Where It's At - A Short History Of Girlbands

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

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So Here's The Story

20231106

20231110 (R1)

Mollie King explores how the girlbands of the 90s and 00s are a cornerstone of pop music history and kick-started a girlband revolution, from Spice Girls and All Saints to Sugababes and Mis-Teeq, all the way through to Girls Aloud and Little Mix. After all, they have given us some of the best videos, outfits, dance routines and singers known to pop music. And they have released some of the best pop hits ever.

In the 90s, the Spice Girls brought girl power and high-kicked boybands out of the way. They had an anarchic spirit reminiscent of Bananarama in the 80s and even The Slits in the 70s. Suddenly, the pop world woke up to music made by groups of women – which was way more exciting than the music sung by floppy-haired boys on stools.

Now girlbands' place in pop history is being reassessed by a new generation of writers and musicians, and they have been a huge inspiration for many artists in the charts today.

Mollie hears how Spice Girls became a world-beating success and how girlbands are the underdogs of pop music, how they stuck it to a male-dominated music industry, and why they are more radical than you might think.

It's time that girl groups properly got their dues.

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by: Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

How Spice Girls achieved global success and still inspire generations of music artists.

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

No Scrubs

20231106

20231110 (R1)

In the 90s, America was booming with R&B groups like En Vogue, who sang sexy songs in satin gloves about mighty good men. The US had arguably set the template for the girlband in the 1960s, with groups like The Shirelles, The Supremes and The Chantelles singing harmonies with manicured hair and matching outfits.

But TLC, from Atlanta, arrived to rip up the rulebook. The trio had three distinct personalities, who were blending R&B and rap.

The band is known not just for their incredible music but also for the untimely death of rapper Lisa Left Eye Lopes and for being the biggest girlband on the planet, while going bankrupt. And, as you'll hear, there were other scandals besides -

But these renegades were way ahead of their time: they preached safe sex, female pleasure, self love and other important topics with their timely lyrics; they started style trends that can be seen everywhere today; they presented a complex, relatable vision of black femininity; and they were among the first pop bands to take on internet culture in their songs.

Along with the Spice Girls, TLC set the stage to help the girlband flourish into the 2000s. They're still going strong today and their legacy can be felt through the generations.

In this episode we hear from: Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins from TLC, journalist Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, musician Dawn Richard, author Emily Sieu Liebowitz and Janet Planet from Confidence Man.

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

Focusing on a group who ripped up the rulebook... TLC

~Where It's At - A Short History Of Girlbands [radio 1 Stories]

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

Where It's At

20231106

20231110 (R1)

The UK in the late 90s was awash with girlbands. Spice Girls fever had given us another golden era for girl groups, where the bubblegum likes of B*Witched, Atomic Kitten and Cleopatra put the fun back into conventional pop. But the next band to crack the big time were different.

All Saints looked to American R&B and hip-hop bands like TLC and SWV, and positioned themselves as the anti-pop band who wrote all their songs and wouldn't do what they were told. But it had consequences, as the band's Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis explain -

In this episode we hear how All Saints' style and sound is everywhere in music today, from Georgia to Confidence Man. And we find out how the band made their iconic 2000 hit single, Pure Shores.

But they also lift the lid on the dark side of the 90s, the double standards and the blatant sexism, as well as why it was important to stay true to themselves, as Mel and Shaznay consider All Saints' legacy.

In this episode we hear from: All Saints' Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, journalist Michael Cragg, producer William Orbit and pop artists Georgia and Confidence Man.

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by: Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

How All Saints popped the girlband bubble.

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

Scandalous

20231106

20231110 (R1)
20231117 (R1)

In the US, Destiny's Child raised the stakes with their futuristic take on R&B. At the end of 2001, they would release the definitive anthem for female empowerment, Independent Women, for the Charlie's Angel soundtrack.

But in the UK, Mis-Teeq were pushing boundaries too: they were sassy, grown up and brought MCing to the fore. They paved the way for black British women in pop music.

And so did Cleopatra. In the late-90s, the Manchester-based sibling trio were among the first girlbands to almost crack the States. They were signed to Madonna's US label, had their own TV show and even an immortal catchphrase.

So what happened?

And will Mis-Teeq ever reform?

