Girl Authority

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Girl Authority
Girl Authority's debut album; Top row: Crystal, Kate and Tarr. Middle row: Gina, Zoë and Jess. Bottom row: Carly, Alex and Jacqueline.
Origin	Sudbury, Massachusetts
Country	United States
Years active	2005—present
Genres	Pop
Labels	Zoë/Rounder Records
Members	"Fashion Girl" Alex Bilbo "All-Star Girl" Jacqueline Laviolette "Glamour Girl" Carly Grayson "Boho Girl" Jess Bonner "Urban Girl" Gina Miele "Country Girl" Crystal Evans "Party Girl" Kate Barker "Preppy Girl" Zoë Virant "Party Arty Girl" Jessica Tarr
Website(s)	girlauthority.com

Girl Authority is an American pop girl group from Sudbury, Massachusetts. The group consists of nine girls, ranging in ages 9 to 15. The group was established in the summer of 2005 by the group's vocal coach/executive producer Samantha Hammel, Scott Billington, a Grammy award-winning producer and the CEO of Rounder Records, John Virant, the father of Zoë.^[1]

Each girl in the group has a distinct personality: There is 'Country Girl' Crystal, 'Party Girl' Kate, 'Rock n' Roll Girl' Tarr, 'Urban Girl' Gina, 'Fashion Girl' Alex, 'Preppy Girl' Zoë, 'Boho Girl' Jess, 'All-Star Girl' Jacqueline and 'Glamour Girl' Carly. All of the girls attended musical theater together for five years before joining the group. The girls are also accomplished actresses, all acting in local theater throughout Greater Boston.^[2] Hammel chose the girls herself from her SHAPA establishment (Samantha Hammel Academy of Performing Arts). Billington produced the album.

Girl Authority's self-titled album was released on the Zoe Records label in April of 2006. The album reached #9 on Billboard's Top Kid Audio chart and #17 on the Top Heatseekers chart. On the album, the girls recorded past songs such as Madonna's Material Girl and Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway. The album ran several TV advertisements on Nickelodeon. In April of 2006, the girls were invited to sing with The Dresden Dolls at a show in Boston.

Girl Authority have often been compared to the music of Kidz Bop due to performing popular songs of other artists. They have also been compared as a G-rated version of the Spice Girls due to each member sporting a moniker.

On October 14, 2006, the group performed onstage to a sell-out crowd at a benefit concert to raise money for Christopher's Haven, a home for children with cancer and their families.

Their second debut, Road Trip was released on March 13. Featured on this album is also a version of the early previously unreleased Depeche Mode song called "Let's Get Together" that Vince Clarke re-wrote for the band.^[3] 80's pop singer Cyndi Lauper wrote a ballad for the group titled "Shine" and Tanya Donelly wrote four tracks for the album, including the group's new signature song titled "This Is My Day". ^[4]^[5]

1 Side Projects
2 "Girl Talk"
3 "Authority Sorority"
4 Discography
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Side Projects

Girl Authority recorded The Star-Spangled Banner in June of 2006 and also a theme song for the Club Libby Lu store chain. They also released a Christmas single titled "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town". The single is only sold to listeners on Rhapsody, URGE, Zune and iTunes. "Rock n' Roll Girl" Tarr is currently serving as an intern for SAMM Entertainment.^[6]

[edit] "Girl Talk"

Each month, a member of the group posts a diary-like letter to fans. Usually, at the end of the letter, a question is asked to fans in which fans can respond to at the end of the month.

[edit] "Authority Sorority"

The Authority Sorority is the nickname for Girl Authority's fans. On the official website, fans can join, receive information about the group, send pictures of themselves and write to any member of the group. Pictures and fanmail are then posted in the "Sorority Buzz" section of the website. Pictures of girls on the website are given a nickname such as "Dance Girl" or "Musical Theatre Girl".