5 Alive won the 2002 Helpmann Award for Best Presentation for Children, while their Space Magic production was nominated in the same category in 2006. The group first toured the UK in 2004,

2006–2008: Replacement of original members

thumb|[[Stevie Nicholson, Surry Hills, November 2011|upright|alt=An upper body shot of a 27-year-old man. He is standing with his hands tucked into his pants' pockets and smiling. Behind him are hoarding signs with names of commercial sponsors.]]

In early 2006, de Leon Jones announced she was pregnant, and would take maternity leave from April onwards. Sun Park was introduced as her temporary replacement; de Leon Jones gave birth to her first child in July. In July 2006, de Leon Jones said she was intent on returning to Hi-5; however, in July 2007, made the decision to leave the group permanently to focus on being a mother.

A serious motorcycle accident in June 2007 left Harding unable to keep up with the pace of Hi-5's performances. Just a few days before this, Stevie Nicholson had been hired as an understudy and was put straight to work as a temporary replacement for Harding. The group toured the Hi-5 Circus Stageshow in 2007; the show adopted a circus theme and incorporated tricks such as trapeze, tightrope walking, and gymnastics. Harding permanently departed in November after recovering from his injuries and was replaced by Nicholson.

Robinson (then referred to as Delaney) exited from the group in February 2008. She expressed an interest in proving herself as an actor for an adult audience and said she would help find a replacement member. After leaving, she established a career in the Australian media industry as a presenter.

In March 2008, the Nine Network, along with production company Southern Star, purchased the Hi-5 brand. In December, Park also stated she would be departing the group since she had expected only to be a temporary replacement. The Daily Telegraphs Sydney Confidential reporter alleged that Hi-5's production company had asked Crawford and Foley to leave, and that the producers were "opting to recruit younger, cheaper performers". Neither of them responded to these reports, but Park denied the industry rumours, saying that there had been no pressure for any of them to resign. Burgess described the change as a difficult transition period that led to uncertainty over their future. They toured regional Australian locations in early 2010 to build a new audience. The group celebrated the 500th episode of the television series in 2010, and in 2011, they rerecorded several of the original line-up's songs. They did not receive the same positive critical reception as the original members; one reviewer found fault with the new line-up's vocal abilities. They also became representatives of the Starlight Children's Foundation in 2009; their work included regular visits to hospitals while on tour.

Irvine's final performance as part of Hi-5 was at Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve 2011. Her replacement, Dayen Zheng, joined the group in January 2012. Burgess and Maddren departed in early 2013; Maddren had secured a role in the Australian musical production of The Addams Family, while Burgess had decided to further her solo music career. Datuk Jared Lim, Asiasons's managing director, described plans to expand Hi-5 throughout Southeast Asia, while keeping the group's presence in Australia intact. Julie Greene, former producer of the television series, assumed the role of executive creative director. The press branded this line-up as a "new generation" of the group.

Throughout this period, the production company shifted the commercial focus of the group to the Southeast Asian market, with an increase in Asian touring locations. In 2014, the group debuted in the Middle East with a Dubai show and toured Bangkok for the first time in ten years. They returned to the Philippines in 2015 for an encore season after a sold-out run of concerts the previous year. its success in Asia resulted in an Asian Television Award for Best Preschool Program in 2015. Her successor, Tanika Anderson, was already working with the group as an understudy and puppeteer. Nicholson departed in December 2015 to further his performing career and promote his children's book, Superdudes. He was replaced by Lachie Dearing, who was introduced on tour in January 2016. After being cast in an Australian musical production of Xanadu in January 2016, Melham left the group, and new member Gabe Brown took his place in February. Brown was later succeeded by Chris White.