In this episode we hear from: Su-Elise Nash of Mis-Teeq, Cleopatra Higgins of Cleopatra, Amy Love and Georgia South from Nova Twins, DJ Matt Jam Lamont, journalist Michael Cragg and DJ/producer Eliza Rose.

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by: Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

Mis-Teeq, Destiny's Child and Cleopatra break new ground for girlbands.

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

Stronger

20231106

20231117 (R1)

The biggest redemption story in UK pop history is surely that of the Sugababes. We meet the fans waiting to go into their first headline arena show at London's O2 Arena, as the band return with their original lineup and original name. Their story has a rare happy ending – one where sisterhood, steely determination and superb songs conquer all.

Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan started out as three teenage school friends from London, whose voices intertwined like no other. Their innovative music bridged the gap between the indie and pop worlds, with its echoes of trip-hop and neo-soul.

But as Sugababes went on, their revolving cast of members tended to overshadow everything else as the band became a major label brand.

Mollie King takes a closer look at the band's highs and lows, celebrates their enormous catalogue of decade-defining music and finds how the 'Origibabes', as they've been called, have reclaimed their narrative on their own terms.

In this episode we hear from: Sugababes' Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy, journalist Michael Cragg, producer Cameron McVey and Glyn Fussell from The Mighty Hoopla Festival.

Archive in this episode:

Sugababes sing ‘Too Lost In You' ft BBC Concert Orchestra (Radio 2 Piano Room, 2023)

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Editor: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

How the Sugababes reclaimed their name and patched up the past.

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

Our celebration of girlbands continues. In this episode, we learn how the Sugababes reclaimed their name and patched up the past.

Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?

Call The Shots

20231106

20231117 (R1)

Popstars winners Girls Aloud flip the girlband script once more, offering relatability, authenticity, and a weird drum'n'bass banger in Sound of the Underground, despite rising from a TV talent show. It went straight to No 1, beating their reality pop contest rivals, the boyband One True Voice.

It looked like the UK had a new Spice Girls - one who had to brave the brutal 2000s gossip-mag era. Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts takes us through the band's wild early years, and how they've stuck together. Alongside the producer of her music, Brian Higgins, she explains how their music was so risk-taking and why girlbands are the ultimate vehicle for pop experimentalism.

In this episode we hear from: Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts, songwriter MNEK, producer Brian Higgins of Xenomania, drag queen Cheryl Hole and Glyn Fussell of The Mighty Hoopla Festival.

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

Mollie King celebrates Girls Aloud, and looks at their radical, risk-taking career.

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?

Sweet Melody

20231106

20231112
20231117 (R1)
20231123 (R1)

Little Mix signalled a step up for the girl group: they were slick like K-pop bands, with powerhouse vocals and arena-quaking routines, and they fought hard to shake off their talent show beginnings to be seen as serious songwriters in their own right.

Mollie King meets the band's Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who talks about being part of the last great British girlband, how she's finally striking out on her own, and the downside of being in a hugely successful group like Little Mix, as she talks about how being in a girlband was a reckoning with her own identity.

In this episode we hear from: Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts, Say Now's Izzy Salvanera, Amelia Onuorah and Madeleine Haynes, songwriter MNEK, journalist Michael Cragg, Rob Harrison, Mae Muller, producer Brian Higgins of Xenomania.

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Editor: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

Mollie King zooms in on Little Mix and the age of the girl group in the social media era.

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?

08 LAST

Fly Girls

20231106

20231112
20231117 (R1)
20231123 (R1)

In the 2020s, you might be wondering where the girlband has gone. It's expensive to run a girlband – and as we hear, the stakes always seem higher than for boybands.

But after a post-Little Mix drought, the girlband is back, from Kpop megastars BLACKPINK to rising Brits FLO.

We find out what it's like to be in a girl band now, charting emerging UK trio Say Now's journey using TikTok to engage fans and helping to choose their new name.

In this era, no one cares about being ‘manufactured' anymore; FLO's former manager talks about putting the new R&B trio together, why their attitude and empowerment message is what counts; and why it's always a great time for a great girlband to reflect the current times.

Presenter: Mollie King

Producer: Kate Hutchinson

Written by Kate Hutchinson

Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters

Additional production: Holly Fisher

Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell

Editor: Gareth Isles

Executive Producer: Joe Haddow

Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling

Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin

The girlband rises again.

Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.

Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	So Here's The Story	20231106	20231110 (R1)	Mollie King explores how the girlbands of the 90s and 00s are a cornerstone of pop music history and kick-started a girlband revolution, from Spice Girls and All Saints to Sugababes and Mis-Teeq, all the way through to Girls Aloud and Little Mix. After all, they have given us some of the best videos, outfits, dance routines and singers known to pop music. And they have released some of the best pop hits ever. In the 90s, the Spice Girls brought girl power and high-kicked boybands out of the way. They had an anarchic spirit reminiscent of Bananarama in the 80s and even The Slits in the 70s. Suddenly, the pop world woke up to music made by groups of women – which was way more exciting than the music sung by floppy-haired boys on stools. Now girlbands' place in pop history is being reassessed by a new generation of writers and musicians, and they have been a huge inspiration for many artists in the charts today. Mollie hears how Spice Girls became a world-beating success and how girlbands are the underdogs of pop music, how they stuck it to a male-dominated music industry, and why they are more radical than you might think. It's time that girl groups properly got their dues. Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by: Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin How Spice Girls achieved global success and still inspire generations of music artists. Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.
02	No Scrubs	20231106	20231110 (R1)	In the 90s, America was booming with R&B groups like En Vogue, who sang sexy songs in satin gloves about mighty good men. The US had arguably set the template for the girlband in the 1960s, with groups like The Shirelles, The Supremes and The Chantelles singing harmonies with manicured hair and matching outfits. But TLC, from Atlanta, arrived to rip up the rulebook. The trio had three distinct personalities, who were blending R&B and rap. The band is known not just for their incredible music but also for the untimely death of rapper Lisa Left Eye Lopes and for being the biggest girlband on the planet, while going bankrupt. And, as you'll hear, there were other scandals besides - But these renegades were way ahead of their time: they preached safe sex, female pleasure, self love and other important topics with their timely lyrics; they started style trends that can be seen everywhere today; they presented a complex, relatable vision of black femininity; and they were among the first pop bands to take on internet culture in their songs. Along with the Spice Girls, TLC set the stage to help the girlband flourish into the 2000s. They're still going strong today and their legacy can be felt through the generations. In this episode we hear from: Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins from TLC, journalist Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, musician Dawn Richard, author Emily Sieu Liebowitz and Janet Planet from Confidence Man. Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin Focusing on a group who ripped up the rulebook... TLC ~Where It's At - A Short History Of Girlbands [radio 1 Stories] Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.
03	Where It's At	20231106	20231110 (R1)	The UK in the late 90s was awash with girlbands. Spice Girls fever had given us another golden era for girl groups, where the bubblegum likes of B*Witched, Atomic Kitten and Cleopatra put the fun back into conventional pop. But the next band to crack the big time were different. All Saints looked to American R&B and hip-hop bands like TLC and SWV, and positioned themselves as the anti-pop band who wrote all their songs and wouldn't do what they were told. But it had consequences, as the band's Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis explain - In this episode we hear how All Saints' style and sound is everywhere in music today, from Georgia to Confidence Man. And we find out how the band made their iconic 2000 hit single, Pure Shores. But they also lift the lid on the dark side of the 90s, the double standards and the blatant sexism, as well as why it was important to stay true to themselves, as Mel and Shaznay consider All Saints' legacy. In this episode we hear from: All Saints' Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, journalist Michael Cragg, producer William Orbit and pop artists Georgia and Confidence Man. Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by: Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin How All Saints popped the girlband bubble. Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.
04	Scandalous	20231106	20231110 (R1) 20231117 (R1)	In the US, Destiny's Child raised the stakes with their futuristic take on R&B. At the end of 2001, they would release the definitive anthem for female empowerment, Independent Women, for the Charlie's Angel soundtrack. But in the UK, Mis-Teeq were pushing boundaries too: they were sassy, grown up and brought MCing to the fore. They paved the way for black British women in pop music. And so did Cleopatra. In the late-90s, the Manchester-based sibling trio were among the first girlbands to almost crack the States. They were signed to Madonna's US label, had their own TV show and even an immortal catchphrase. So what happened? And will Mis-Teeq ever reform? In this episode we hear from: Su-Elise Nash of Mis-Teeq, Cleopatra Higgins of Cleopatra, Amy Love and Georgia South from Nova Twins, DJ Matt Jam Lamont, journalist Michael Cragg and DJ/producer Eliza Rose. Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by: Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin Mis-Teeq, Destiny's Child and Cleopatra break new ground for girlbands. Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history.
