Atomic Kitten
| Company type | Girl group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1998 in Liverpool, England |
| Founder | Andy McCluskey, Stuart Kershaw |
| Headquarters | Liverpool , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Atomic Kitten emerged as a British girl group originating from Liverpool in 1998, initially composed of Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon, and Natasha Hamilton. The band was established by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, who were also the primary songwriters during the group’s early period. Their first album, Right Now, debuted in October 2000 and reached number 39 on the UK charts. After producing five top ten hits, Katona exited the band four weeks before "Whole Again" ascended to number one on the UK Singles Chart; she was succeeded by former Precious vocalist Jenny Frost. "Whole Again" became their signature hit, maintaining the top UK spot for four weeks and leading the German charts for six weeks, while also topping multiple international charts; it ranked as the 13th highest-selling single in the UK during the 2000s. The re-released debut album featuring Frost’s vocals climbed to number one in the UK and earned double platinum certification with sales exceeding 600,000 copies.
Between 2002 and 2004, Atomic Kitten put out two additional studio albums: Feels So Good, which also achieved double platinum status in the UK, and Ladies Night, along with a greatest hits compilation before pausing their activities following their 2004 tour. They secured three UK number-one singles: "Whole Again", noted as the fourth-best-selling girl group track ever in the UK; "Eternal Flame", originally performed by the Bangles; and "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", a cover of a song by the Paragons. Overall, Atomic Kitten has sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
Following intermittent activity from 2005 until 2008, McClarnon, Hamilton, and Katona reunited for the ITV2 series The Big Reunion, alongside peer groups such as B*Witched, Five, Liberty X, Honeyz, and 911. Due to pregnancy, Frost did not join this reunion. Katona departed again in December 2017. Frost briefly rejoined in 2021 but left within months. In October 2024, Hamilton announced her departure to concentrate on solo endeavors.
1998–2001: Formation, Right Now era, and Katona’s initial exit
The concept of Atomic Kitten was developed in 1998 by Andy McCluskey, lead singer of the new wave band OMD. After OMD disbanded in 1996, McCluskey—motivated by encouragement from Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk—collaborated with fellow OMD member Stuart Kershaw to establish a new group. Both McCluskey and Kershaw were heavily involved as principal songwriters during Atomic Kitten's formative recordings.
The original lineup included Liz McClarnon, Kerry Katona, and Heidi Range, although at that stage no official name had been chosen. Various names were considered such as Exit and Honeyheads before settling on Automatic Kitten—a fashion brand name mistakenly heard as Atomic Kitten by a friend of Katona’s mother; this misinterpretation was ultimately adopted as their official band name. After eight months, Range left to pursue another recording contract and was replaced by Natasha Hamilton in May 1999. Range later gained success with the group Sugababes.
Their debut single, "Right Now", launched in November 1999, peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart. The subsequent release "See Ya" climbed to number six. Touring across Asia followed, where they achieved their first number-one hit with "Cradle". In 2000, they recorded a rendition of "The Loco-Motion" for the soundtrack of Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Their debut album Right Now initially came out in Japan in March 2000 before its UK release in October with an altered tracklist; the Japanese version included demos and exclusive remixes.
Despite these efforts, the album initially struggled commercially in Europe, reaching only number 39 on the UK Albums Chart. With modest results, Innocent Records contemplated dropping them but agreed to one final single release. This single, "Whole Again," became their breakthrough hit—securing number one for four weeks in the UK and topping charts in eighteen countries including Germany and New Zealand. Just prior to its release, Katona left due to pregnancy and was replaced by Jenny Frost from former group Precious. Consequently, the music video was re-filmed featuring Frost.
Following this milestone, Right Now was partially re-recorded with Frost’s vocals replacing Katona’s on several tracks and reissued; it then reached number one on the UK Albums Chart in August 2001 and earned double platinum status. The revamped album also entered Top Ten positions across various European countries such as Germany and Denmark. It included three new songs: "Eternal Flame," "Tomorrow & Tonight," and "You Are."
Their cover of "Eternal Flame" became their second chart-topping single in both the UK and New Zealand, achieving Gold certification in France where it peaked at number two. Although "You Are" was promoted as a final single from this edition of the album, it was never commercially released. Additionally, "Right Now" appeared in Konami’s arcade game Dance Dance Revolution 5th MIX in 2002.
2002–2003: Revised lineup, Feels So Good and global breakthrough
After the triumph of Right Now, Atomic Kitten proceeded to produce a follow-up album titled Feels So Good. During the recording process, disagreements emerged with songwriters and producers Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, who departed due to frustrations over the label's insistence on tracks resembling "Whole Again". Notable songs from the album include "It's OK", "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", "The Last Goodbye", "Love Doesn't Have to Hurt", and "Be With You". The album's title track was written by Kylie Minogue. "The Last Goodbye" served as the third single off Feels So Good, while "Be With You" appeared later on their third album, Ladies Night.
