Girlfriend (band)
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| Girlfriend / GF4 | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Australia |
| Genre(s) | Pop, dance-pop, rock |
| Years active | 1991-1996 |
| Label(s) | BMG |
Girlfriend was a five-girl pop group from Australia, formed in the early 1990s. Their debut album Make It Come True was released in 1992 and became a major hit in Australia with hit songs such as Take It From Me and Without You. After the departure of member Robyn Loau, the group changed its name to GF4.
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[edit] Background
Three of the members — Jacqueline Cowell, Siobhánn Heidenreich and Melanie Alexander — first met while taking dance lessons at the young age of three. Years later, they decided to form a pop group, and, through their dance teacher, met Noel MacDonald, a singer, songwriter and jingle producer who saw promise in them. Two more singers were added in Robyn Loau, who MacDonald saw singing at Australia's Wonderland Theme Park, and Lorrinda Noble, who auditioned for the group. As well, singer and choreographer Kelly Abbey was brought in to choreograph the group's dance moves. The quintet was signed to a deal with BMG in 1991, after a year of self-promotion.
In 1992, the group's first single, Take It From Me, reached #1 on the ARIA charts, followed by "Girl's Life" and "Without You." In "Girl's Life" the girls sing about "Girl Power". This was four years before the Spice Girls used it as their slogan. The group's two studio albums, 1992's Make It Come True and the 1993 follow-up It's Up To You both became Gold certified. The group also became recognized for its fashion sense, with their flower hats becoming a symbol of the band; at one point, they even had their own clothing line.
In 1994, after the group had returned from a tour of Europe and Japan, Loau announced she would be leaving the group to start a solo career. She later enjoyed minor success with the hit Sick With Love which peaked at #21 on the ARIA Charts, and released an album Malaria. The four remaining members decided to ditch the clean-cut image and remake themselves into a new group, GF4. Under the new name, they released two singles, a cover version of disco classic Sooner Or Later, and Need Love (To Make The Sex Right)"; while both tracks were successful in the Australian charts, GF4 was broken up by 1996.
[edit] Reunited on "Where Are They Now"
On May 13th 2007 the former five members of Girlfriend appeared on Channel 7's 'Where Are They Now' program. The five spoke about their time with Girlfriend and performed an a cappella rendition of "Take it From Me" for the live audience.
[edit] Members
- Robyn Loau
- Melanie Alexander
- Lorrinda (Rindy) Noble
- Siobhánn Heidenreich
- Jacqueline (Jacqui) Cowell
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio Albums
- Make It Come True (1992) Platinum (Australia) (#6 AUS)
- It's Up To You (1993) Gold (Australia) (#29 AUS)
[edit] Singles
- Take It From Me (1992) (#1 AUS, #47 UK)
- Girl's Life (1992) (#15 AUS, #68 UK)
- Without You (1992) (#18 AUS)
- Bad Attitude (1992) (#28 AUS)
- Love's On My Mind (1993) (#65 AUS)
- Heartbeat (1993) (#36 AUS)
- Wishing On The Same Star (1994) (#44 AUS)
- Sooner Or Later (as GF4) (1994) (#11 AUS)
- Need Love (To Make The Sex Right) (as GF4) (1995) (#53 AUS)