05	Stronger	20231106	20231117 (R1)	The biggest redemption story in UK pop history is surely that of the Sugababes. We meet the fans waiting to go into their first headline arena show at London's O2 Arena, as the band return with their original lineup and original name. Their story has a rare happy ending – one where sisterhood, steely determination and superb songs conquer all. Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan started out as three teenage school friends from London, whose voices intertwined like no other. Their innovative music bridged the gap between the indie and pop worlds, with its echoes of trip-hop and neo-soul. But as Sugababes went on, their revolving cast of members tended to overshadow everything else as the band became a major label brand. Mollie King takes a closer look at the band's highs and lows, celebrates their enormous catalogue of decade-defining music and finds how the 'Origibabes', as they've been called, have reclaimed their narrative on their own terms. In this episode we hear from: Sugababes' Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy, journalist Michael Cragg, producer Cameron McVey and Glyn Fussell from The Mighty Hoopla Festival. Archive in this episode: Sugababes sing ‘Too Lost In You' ft BBC Concert Orchestra (Radio 2 Piano Room, 2023) Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Editor: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin How the Sugababes reclaimed their name and patched up the past. Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history. Our celebration of girlbands continues. In this episode, we learn how the Sugababes reclaimed their name and patched up the past. Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?
06	Call The Shots	20231106	20231117 (R1)	Popstars winners Girls Aloud flip the girlband script once more, offering relatability, authenticity, and a weird drum'n'bass banger in Sound of the Underground, despite rising from a TV talent show. It went straight to No 1, beating their reality pop contest rivals, the boyband One True Voice. It looked like the UK had a new Spice Girls - one who had to brave the brutal 2000s gossip-mag era. Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts takes us through the band's wild early years, and how they've stuck together. Alongside the producer of her music, Brian Higgins, she explains how their music was so risk-taking and why girlbands are the ultimate vehicle for pop experimentalism. In this episode we hear from: Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts, songwriter MNEK, producer Brian Higgins of Xenomania, drag queen Cheryl Hole and Glyn Fussell of The Mighty Hoopla Festival. Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Mix Engineer: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin Mollie King celebrates Girls Aloud, and looks at their radical, risk-taking career. Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history. Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?
07	Sweet Melody	20231106	20231112 20231117 (R1) 20231123 (R1)	Little Mix signalled a step up for the girl group: they were slick like K-pop bands, with powerhouse vocals and arena-quaking routines, and they fought hard to shake off their talent show beginnings to be seen as serious songwriters in their own right. Mollie King meets the band's Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who talks about being part of the last great British girlband, how she's finally striking out on her own, and the downside of being in a hugely successful group like Little Mix, as she talks about how being in a girlband was a reckoning with her own identity. In this episode we hear from: Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts, Say Now's Izzy Salvanera, Amelia Onuorah and Madeleine Haynes, songwriter MNEK, journalist Michael Cragg, Rob Harrison, Mae Muller, producer Brian Higgins of Xenomania. Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Editor: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin Mollie King zooms in on Little Mix and the age of the girl group in the social media era. Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history. Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?
08 LAST	Fly Girls	20231106	20231112 20231117 (R1) 20231123 (R1)	In the 2020s, you might be wondering where the girlband has gone. It's expensive to run a girlband – and as we hear, the stakes always seem higher than for boybands. But after a post-Little Mix drought, the girlband is back, from Kpop megastars BLACKPINK to rising Brits FLO. We find out what it's like to be in a girl band now, charting emerging UK trio Say Now's journey using TikTok to engage fans and helping to choose their new name. In this era, no one cares about being ‘manufactured' anymore; FLO's former manager talks about putting the new R&B trio together, why their attitude and empowerment message is what counts; and why it's always a great time for a great girlband to reflect the current times. Presenter: Mollie King Producer: Kate Hutchinson Written by Kate Hutchinson Assistant Producer: Nadine Peters Additional production: Holly Fisher Script consultants: Owen Myers, Sharon O'Connell Editor: Gareth Isles Executive Producer: Joe Haddow Commissioning producers: Jonathan O'Sullivan, Sarah Gosling Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin The girlband rises again. Where It's At: A Short History of Girlbands - Mollie King dives into girlband history. Girl Power: A token or a defining musical moment?