Bardot

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Bardot
Bardot as a four-piece in 2001. From left: Belinda, Tiffani, Sally and Sophie.
Background information
Origin	Australia
Genre(s)	Pop Dance R&B
Years active	2000–2002
Label(s)	Warner (2000-2002)
Former members
Tiffani Wood Sophie Monk Sally Polihronas Belinda Chapple Katie Underwood (up until mid 2001)

Bardot was an Australian female pop group which formed in 2000 on the original Australian reality television series of Popstars. It remains the most successful winning act of all four Australian seasons, releasing two albums, Bardot and Play It Like That, as well as six consecutive top twenty singles including notable hits "Poison" and "I Need Somebody". Bardot toured twice in its homehand and achieved considerable success overseas also, charting in a number of international markets including parts of Asia, New Zealand, India and the UK. The group parted ways in May 2002.

Contents 1 History 1.1 1999–2000: Popstars 1.2 2000–2001: Bardot 1.3 2001–2002: Play It Like That 1.4 The split 1.5 Court case 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 Singles 3 References 4 External links

[edit] History

[edit] 1999–2000: Popstars

Bardot evolved from the Seven Network's, original Australian (and only second ever, following New Zealand) series of Popstars, a television talent show which promised to create "Australia's very own Spice Girls". The show's design was simple: a panel of judges would tour the country in search of five talented girls who would form a pop group. In addition, the winning group would be sponsored by the Austereo radio network, New Idea Magazine and Warner Music records. In 1999, advertisements for the auditions attracted thousands of girls from across the country, hoping to fulfill their dream of one day breaking into the music industry.

The audition process was judged by three industry personnel - Australian radio broadcaster Jackie O, Warner Music executive Chris Moss and Grant Thomas Management representative Michael Napthali (who would manage the group's career). After numerous rounds of singing and dancing workshops, Sophie Monk, Sally Polihronas, Belinda Chapple, Katie Underwood and Chantelle Barry were chosen to fly to Sydney to record their debut single. The girls moved in together, however due to mysterious circumstances, Barry was asked to leave the group. Rumours filled magazines and newspapers, suggesting that Barry had been caught stealing items from the other members. As a result of her sudden departure, the judges had to select a new fifth member who would complement the rest of the group in terms of vocals and looks. Newcastle singer, Tiffany Wood (now spelt Tiffani Wood) was selected and Bardot (named after French actress Brigitte Bardot) was formed.

Cameras continued to follow the group during its recording sessions, photoshoots, the filming of its first music clip, on the promotional trail for its debut single and behind the scenes of its first performance and instore signing session. A special one-hour episode screened a selection of songs from Bardot's first full-scale live concert at the Sydney State Theatre.

In February 2006, on the Seven Network program Where Are They Now?, Barry spoke publicly for the first time over her removal from the group. She claims she accidentally kept Monk's money allowance with the intention of giving it back to her. She however forgot to do this and was therefore forced to leave the group.

[edit] 2000–2001: Bardot

The Popstars program rated in its millions and quickly became one of the most successful television programs of 2000. This exposure triggered off the Bardot phenomenon - the media reported on the girls daily and the band's instore signings attracted thousands of fans who hoped to personally meet their new "idols". This overwhelming attention translated into major record sales.

The debut single "Poison", entered at #1 with platinum sales, remaining top spot for two consecutive weeks on the ARIA singles chart. Their self titled debut album also entered the charts at #1, Bardot going down in the Australian music history books for becoming the "first Australian act to debut at the #1 position for both its debut single and debut album". The album would go on to sell double platinum copies and was the 20th highest selling album in Australia for 2000. Controversy surfaced following the release of the album due to the unintentionally lewd nature of the cover. Fans were appalled to see what appeared to be Katie Underwood urinating on a robotic canine. Nevertheless, Bardot was also an instant success in New Zealand where both the single and album peaked at #1. The album charted at #2 in Singapore. Second single, "I Should've Never Let You Go", was accompanied by a music video which saw the girls transform into animated superheroes and made its television debut at the end of the final episode of Popstars. The single debuted at #15 and eventually peaked at #14 on the ARIA singles chart. The group made a promotional trip to Singapore where the album and debut single had both performed extremely well, "I Should've Never Let You Go" reaching #1 on the Singaporean charts. The album's third and final single "These Days" debuted and peaked at #19. Bardot's live performance of "These Days" at the 2000 ARIA Awards gained them much praise and proved the girls were more than just "pretty faces". The group was nominated in three separate categories: "Highest Selling Single", "Highest Selling Album" and "Best Video". In August, Bardot embarked on its first national tour of Australia.

In March 2001, Bardot moved to the UK to release "Poison" and appeared on a number of shows including SMTV Live, Top of the Pops and Pepsi Chart (UK). The single however, proved to be of only limited success, peaking at #45 on the UK Singles chart. The girls put this disappointing result down to bad timing as the UK Popstars group Hear'Say were at its peak which meant little worthy media attention for anyone else.

