|
Xenomania
Xenomania is an English songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent. Formed by Higgins with his Creative Director Miranda Cooper and Business Director Sarah Stennett of First Access Entertainment, Xenomania has written and produced for artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Pet Shop Boys, The Saturdays and Sugababes. In particular, all but one of Girls Aloud's studio albums have been entirely written and produced by Xenomania. Sugababes' " Round Round" and Girls Aloud's " Sound of the Underground" have been credited with reshaping British pop music for the 2000s. Gabriella Cilmi's "Sweet About Me" and Girls Aloud's " The Promise" were named Best Single at the ARIA Music Awards of 2008 and the 2009 BRIT Awards, respectively. The team has been referred to as "a Phil Spector" and "a Motown of the 21st-century". Higgins himself has said that Xenomania aspires to be a modern-day version of RAK Records. Of Higgins a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Promise (Girls Aloud Song)
"The Promise" is a single by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth and final studio album '' Out of Control'' (2008). The song was written by Brian Higgins, Miranda Cooper, Jason Resch, Kieran Jones, and Carla Marie Williams and produced by frequent contributor Higgins along with production team Xenomania. Influenced by Phil Spector and music of the 1960s, "The Promise" is an upbeat love song about falling in love uncontrollably after promising to never fall in love again. The song was praised and appreciated by most contemporary music critics, who lauded the song despite considering it unusual for Girls Aloud. It was honoured as Song of the Year at the 2009 BRIT Awards, becoming Girls Aloud's first win at the ceremony, and was also nominated for PRS for Music's Most Performed Work at the 2010 Ivor Novello Awards as well as for Best Single at the 2008 Heat Awards. "The Promise" was also awarded the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, the band's fifth single ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Higgins (producer)
Brian Thomas Higgins (born November 4, 1966) is a British record producer and songwriter who has written and produced albums and tracks for several successful pop music singers and groups, including Girls Aloud, S Club 7, Sugababes, and the Saturdays, through his Xenomania production team. Miranda Cooper is a key collaborator who has co-writing credits in nearly all Xenomania-created tracks. His musical style has been described as part electro, part power pop, part basic pop, with elements of new wave, rave and dance found in many of his collaborations. Early career Higgins hails from Whitehaven, Cumbria, on the edge of the Lake District of England. He is the second of five children. His father was a general practitioner. Influenced by the band ®tm (Registered Trade Mark) in the early 1980s, he played keyboards in a band called Despatch, which included former members of ®tm. In the late 1980s, he moved to East Grinstead, West Sussex. With fellow Cumbrian and guitarist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British-Irish pop music, pop girl group that was created through the ITV (TV network), ITV talent show ''Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The line up consisted of members Cheryl (singer), Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. In 2012, the group was named as Britain's biggest selling girl group of the 21st century so far, with over 4.3 million singles sales and 4 million albums sold in the UK. The group achieved a string of twenty top-ten singles on the UK singles chart, including four number ones. They also achieved seven British Phonographic Industry, BPI certified albums, two of which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. They have been nominated for five Brit Awards and won one of them, Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise (Girls Aloud song), The Promise". The group's main musical style is pop, and they have also experimented with other sounds including electropop, dance-pop and dance-rock throughout their career. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Florrie
Florence Ellen Arnold (born 28 December 1988), better known as Florrie, is an English pop music, pop singer-songwriter, drummer and model. Closely associated with the Xenomania production house, since joining as their in-house drummer in 2008 she has played live and on record for popular artists such as Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud and the Pet Shop Boys. In 2010, she began a solo career. She has drawn positive reaction from the online music community for releasing her own material in collaboration with remixers such as Fred Falke for download without charge. In 2010, Florrie released a four-track EP titled ''Florrie EPs#Introduction, Introduction'', followed by the six-track EP ''Florrie EPs#Experiments, Experiments'' in 2011, and by the four-track EP ''Florrie EPs#Late, Late'' in 2012. In 2013, Florrie released a single, "Live a Little", that was used in promotion for Sony's XBA-C10 in-ear headphones campaign. In 2014, she announced that she had signed to a major label, Sony Mus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sound Of The Underground (song)
"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British-Irish pop group Girls Aloud, and later featured on their debut album of the same title. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania. Following Girls Aloud's formation on the ITV1 reality television show '' Popstars: The Rivals'', "Sound of the Underground" was released 16 days later, on 16 December 2002. Commercially, it was an immediate success; it became the year's Christmas number one in the UK, spending four consecutive weeks atop the chart. It also reached number one in Ireland and peaked within the top forty in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. The music video was recorded in an empty London warehouse days after Girls Aloud were formed. The song has been performed by Girls Aloud in a number of live appearances including ''Popstars: The Rivals'' and each of Girls Aloud's concert tours. Critically ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miranda Cooper