2016–2019: Fourth generation, short-lived television revival

The Nine Network renewed its partnership with the Hi-5 franchise in October 2016 and expressed plans to revive the original television series with a new cast in 2017. As a result, Zheng, Lascaris, Anderson and White gave their last performances in December 2016. After auditions were held in November 2016, new members Courtney Clarke, Shay Clifford, Joe Kalou and Bailey Spalding were revealed in December, joining Dearing to form the fourth generation of the group. The quintet debuted at Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve, Hi-5's first appearance at the Nine event since 2012. The new television series was filmed in Malaysia and premiered in May 2017 on Nine's multichannel, 9Go! in Australia. All five members departed the group, and the brand used temporary touring members for the remainder of 2018. The franchise continued employing non-permanent performers for touring purposes in 2019.

Musical style

Hi-5 were described as "a pop group for kids" by Foley in 2004. Chris Harriott was the group's primary composer, writing thousands of their tracks. and he had worked on his own in Australian theatre. Harriott worked regularly with a group of lyricists, including Chris Phillips, Leone Carey and Lisa Hoppe. Original member of the Wiggles and classical musician Phillip Wilcher commended the gentle educational appeal of Hi-5's music, and declared that they seemed to "know the subtle difference between childlike and childish."

Educational value

The brand dropped from a net worth of A$18 million in 2009 to A$9.7 million in 2010. In June 2012, the Nine Network sold the Hi-5 brand to Asian equity group, Asiasons, through a private fund. The company planned to expand the brand throughout Southeast Asia, while maintaining its presence in Australia. The Nine Network renewed its partnership with the Hi-5 franchise in October 2016 and participated in the production of a new television series in 2017. By 2005, franchises local to India, South America and Germany were planned, but these did not eventuate. After the brand's sale in 2012, there was a return to licensing international groups. In 2014, a Latin American group was created, followed by a local version for the Philippines in 2015, and the introduction of an Indonesian group in 2017.

Reception

thumb|upright=1.4|Group members in 2007 (L-R): [[Kellie Crawford, Nathan Foley, Charli Robinson, Sun Park, and Stevie Nicholson|alt=Full body shot of the Hi-5 performers in colourful clothes, standing on an outdoor stage, most looking at each other or into the crowd. Woman at left has her right hand in the air. The men have their hands on their hips. They wear headset microphones and large log display.]]

Commercial performance

Business Review Weeklys annual Australian income list recognised the group as one of the country's highest paid entertainment groups, estimating annual earnings of A$18 million in 2007. The franchise was reported as Australia's highest selling children's music property in 2007. The original quintet consistently received album ARIA accreditations for their releases: Celebrate was accredited as gold, Hi-5's music has been described as simple, "infectious", and inspired by pop music. The brand's employment of diverse performers, to serve as positive role models for children, was well-received. The group's concert tours were admired for the fast pace of the shows and the bright colours of the staging design. A 2015 concert was viewed by The Daily Telegraph as "well-choreographed and performed". The group's productions have also been noted for their humour, incorporating slapstick elements inspired by pantomime comedy. adult followers in the Philippines would use the group's songs to learn English.

Later iterations of the group were criticised for their performances, and the brand was criticised for frequent membership changes. In her blog for The Daily Telegraph in 2011, Sarrah Le Marquand found fault with Brant's musical abilities, claiming that while she was an enthusiastic entertainer, she had limited vocal talent. The reporter went on to suggest the entire line-up at the time were "melodically challenged". The writer stated that the group had undefined member roles and that the performers attempted to upstage each other. Commentators have expressed disapproval of the franchise frequently replacing its performers with new talent; the newer line-ups were described as unrecognisable. Critiquing the debut of a new line-up at Carols by Candlelight in 2016, David Knox wrote that the performance was unmemorable, and suggested that their strengths were not demonstrated at the event.

Members

Original members

Kellie Crawford (1998–2008)
Kathleen de Leon Jones (1998–2006)
Nathan Foley (1998–2008)
Tim Harding (1998–2007)
Charli Robinson (1998–2008)

Former members

Sun Park (2006–2008)
Stevie Nicholson (2007–2015)
Casey Burgess (2008–2013)
Lauren Brant (2009–2014)
Fely Irvine (2009–2011)

Tim Maddren (2009–2013)
Dayen Zheng (2012–2016)
Mary Lascaris (2013–2016)
Ainsley Melham (2013–2016)
Tanika Anderson (2014–2016)