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The Cheetah Girls (group)

From Alfawiki
The Cheetah Girls
Company typeVocal group
IndustryMusic, entertainment
Founded2002
Headquarters
United States
ProductsMusic albums, soundtracks, merchandise (apparel, dolls, video games)
Number of employees
3–4 (members)

The Cheetah Girls emerged as an American female vocal group established in 2002, primarily featuring Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Sabrina Bryan. Raven-Symoné participated as a member during the first two musical films and contributed to their soundtracks.

Initially created as a fictional quartet for the Disney Channel original musical movie The Cheetah Girls (2003), the film achieved the highest premiere ratings for a Disney Channel Original Movie at that time. Its accompanying soundtrack attained double platinum status from the RIAA. Following the film’s popularity, Bailon, Williams, and Bryan formed an actual singing group while Symoné pursued solo endeavors. The trio released their first studio album, Cheetah-licious Christmas, in 2005. Symoné returned for the sequel The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006) alongside its platinum-certified soundtrack, marking her final involvement with the ensemble. In 2007, The Cheetah Girls launched their second studio album TCG and starred in their last musical feature, The Cheetah Girls: One World, released in 2008.

Beyond music, The Cheetah Girls branched out into various merchandise lines such as apparel, dolls, and video games. They embarked on three North American tours titled Cheetah-licious Christmas Tour, The Party's Just Begun Tour, and One World Tour. Collectively, the group has sold over 11 million records worldwide.

2002–2004: The Cheetah Girls

The musical television film The Cheetah Girls debuted on Disney Channel on August 15, 2003. It was adapted from Deborah Gregory’s popular young adult book series. Filming took place in late 2002 with Raven-Symoné portraying Galleria, Sabrina Bryan as Dorinda, Adrienne Bailon as Chanel, and Kiely Williams cast as Aquanette. Originally, Solange Knowles was selected for Aquanette’s part but withdrew to concentrate on her debut album Solo Star. Williams had initially auditioned for Galleria but was reassigned to Aquanette following Knowles’ departure. Both Bailon and Williams had previously been members of the girl group 3LW. Upon release, the film became Disney Channel’s highest-rated basic cable telecast to date, attracting an audience of 6.5 million viewers. Its DVD edition sold more than 800,000 units.

Multiple songs were recorded specifically for the film; although there were no initial intentions to commercially release them, producer Debra Martin Chase secured deals that led to a soundtrack launch. Issued on August 12, 2003, the soundtrack reached number 33 on the Billboard 200 chart and received double platinum certification by the RIAA. The album included the single "Cinderella".

ABC considered developing a sitcom adaptation for the 2004–2005 television season, with discussions involving casting fellow 3LW member Jessica Benson. Nevertheless, ABC ultimately chose not to proceed with the series and no pilot episode was produced.

2005–2006: Cheetah-licious Christmas and The Cheetah Girls 2

After the initial film's popularity, Disney transformed The Cheetah Girls into an official recording act. With Symoné focusing on solo ventures, Bailon, Williams, and Bryan continued as a trio. Their debut offering was a rendition of "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" featured on Disneymania 3 in February 2005. Later that year, in October, they launched their first album, Cheetah-licious Christmas, through Walt Disney Records. This festive collection combined traditional holiday songs with original tracks and reached number 74 on the Billboard 200, selling beyond 375,000 units by mid-2008. The album was promoted with the single "Cheetah-licious Christmas." Additionally, in November, they recorded "Shake a Tail Feather" for the Chicken Little soundtrack, which was released as a single in France. December marked the start of their inaugural headline tour, the Cheetah-licious Christmas Tour, with choreography by Lena Giroux.

In April 2006, the group issued a single cover of "If I Never Knew You" from Pocahontas, included on Disneymania 4. That same month, production began on the sequel film The Cheetah Girls 2, which saw Raven-Symoné rejoin the cast. Filmed in Barcelona, Spain, the movie debuted on August 26, 2006, drawing an audience exceeding 8.1 million viewers—a then-record for a Disney Channel Original Movie. The accompanying soundtrack was released on August 15, 2006, climbed to number 5 on the Billboard 200, and received platinum certification from the RIAA. Singles such as "The Party's Just Begun" reached number 13 in New Zealand and number 85 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, while "Strut" peaked at number 55. Promotional efforts primarily featured the trio; Raven-Symoné appeared for a single live performance on Good Morning America. In October 2006, their cover of "Route 66" was released to promote the Cars DVD and was included in a special edition of its soundtrack.

Following the film's release, they embarked on The Party's Just Begun Tour from September 2006 through March 2007, also choreographed by Lena Giroux, which grossed over $43 million USD. Two shows from this tour were recorded for the live album In Concert: The Party's Just Begun Tour, which came out on July 10, 2007.

2007–2008: TCG, The Cheetah Girls: One World, and disbandment

In March 2007, their rendition of "So This Is Love" from Cinderella was featured on Disneymania 5. While engaged in The Party's Just Begun Tour, the group simultaneously developed their second studio album. Bailon highlighted their ambition to establish themselves as a legitimate musical act beyond just soundtrack contributions.[1] Sabrina Bryan mentioned their approach aimed at connecting with both younger audiences and older fans.[2]

Their sophomore album, TCG, was released on September 25, 2007. It attained number 44 on the Billboard 200 chart and had sold more than 120,000 copies by mid-2008.[3][4] The lead single "So Bring It On" served as the theme for Twitches Too, while its follow-up "Fuego" reached number 27 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart.[5][6]

Early in 2007, plans for a third movie were announced with filming set in India and featuring Bollywood influences.[7] Raven-Symoné chose not to participate in this installment due to feeling alienated during production of the previous film.[8][9] Production for The Cheetah Girls: One World commenced in January 2008. That May, the group contributed a cover of "Someday My Prince Will Come" to Disneymania 6. The movie premiered on August 22, 2008, with its soundtrack arriving three days prior. Although it attracted an audience of approximately 6.2 million viewers, soundtrack sales reached only around 140,000 copies within two months.[10] Subsequently, they toured during the One World Tour. The ensemble officially disbanded by late December of that year.[11][12]

Legacy

As Disney Channel’s inaugural multi-ethnic girl ensemble, The Cheetah Girls highlighted a mix of cultural backgrounds and incorporated worldwide musical styles. Their sequel film embraced aspects of Spanish culture and language, enhancing their international appeal.

While contemporaries like The Pussycat Dolls adopted a more adult-oriented style, The Cheetah Girls preserved a wholesome image featuring modest dance routines and costumes, resonating well with both tweens and their parents. Their movies focused on the pursuit of fame alongside the importance of strong personal connections, delivering empowering feminist messages to young viewers.

Numerous performers such as Fifth Harmony, The McClain Sisters, Zendaya, Olivia Holt, Coco Jones, and Brittany O'Grady have acknowledged The Cheetah Girls as key influences in their careers. Additionally, artists including Cardi B and North West have publicly paid homage to the group.

Filmography

Year Title Cast Notes
2003 The Cheetah Girls Raven-Symoné as Galleria Garibaldi, Adrienne Bailon as Chanel Simmons, Sabrina Bryan as Dorinda Thomas, Kiely Williams as Aquanette Walker Filming locations included Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Manhattan, New York City
2006 The Cheetah Girls 2 Same cast as above Shot in Barcelona, Spain
2008 The Cheetah Girls: One World Adrienne Bailon as Chanel Simmons, Sabrina Bryan as Dorinda Thomas, Kiely Williams as Aquanette Walker Filmed on location in Udaipur, India

Albums

Soundtracks

Tours

Merchandise

The franchise expanded into apparel lines retailed at Sears, alongside toys and video games developed for platforms such as Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. In 2007, a doll collection inspired by the Disney Channel Original Movies was introduced.

Book series

Authored by Deborah Gregory, the book series launched in 1999 served as the foundation for the initial film adaptation. Later novels acted as tie-ins to the movies, with additional titles published in 2004, 2006, and 2008 by various writers.

See also

External links

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  12. ↑ [2]
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