The Stunners
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Defunct | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, EP |
The Stunners were a Los Angeles-based American female ensemble established in 2007, initially comprising Allie Gonino, Hayley Kiyoko, Marisol Esparza, Kelsey Sanders, and Tinashe. Following the 2009 debut of their single "Bubblegum," Sanders departed to focus on an acting career and was succeeded by Lauren Hudson. The group ultimately dissolved in 2011.
2007–2009: Formation and member transition
The Stunners came together in 2007 with members Gonino, Kiyoko, Sanders, Esparza, and Tinashe. Within half a year, they secured a contract with Columbia Records and contributed a song to the iCarly soundtrack. Their initial single remained unreleased, and in 2009 they parted ways with Columbia to enter a production agreement with Lionsgate Entertainment, which developed a scripted MTV pilot inspired by the group. On March 18, 2009, "Bubblegum" was launched on iTunes alongside a music video. By July 2009, Sanders left to pursue acting ambitions and was replaced by Lauren Hudson.
2010–2011: EP release and disbandment
On September 29, 2009, The Stunners unveiled a five-track EP drawing inspiration from artists such as Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and Rihanna. In December that year, they performed an a cappella rendition of "Santa Bring My Soldier Home" on Anything Anything with Rich Russo and issued the single "We Got It," followed by its video in February 2010. The group promoted this track through appearances on The Today Show and The Wendy Williams Show.
In 2010, The Stunners signed with Universal Republic Records and released "Dancin' Around the Truth" to both iTunes and mainstream Top 40 radio stations. The corresponding music video debuted on June 2, shortly before the group was named as an opening act for Justin Bieber's My World Tour. Additionally, they put out a holiday-themed single titled "Santa Bring My Soldier Home," produced by Desmond Child, which encouraged support for the USO benefiting deployed military personnel.
After completing twenty shows on tour, the group returned to Los Angeles to work on new recordings with producers including Toby Gad, The Cataracs, Dave Broome, Livvi Franc, Sheppard Soloman, Jimmy Harry, and Tony Kanal from No Doubt. In November 2010, they shot a music video for "Spin The Bottle," which premiered on December 31. Although plans existed for a full-length album and a second official single titled "Heart Stops Beating," co-written by Tinashe and Allie and produced by Orange Factory Music, these were ultimately abandoned when the band disbanded in 2011.
Extended play
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| The Stunners |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart positions |
Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance |
US A/C | |||||||||||||
| "Bubblegum" | 2009 | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||
| "We Got It" | 14 | — | The Stunners | |||||||||||
| "Dancin' Around the Truth" (featuring New Boyz) |
2010 | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Spin the Bottle" | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||||
| "Santa Bring My Soldier Home" | — | 19 | ||||||||||||
| A dash ("—") indicates releases that did not chart or were unavailable in that region. | ||||||||||||||
Additional Appearances
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | 2008 | iCarly |
Videography
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "Bubblegum" | 2009 | Mike Nazzaro |
| "We Got It" | 2010 | Garrett Rosenblum and Ori Ravid |
| "Dancin' Around the Truth" | Smallz and Rasking | |
| "Spin the Bottle" | Travis Hoffman |
Tours
- Supporting performer
- My World Tour (2010)