Girl Thing
| Company type | Girl group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Simon Cowell |
| Defunct | 2001 (initial disbandment) |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom / Netherlands |
| Products | Pop music |
Girl Thing was a British–Dutch girl group established in 1998 by Simon Cowell. The lineup consisted of Jodi Albert, Michelle Barber, Anika Bostelaar, Linzi Martin, and Nikki Stuart. Created to compete with the Spice Girls, their commercial success was modest, resulting in their split in 2001.
The group came back together in 2013 to participate in the second season of The Big Reunion, culminating in a one-time performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014.
Career
Simon Cowell assembled Girl Thing in 1998 after opting not to collaborate with the Spice Girls. Their first single, "Last One Standing", was produced by the Steelworks team—Tim Lever, Mike Percy, and Eliot Kennedy. The release was heavily promoted, including a notable promotional event atop the Eiffel Tower. Although it was anticipated to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, it ultimately peaked at number eight. The track earned a gold certification and entered the top 20 charts in Australia.
Linzi Martin contributed as a co-writer for "Bounce," a track performed by Aaron Carter on his second album, which sold three million copies in 2000.
After their follow-up single "Girls on Top" charted at number 25, plans for releasing their album in the UK were scrapped. However, the album was released in markets such as Australia, New Zealand, India, and Japan. Recording sessions included songs like "Young, Free & Happy," "Extraordinary Love," "Summer Daze," "If That's What It Takes," "Last Goodbye," and "You Can Run but You Can't Hide." Additionally, they recorded "Pure and Simple", which was later reassigned to Hear'Say, victors of ITV's Popstars.
In December 2013, Girl Thing reunited for the second installment of ITV2's The Big Reunion, leading up to their concert in March 2014.
Post-split
- Jodi Albert took on the role of Debbie Dean in Channel 4's soap opera Hollyoaks before joining the girl band Wonderland. She married Westlife vocalist Kian Egan in 2009; together they have three sons.
- Michelle Barber pursued a career as a presenter on Nickelodeon.
- In July 2007, Anika Bostelaar released her single "King of the Dancefloor" under the stage name 'Kiana'. She auditioned for the Dutch-Flemish television program K2 zoekt K3 but did not advance to the live rounds. Later, in 2016, she founded the Dutch girl group Hello August, which debuted with the single "Wrong Chick" in January 2018.
- Nicola Harrington has made occasional appearances on ITV's Lorraine.
- Linzi Martin auditioned for The X Factor in 2014 but did not progress past bootcamp.
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Girl Thing |
|
92 |
Singles
| Song Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions Achieved | Certification Status | Corresponding Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | GER | IRE | NED | NOR | SWE | ||||
| "Last One Standing" | 2000 | 8 | 17 | 82 | 16 | 11 | — | 24 |
|
Girl Thing |
| "Girls on Top" | 25 | 42 | — | — | 52 | 13 | — | |||
| "Young, Free and Happy" | 2001 | — | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | ||