My Top 10 British Girl Groups

I just finished watching a 'Top 10 Girl Groups' video on the old YouTube. I was pleased with the results but I kind of feel we Brits were extremely unrepresented. The British music scene has always been at the forefront, we churn out the best and the most talented. If you want to argue; read my list and then come for me. I am about to make a lot of valid points that, and I am sorry, will prove how right I am. Us Brits are unmatched when it comes to pop! I wanted to make a Top 10 list of my own, but it is giving me an anxiety rash trying to think of an order. So, you may not agree with the placement (and neither will I in about 14 minutes), but enjoy and thank me later for infiltrating your ears with the beautiful sounds of these British gals.

10. Neon Jungle

These are the newest girls on my list, but they have made a major impact on my life and playlists. They screamed on to the scene with 'Trouble' just over a year ago. Since then they have had 3 top 20 singles and a top 10 album. I am excited for what they do next because they have such an edge and a style that I really enjoy.

9. Atomic Kitten

Things weren't looking too good for the kittens when they first started out. Given one last chance before they were to be dropped from their record label, they released 'Whole Again'. Then BANG they exploded. Two number one albums and three number one singles in the UK alone. These ladies were fun, had a little bit drama along the way but they came back on 'The Big Reunion' with original member, Kerry Katona, and just reminded us all of the magic - and lets face it they were biggest stars of the show.

8. B*Witched

I may have just broken the only rule I set myself for this list - they aren't British. However you can't deny the connection they had to my fair island. Their first four singles went in straight at number one! This was unheard of for a girl group (except the Spice Girls of course). They made denim on denim cool, and there wasn't one British kid who didn't try the irish jig at the school disco. It was unfortunate circumstances that led them to leave the music industry but thank the gods that ITV2 brought them back for 'The Big Reunion'.

7. Mis-Teeq

I was infatuated with these three ladies. They created a connection from urban to pop music. Alesha Dixon's MCing skills are unmatched. I learnt every single freaking word of everyone of her raps. I can still be found to this day casually rapping 'I said get up, get up it's a one night stand, here I come again ....'. It was infectious. The only reason they stopped making music was because their record company went bankrupt (not the Mis-teeq ladie's fault!) I just hope they take advantage of the nostalgia people are loving and finally reunite.

6. Little Mix

The first band to ever win The X Factor! Two number one singles! Sold out worldwide tour! These ladies are unstoppable. Creating anthemic girl power songs with a style all of their own they have become the face of British girl groups. I had the honour of seeing these ladies live and they are a force. Their vocals are flawless! Don't believe me? Then watch them sing 'Good Enough' from their last tour on YouTube. You're welcome.

5. All Saints

These women were labelled the alternative to the Spice Girls, and as a die hard Spice Boy I wouldn't give them the time of day. However if I am honest to my family and friends (its time) - I was a huge fan, I just kept it on the down low. 'Never Ever' and 'Pure Shores' were and still are some of my favourite songs of all time. I knew all the words to Nicole's little speech at the beginning of 'Never Ever' and I would recite it daily. They had 5 UK number ones, charted in America and had one of the best comeback singles of all time in 2006 (see above). Plus a little side note - How good is Melanie on The X Factor New Zealand? Putting Natalia Kills in her place - yes gawd.

4. The Saturdays

Okay before I start the ass kissing, I just found out 'Higher' was released five years ago - once again age just punched me in the face. Wipe away my tears and away I go. I love The Saturdays. They are a guilty pleasure that I don't actually feel bad about. You name me a good song and I can name a Saturday equivalent. They just created happy, dance music. Everyone knows the words to most of the songs. No they won't go down in the history books for songwriting, but who cares. They were fun and crowd pleasers. 16 top 20 singles proves that.

3. Girls Aloud

Another girl band that should be celebrated for giving us fun, unadulterated instant pop classics. They churned out song after song that could fill a dance floor or give a young lad such as myself a private iPod playlist he could enjoy without fear of ridicule. I have had the honour of seeing these ladies live and they were phenomenal. It was a giant party with the worlds greatest soundtrack. Two number one albums and four number one singles, they were perfect and had an undeniable sound all of their own.

