Girl power revisited
A new wave of all-female pop groups is on the way, aided by reality TV and talent shows, writes Mesfin Fekadu
I'll tell you what you want, what you really, really want: girl groups.
Even if you don't want them, they're back on the scene. A new batch is ready to dominate the charts and fill a void since best-selling groups such as Destiny's Child, TLC and the Spice Girls aren't dropping songs as fast as music fans want them.
We know that we have to work really hard - that's the only thing that's really going to set us apart
The duo Icona Pop have one of the year's biggest hits with the anthem I Love It. Little Mix won Britain's The X Factor in 2011, and Fifth Harmony finished third on the US version of the show last year. The fivesome G.R.L. are signed to mega-hitmaker Dr Luke (Katy Perry, Ke$ha) and The Rosso Sisters are currently in the studio with Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera).
Others are using reality TV to help establish their brands: The Saturdays, who have a dozen top 10 hits in their native Britain, launched a reality show on E! this year and are gaining buzz with their playful, electro-pop tune What About Us; Bruno Mars' four sisters, The Lylas, will debut on a WEtv series this autumn; and Jessica Simpson's father is managing a group, The Alectrix, whose development is being documented on an MTV show.
Here are four girl groups who are rivalling One Direction and The Wanted for your attention.