| The Dolly Rockers | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Pop, electropop, dance |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitars, musical keyboard, drums |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Parlophone/EMI (2009) RedWalk Productions (2010-present) |
| Website | www.thedollyrockers.com |
| Members | |
| Lucie Kay (2006-2009, 2010-present) Sophie King (2006-present) Daniele Owen (2010-present)[1] |
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| Past members | |
| Brooke Challinor (2006-2010)[2][3] | |
The Dolly Rockers are an English girl group from London, Leeds and Manchester. The group currently consists of Lucie Kay, Sophie King and Daniele Owen.[1][4] They first became known when they competed in UK talent show The X Factor in 2006, making it through to the "judges' houses" stage, however they were then not chosen to go through to the live shows.[5] However, in 2009 the group received an unexpected amount of airplay with one of their songs and became instant celebrities, receiving coverage in British tabloids[6] and feuding with other pop groups.[7] They were signed with EMI Parlophone, and worked with hit songwriters Ray Hedges and Nigel Butler.[8] Their sound has been called "Wonky Pop" and "drunk disco",[9][10] and they have described themselves as "the pop equivalent of Marmite."[11]
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The band members met after successfully auditioning for a girl band, Innocence, advertised in The Stage. They formed the Dolly Rockers after this band failed.[11][12] The name comes from a vintage clothing company.[8] After The X Factor, they worked with Hedges and Butler for a year and a half, recording material in Jersey while still working in their day jobs.[8] They say that "A lot of people who have been on X Factor try to capitalise on the connection. We're trying to put it behind us."[12]
The band got signed to EMI in 2009 and hit the mainstream in with the single "Je Suis Une Dolly", based on Bill Wyman's 1981 hit "(Si Si) Je Suis Un Rockstar", which was heavily promoted by BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills. The song became so popular so quickly, helped in part by a video shot on the London Underground,[13] that EMI decided to rush the single as a download.[12] A new single, "Gold Digger," was physically released on 30 August. This song heavily samples "Stool Pigeon" by Kid Creole and the Coconuts and "Wordy Rappinghood" by The Tom Tom Club. The video is similar to their first video "Je Suis Une Dolly". It was shot at the River Island shop on Oxford Street. It premiered through Parlophone's YouTube channel on 24 July.[6][14][15] Lucie Kay left the band in December 2009, and was replaced by Daniele Owen. In August 2010, Kay rejoined the band, and Challinor was excused from The Dolly Rockers. The band say that have signed a US record deal with RedWalk Productions (A RedOne venture with Charlie Walk) and will start working on material for their debut album in mid to late 2011.[16] Recently the girls released several new songs to YouTube which they perform acoustically - namely Spin the Bottle and Merry go Round.[17] The band announced that their debut album will be released in 2012, via 'Dolly Mail'.
| Year | Title | Peak positions |
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| UK | |||||||||
| 2009 | "Gold Digger" |
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