Miranda Cooper (born 1975) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and television presenter. Miranda Cooper has worked in the music industry since 1996 when she gained her first recording contract. She worked as a professional dancer for artists such as Dannii Minogue before going into television presenting. In 1997, Cooper met Brian Higgins, the founder of Kent-based songwriting and production team Xenomania. Miranda Cooper signed a deal with London Records under the alias Moonbaby, releasing the single " Here We Go" to little success, although it was used as the theme tune to the cartoon series '' Totally Spies!'' with some lyrics adjusted. Cooper started songwriting with Higgins, eventually finding commercial success and critical acclaim with their productions for Girls Aloud and Sugababes. Cooper has co-written for successful artists such as Alesha Dixon, Gabriella Cilmi and Kylie Minogue. Life and career 1996–2000: dancing, presenting, and recor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweet About Me
"Sweet About Me" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi from her debut album, '' Lessons to Be Learned'' (2008). The song was released as the album's second single on 10 March 2008 in the United Kingdom and on 24 March 2008 in Australia. One month later, it topped the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and stayed there for five non-consecutive weeks. "Sweet About Me" also became a hit in Europe, reaching number one in the Netherlands and Norway and becoming a top-five hit in eight other countries. In the UK, the song reached number six and was the most-played track of 2009 according to PRS for Music. The song won the Grand Prix during the 46th Sopot International Song Festival in 2009. A 2010 mix of "Sweet About Me" was included on Cilmi's second album, '' Ten'', released in March 2010. Background Recording of '' Lessons to Be Learned'', the parent album of "Sweet About Me," began in Melbourne, Australia, when Gabriella Cilmi was thirteen years-old. Cilmi then re- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carla Marie Williams
Carla Maria Williams , known professionally as Carla Marie Williams, is a British songwriter and singer. Notable songs she has written or co-written include Beyoncé's "Freedom", Naughty Boy's " Runnin'" and Britney Spears's " Private Show". In 2016, Williams was nominated for two Grammy Awards for her work on Beyoncé's ''Lemonade'' album. She is the founder of Girls I Rate. Early life Williams grew up in Wealdstone Harrow, London, England. At the age of 10, she formed the girl group the Likkle Mentions. They entered local singing competitions and appeared on local radio. Williams completed her GCSEs and studied her A-Levels at Bentley Wood High School, an all-girl comprehensive school in Harrow. After completing her A-Levels, she worked as a youth mentor for four years to help young musicians and songwriters. Career Williams moved to full-time songwriting in 2006 after losing her voice from muscular tension. She was signed to Xenomania as a songwriter by Brian Higgins. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Lucia Cilmi ( ; ; born 10 October 1991) is an Australian pop singer and songwriter. A contralto, Cilmi is known for her distinctive raspy singing voice. Her debut album, '' Lessons to Be Learned'', was released in March 2008, becoming a moderate international success. Cilmi won six ARIA Music Awards, including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist, in 2008. Her second studio album, '' Ten'', was released in March 2010. Her third studio album, ''The Sting'', was released in November 2013. In November 2019, Cilmi released a six-track EP, ''The Water'', which she called a taste of a yet-to-be-released studio album. Cilmi holds dual Australian-Italian citizenship. In February 2025, Cilmi returned home to Australia to support The Corrs on the Australian leg of their tour. Early life Gabriella Cilmi was born in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. She is of Italian–Albanian descent. Cilmi had an Italian upbringing where she participated in community events. She spoke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Round Round
"Round Round" is a song performed by British girl group Sugababes. It was written by group members Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range, as well as Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, and Lisa Cowling. It samples the song "Tango Forte" by German production team Dublex Inc., so the songwriters of that track are credited as well. Produced by Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby, the song was released as the second single from the group's second studio album, ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (2002). Following its release on 12 August 2002, "Round Round" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's second number-one single domestically. In August 2022, it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Round Round" also reached the top 10 in Austria, Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand, among other countries. In 2003, it became the group's first single to chart in the United States, peaking at number seven on the ''Billboard'' Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are an English-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and has been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vanessa White. They were formed through Fascination Records, a sub-division of Polydor Records, which gave them an instant record deal with the label. As soon as the contract was finalized, the Saturdays went on tour with Girls Aloud during their Tangled Up Tour. The group's music style is pop, but throughout their career, their management has experimented with dance-pop and electropop. Songwriters and producers Ina Wroldsen, Steve Mac, Camille Purcell, and Quiz & Larossi have helped create their music. In July 2008, The Saturdays released their debut single and first Top Ten hit, "If This Is Love". Their debut album, ''Chasing Lights'', released the same year, charted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart; it was certified platinum by the British Pho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of ''The Guinness Book of Records''. Pet Shop Boys have achieved 42 top 30 singles, including 22 top-10 hits on the UK singles chart, including four UK number-ones: "West End Girls" (also number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100), "It's a Sin", a synth-pop version of "Always on My Mind#Pet Shop Boys version, Always on My Mind", and "Heart (Pet Shop Boys song), Heart". Other hit songs include a cover of "Go West (song)#Pet Shop Boys version, Go West", and their own "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", and "What Have I Done to Deserve This? (song), What Have I Done to Deserve This?" in a duet with Dusty Springfield. With five US top 10 singles in the 1980s, they are associated with the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