2. Sugababes

Forget the drama with line up changes, that's old news and the jokes are boring. Lets just look at the work these six ladies created. Between them they have two number one albums, six number one singles and a combined 8 million records sold in the UK alone. They also had major success in Australia and the rest of Europe with a Brit award to boot. They have mixed many different genres of music within their discography and there isn't one song I would skip. Right now they are on a 'hiatus' but I think we all know thats it for the babes and its a major shame.

Notable Mentions

Cleopatra

Honeyz

Booty Love

Mutya Keisha Siobhan

Stooshe

Precious

M.O

The 411

Alisha's Attic

Number 1

Spice Girls

How it started

 I mean, who else? Who else has achieved the world wide success these ladies did? They came, they saw and they fucking conquered! You couldn't move for Spice Girls memorabilia in the late 90's. Lets put their success into a nice little list.

Three UK Number one albums.

One Greatest Hits album

Nine UK Number One Singles

Five BRIT Awards 

Three American Music Awards

Three MTV Europe Music Awards

One MTV Video Music Awards

Three World Music Awards

Three consecutive Christmas number one singles.

"Wannabe" is the most successful song released by an all-female group.

$77 Million Dollars at the box office for 'Spice World'

'Spice' is the 18th biggest-selling album of all time in the UK

It is also the biggest-selling album of all time by a girl group, with sales of 28 million copies worldwide. 

A musical written around their music.

In total they have sold over 85 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling female group of all time, one of the best-selling pop groups of all time, and the biggest British pop phenomenon since Beatlemania.

Bow down Bitches!

My Name is Craig and I am obsessed with Photoshop!

Some people enjoy fishing, working on cars or even horse riding, but not me. We all have our hobbies and we shouldn't be judged for them. My greatest time killer of late is Photoshop. I love it. I like to think of myself of as a creative person but stuff like painting, drawing and watercolours don't attract me - there is no undo button. I am not a perfectionist, I just make a lot of mistakes so an undo is a god send. Also its a lot less messy and a lot less materials are needed. 

My favourite things that I like to create are things for promotion. Album covers, advertisements and film posters are my forte. Let me give you a run down of what I have done above.

Fuck Love

Just a little fake movie I created starring Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence and Jennifer Aniston (a trio we all know we want to see). Yeah, its out on Valentines Day, don't read too much in to it.

Little Mix - 3

Little Mix have announced they are writing for their 3rd album. So stealing inspiration from the name of Beyonce's 4th album (4), I called it 3. I also went with a more grown up photo shoot and played around with sizes.

Neon Jungle - Welcome to the Jungle Tour

I tried to keep this one looking cool and effortless just like them. Inspired a little by the 'Braveheart' video with the colouring. 

Craig Magazine

I haven't created a magazine cover since AS Level Media Studies, so I thought I would have another crack at it. Taking a lot of inspiration from Company Magazine. I just love their aesthetic and there isn't anyone rivalling them in their layout and artwork in my opinion.

Olsen Hair Dye

When I created Craig Magazine I wanted to add some authenticity so I created some advertisements. I chose to use the Olsen twins as I have the biggest love for them, I changed their hair colour and added the tag line 'Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful'. I really like this message as they are twins, but this doesn't mean they have to be the same.

Looking for Alaska
I chose to do this movie poster as it is one of my favourite John Green book's. This is also my dream cast for the film, and if you have read the book then you will agree it works.

Topshop
I created this advertisement for my own little magazine again. I chose quite a simple layout so it is the clothes you look at and not my skills on photoshop.

I have done a lot of work on Photoshop, a lot of it can be seen on the 'My Work' page. Link Here. Also below I will put bigger images of the 7 images above if you want a bigger look.

If you want to see more of work then just look at the images on every post on this blog. I created them all myself aswell.