In the UK, "It's OK" reached number three on the charts. Their subsequent single, "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", a cover of the 1967 Paragons' original famously reinterpreted by Blondie, became their third number-one hit in both the UK and New Zealand. In April 2002, Hamilton disclosed her pregnancy but maintained promotional responsibilities, which included the 2002 tour, filming the "Tide is High" music video, and performing a "Feels So Good" medley at Party in the Park. Additionally, the band sponsored a team in the British Touring Car Championship.
Early in 2003, Atomic Kitten toured across Southeast Asia—covering Singapore, Thailand, and Korea—with Hamilton accompanied by her son Josh, born in August 2002.
2003–2008: Ladies Night, Greatest Hits and hiatus
In April 2003, an album titled Atomic Kitten was launched in the United States, compiling tracks from their initial two albums. Despite this release underperforming commercially, "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" featured on the soundtrack of The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Following this, their focus shifted primarily to markets in Europe, Oceania, South Africa, and Asia.
Prior to creating their third studio album, Kool & the Gang invited Atomic Kitten to collaborate on their duets compilation The Hits: Reloaded, specifically seeking a girl group to reinterpret their classic "Ladies Night". Embracing this opportunity, Atomic Kitten named their subsequent album after this collaboration: Ladies Night. Demonstrating increased artistic input compared to earlier projects, they co-wrote eight out of fifteen tracks. Released on 10 November 2003, Ladies Night attained a peak position of number five on the UK album chart and earned Platinum certification with sales surpassing 300,000 copies. The album produced four UK top 10 singles: "Be With You", "Ladies Night", "If You Come To Me", and "Someone like Me".
March 2004 saw the release of a double A-side single featuring "Someone like Me" alongside "Right Now 2004", coinciding with their Greatest Hits Tour supporting both Ladies Night and their forthcoming Greatest Hits compilation. Shortly before embarking on this tour, they announced plans for an extended hiatus following its conclusion as a farewell gesture to fans. Their final performance was captured on DVD as The Greatest Hits Live at Wembley Arena. During an appearance on The Big Reunion, Hamilton disclosed that she left due to struggles with postnatal depression and the demands of touring as a new mother; this contributed to the group's decision not to replace her and enter a hiatus.
On Valentine's Day 2005, a re-recorded version of "Cradle", titled "Cradle 2005" and featuring refreshed vocals from McClarnon and Frost, was released as a charity single supporting World Vision. This track later appeared on an Asia-exclusive remix collection called Access All Areas: Remixed & B-Sides, packaged alongside the Greatest Hits Live DVD. Around this period, they also contributed "(I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls" for Disney's Mulan II soundtrack and performed at Kraków's Coca-Cola SoundWave Festival in August. In 2006, they issued a cover of the Farm's "All Together Now" as a charity single for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, released exclusively in German-speaking regions where it reached Germany’s Top 20. That December, they performed at Hong Kong’s Nokia New Year's Eve Music Festival.
The ensemble reunited in January 2008 for a performance at Liverpool’s Number One Project held at the Liverpool Echo Arena, commemorating Liverpool’s status as European Capital of Culture and celebrating local artists' collective achievement of 56 UK number-one singles. That same month saw the release of their cover version of "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which peaked at number 78 on the UK Singles Chart. They also appeared at Kings Lynn Festival in July 2008 and later that month at Haydock Park in Liverpool.
2012–2013: Reunion and The Big Reunion
In March 2012, Hamilton announced the group's comeback for a summer tour and discussions about a reality television series, inspired by the success of the 2011 Steps reunion. She expressed hope that Katona would join her, McClarnon, and Frost on stage, despite Katona having departed over a decade earlier. However, conflicts between Katona and Frost initially prevented the reunion from moving forward. On 18 October 2012, the original 1999 lineup (McClarnon, Katona, Hamilton) reunited for ITV2’s The Big Reunion, performing alongside other pop acts such as 911, Honeyz, B*Witched, Five, and Liberty X. Frost opted not to participate due to pregnancy and later voiced dissatisfaction with the reunion’s handling, which led to a rift between her and both Hamilton and McClarnon.
What was intended to be a single comeback show at London’s Hammersmith Apollo saw Atomic Kitten performing hits like "Right Now", "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", and "Whole Again". The overwhelming response prompted an expansion into a UK arena tour running from 3 to 14 May 2013, which was subsequently extended to include performances on 16 and 17 May, totaling 14 concerts.
