What was Girls Aloud’s debut single, released after their 2002 Popstars: The Rivals win?

Girls Aloud’s debut single was “Sound of the Underground,” released after their 2002 Popstars: The Rivals win.

The group formed on the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals, whose format created a girl group and a boy band from competing finalists. Girls Aloud won the public vote, and “Sound of the Underground” became their first single. It was released in December 2002 and competed directly with the boy group One True Voice’s debut single, “Sacred Trust.”

“Sound of the Underground” topped the UK Singles Chart and became the Christmas number-one single in 2002. The track was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and other Xenomania collaborators, and its electronic rock production helped establish the group’s distinctive sound.

A common mix-up is confusing the single with Girls Aloud’s first studio album, also titled Sound of the Underground, which followed in 2003. The single title refers to the song, while the album title uses the same phrase.