[edit] 2001–2002: Play It Like That

In July 2001, Bardot released "ASAP", the first single from their forthcoming second album. The new single was marked as a "comeback" for the group which had been out of the Australian media spotlight for a few months due to promotional and recording commitments in the UK. During that period, several changes in the Bardot camp had occurred. Underwood decided to quit the group in pursuit of a role in the musical Hair (which fell through before production commenced) and Bardot parted ways with Grant Thomas Management (the team which selected them during the Popstars program), signing with Caplice Management for greater control of their careers.

The new single presented the general music public with a more mature, sophisticated and confident Bardot. This R&B, fast tempoed track, about a partner's interfering mother, was produced by Swedish hit-makers Murlyn and provided the group with its second Top 5 ARIA hit and fourth gold single. In August, Bardot performed a cover of the Village People classic "Go West" at the opening ceremony of the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane. In September, Bardot performed "ASAP" on the grand final edition of the AFL Footy Show at Rod Laver Arena. Following single, the dancefloor smash "I Need Somebody" confirmed the groups staying power, peaking Top 5 and becoming Bardot's biggest hit since "Poison". The bands second album, Play It Like That received critical acclaim upon release, debuting at #16 having already shipped gold status. This time around, several of the album's tracks were co-written by the members themselves. Chapple co-wrote the edgy "Don't Call Me, I'll Call You" and with fellow member Wood penned the dance number "Girls Of The Night". Polihronas co-wrote the soulful, R&B track "You Got Me Feeling" and with Monk wrote the boppy "Feel Right". Producers chosen by the girls for the album included Murlyn, Ray "Madman" Hedges, Ollie J, Phil Burton and Michael Szumowski (who produced their debut single "Poison"). Bardot performed their hits to its biggest crowd of 90,000 music lovers at the Sydney and Melbourne Rumba music festivals. On Christmas Eve, Bardot performed in front of 30,000 people at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for the annual Carols by Candlelight.

In February 2002, the group released its final single, the mid-tempo ballad "Love Will Find A Way" which completed Bardot's string of consecutive Top 20 hits peaking at #18. In March, the girls embarked on their second national tour with Australian boy band Human Nature, playing their hits and tracks from their latest album to packed crowds in theatres across the country. In early April, the group travelled to Malaysia where they performed at the International Indian Film Academy Awards, followed by a tour of India.

[edit] The split

By April 2002, a couple of members had expressed their desire to leave Bardot and after a lot of media speculation, the group announced its decision to split, much to the surprise of many industry spectators who believed Bardot was in the process of establishing a strong and credible reputation. Their official statement wrote that the girls "have cited a well earned break following what has been a phenomenal two and a half year explosion onto the Australian music scene". Rumours soon circulated that the split was pre-empted by Monk's desire to begin a solo career. The rapidity at which Monk's solo career was launched after the demise of the group suggests that there may have been some truth in these rumours, though Monk has denied this. In 2004, during an interview with FHM magazine, Polihronas revealed, "I think when Sophie went solo, everyone assumed that it was she who broke up the band, which wasn't right. I don't know whether I should say this, but I wanted out for a long time. Sophie and I both knew that we were going to fulfil the last album and then move on, but Sophie stayed with the management, and continued on. I took a whole year off without even thinking about it"^[1]. Soon after Bardot's split, Wood confirmed that both she and Chapple were the two members keen to continue as Bardot^[2]. Fans were devastated by the band's decision to break up and this was evident at their final, highly emotional concert performed live at Channel V where the group performed six songs and where showered with gifts, flowers and encouragement from hundreds of screaming fans. While trying to introduce their final song for the night, Wood broke into tears, unable to sing her verses and the crowds took to the microphone. The group made its final appearance together for a charity event on May 2nd in Sydney. Each of the members have since commenced solo careers with varying levels of success.

[edit] Court case

In April 2004, Bardot's original management team Grant Thomas Management sued the Popstars producer Screentime and its joint venture company Five Divas, for up to $750,000 for breach of contract and loss of earnings^[3] . In November 2000, Bardot sacked Grant Thomas Management midway through a three year contract because according to Screentime, Bardot had "lost all confidence" in the ability of Grant Thomas Management to effectively manage their careers^[4]. Grant Thomas believed they were unfairly dumped and was successfully awarded $129,561^[5].

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

• 2000: Bardot
• 2001: Play it Like That

[edit] Singles

The peak chart positions are shown for Australia (ARIA), Australasia (AUS), United Kingdom (UK), Singapore (SGP) and New Zealand (NZ).

Year	Single	Peak positions					ARIA Certification
		ARIA	AUS	UK	SGP	NZL
2000	"Poison"	1	1	45	4	1	2x Platinum
	"I Should've Never Let You Go"	14	4	—	1	29	Gold
	"These Days"	19	3	—	12	—	Gold
2001	"ASAP"	5	1	113	—	—	Gold
	"I Need Somebody"	5	1	—	—	—	Gold
2002	"Love Will Find a Way"	18	4	—	—	—	—

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Warner Music Australia: Bardot — Features music samples of album tracks