Riding the momentum from The Big Reunion’’, the lineup joined a "Christmas party tour" in December 2013. That same month, Atomic Kitten recorded their first new track in ten years—a charity cover of Wizzard’s "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" with other participants from the show for Text Santa. This single reached number 13 on the UK charts.
2013–2019: Touring Activities and Katona’s Second Exit
On 17 February 2013, Atomic Kitten revealed plans to launch their own perfume line. Hamilton confirmed that fresh music was underway, stating: "We've already been in the studio, we want to write some more music." By March, she reiterated intentions to release a single and album alongside the fragrance launch, which featured three different scents representing each member. At a promotional event in London, Hamilton disclosed they had recently recorded a contemporary new single, signaling progress toward an album release.
Following Katona's pregnancy announcement, uncertainty surrounded the group’s future and upcoming projects. McClarnon announced a joint tour with East 17 and All Saints slated for 2014; however, this was later canceled due to unforeseen reasons.
In November 2014, Katona shared plans for a new album slated for 2015 that would return to their signature "cheesy pop sound," accompanied by an international tour. Nevertheless, their '15: The Greatest Hits' tour was abruptly canceled in mid-May 2015 without explanation. Later that year saw the release of the compilation album Whole Again – The Best of Atomic Kitten.
Toward the end of 2016, Michelle Heaton from Liberty X stepped in for McClarnon during overseas performances due to McClarnon’s fear of flying. On 12 November 2016, the trio performed at South Devon's Pigs Nose Inn as a warm-up for their upcoming 2017 tour. Early in 2017, they toured Australia and New Zealand alongside B*Witched, S Club 3, East 17, and Liberty X, with Heaton again substituting for McClarnon.
In November 2017, Katona announced her departure from the group via social media. Subsequently, Hamilton and McClarnon continued performing as a duo.
2020–2024: Additional Endeavors
In June 2020, Frost reunited with Hamilton and McClarnon for an online interview series titled "Life Stories – The Interview Series," where they reflected on their time in Atomic Kitten and discussed its effects on their mental well-being.
On 6 July 2021, the group released a reimagined version of "Whole Again," retitled "Southgate You're the One (Football's Coming Home Again)," in support of England’s campaign at UEFA Euro 2020. Frost rejoined the band specifically for this release. The members expressed enthusiasm about contributing to the patriotic spirit surrounding the tournament and commended both England’s football squad and manager Gareth Southgate. By 29 November 2021, Frost had officially rejoined Atomic Kitten on a full-time basis.
Throughout 2022, McClarnon and Hamilton remained active as a duo. On 7 May 2023, they performed at a Liverpool concert celebrating the Eurovision Song Contest.
On 11 October 2024, Hamilton announced via Instagram her decision to depart from Atomic Kitten following a final performance two days later to pursue solo career ambitions—marking an effective end to the group.
In 2025, Frost, Hamilton, and Katona appeared individually on BBC Two's series Girlbands Forever, sharing their personal journeys within Atomic Kitten.
Members
Former members
- Kerry Katona (1998–2001, 2012–2017)
- Liz McClarnon (1998–2006, 2008, 2012–2024)
- Natasha Hamilton (1999–2006, 2008, 2012–2024)
- Jenny Frost (2001–2006, 2008, 2021)
Timeline
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Discography
- Right Now (2000)
- Feels So Good (2002)
- Ladies Night (2003)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Ceremony | Recipient | Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | The group | Best British Band | |
| Best New Band | ||||
| 2001 | The Record of the Year | "Whole Again" | Record of the Year | |
| Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | Best Single | |||
| Top of the Pops Awards | Best Single | |||
| The group | Best Pop Act | |||
| TMF Awards | Best Pop International | |||
| VIVA Comet Awards | Best International Newcomer | |||
| MTV EMA | Best Pop | |||
| 2002 | Best UK & Ireland Act | |||
| TMF Awards | Best Pop International | |||
| Top of the Pops Awards | Best Pop Act | |||
| Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | Best Band on Planet Pop | |||
| Best UK Band | ||||
| The Pop Factory Awards | Best Pop Factory Performance | |||
| Best Pop Act | ||||
| Ivor Novello Awards | "Whole Again" | Most Performed Work | ||
| International Hit of the Year | ||||
| Best International Song | ||||
| Most Performed Foreign Work | ||||
| Best British Single | ||||
| "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" | Record of the Year | |||
| Best British Single | ||||
| Best Song | ||||
| Best Group | ||||
| Worst Band | ||||
| Artist of the Year | ||||
| International Duo/Group of the Year |
Tours
External links |
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- Atomic Kitten
- English pop girl groups
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- Musical groups from Liverpool
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