Neon Jungle - New Love

I have a lot of love for this new girlband. They are fun, feisty and have an amazing style. Their songs range from club anthems, to dup step to heartbreaking ballads. Their album has it all, it would be hard to categorise them. I am literally telling anyone who will listen that they need to hear this album. I was shocked as I was expecting a lot of dub step - boy was I wrong. The selection of songs is like putting your entire iTunes playlist on shuffle - something for everyone. Also they do a couple of covers, random songs you wouldn't expect like Banks' 'Waiting' and Hozier's 'Take me to Church'. They are both exceptional, these aren't just pretty voices, these girls can siing!

However, the main point of this post is that I wanted to showcase something they do which more people need to see. They do a lot of covers of popular songs, they put their own twist on them and they become something else. From Britney to Miley it seems like they can sing anything if given the chance.

So as I do I have created a list, this is a list of my top 5 favourite Neon Jungle covers.

5. Britney Spears - Work Bitch

4. Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop

3. Jessie J Mash Up

2. Lorde - Royals

1. Hozier - Take Me To Church

I really could listen to these beauty's all day. They have a unique style about them, I particularly love Asami's voice, not to put anyone else down, but she is special.

Return Of The Girlbands

For a while it seemed like Little Mix and The Saturdays were having to hold the fort down when it came to girlbands. However we can now all take a joint sigh of relief - we have some more girlbands breaking through. There has always been a hole in the music industry where girlbands just couldn't make the cut. Ever since the Spice Girls, Sugababes, Pussycat Dolls, Destiny's Child and Girls Aloud all left us to fend for ourselves we have needed a group of females to come out and kick the boyband's arses. Little Mix and The Saturdays have done a dame good job but they need a little help. And lets face it, The Saturday's next album is a Greatest Hits, this is normally the beginning of the end. They will say that they are going on a break and we all know what that means. The Spice Girl's break lasted 7 years and they only came back with one single and one tour, Girls Aloud's break lasted 3 years and they only came back with one single and one tour and Destiny's Child's break is currently on it's 7th year. 

So now we have a bunch of new ladies ready to take the stage. I have shortlisted 4 girlbands that I am quite excited about. Lets go -

Neon Jungle

This british 4 piece have already made waves with two singles in the top 10 and a 3rd released this week already in the iTunes top 10. I like these girls because they have an edge about them. They aren't singing your generic pop music, they have more of a dubstep vibe about them. Although saying that my favourite song so far is 'Louder', its a pop ballad that really showcases their voices. And yes, all four of them can sing. I was a bit unsure of them when I first heard them with their song 'Trouble' as I wasn't quite sure why they were shouting at me, but I have warmed to them in a big way and I am very excited for their album.

M.O

Another british band we should be taking notice of. Once again they are taking a step away from the happy pop music and they are bringing a more urban vibe. I first heard them as a soundtrack on a TV show and had to find the song instantly. The song was 'Ain't Got Time', the chorus was so catchy and I guarantee that with one listen you will be singing the words as you walk around town. The single didn't do great in the charts but I am happy to say it hasn't stopped them, they are releasing new music and videos as I type.

Fifth Harmony

You may already know who these are as they were finalists in last years The X Factor US. They were put together on the show after all auditioning solo, and what a great idea it was (except maybe Camila, she kind of shines on her own). I fell in love with their voices straight after hearing them sing Shontelle's 'Impossible' - if you get the chance YouTube it. They released a couple of songs after leaving that were extremely pop and sold them to a tween market. However their latest single 'Bo$$' is showing some growth, some may argue too much growth but at the end of the day they aren't stepping on Miley's toes with this song - its fun, very powering for a female and a good time.

GRL

I can almost guarantee that you have heard these ladies sing, or at least one of them. These are the five girls singing behind Pitbull in his song 'Wild Wild Love' and the blonde lady is the singer on LMFAO's single 'Party Rock Anthem'. However they no longer have Feat. infront of their names and they have released music on their own. There has been a lot of comparison to the Pussycat Dolls - it's an easy one to make as they have the same creator, Miss Robin Antin. And to be honest I don't think they should be judged for this, the Pussycat Dolls are no longer around so why not bring 5 fresh faces to come and fill the void. They are fun and I absolutely love their latest single 'Ugly Heart'. I have a feeling these grl's will be around for a bit, I mean Britney Spears has already given her approval and who are we to argue with Queen Pop herself.