Name: Atomic Kitten
Formed: 1999
In: Liverpool, England
Musical Styles: Teen Pop, Dance-Pop
Similar Artists: Kylie Minogue, Take That, Vitamin C, All Saints,
Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, B*Witched
Detailed: After the rise and fall of Take That,
Spice Girls, and Boyzone, the U.K. didn't hold back with churning out
signature pop artists. British acts such as A1, Westlife, and the television
spoof band, Hear'Say burned radio waves for the early part of the decade
and the dance-pop trio Atomic Kitten joined the ranks of chart battles
and tabloid hell. Fans loved it, for the story behind the group exudes
a soap opera flair similar to their idols, the Spice Girls. Founded
in 1999 by Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark's Andy McCluskey, Kerry
Katona, Liz McLarnon, and Natasha Hamilton hailed from Liverpool and
were in search of an outlet to fulfill their popstar dreams. And they
were barely out of their teens when a quickie deal with Innocent Records
in summer 1999 sealed the deal for Atomic Kitten. "Right Now" and "See
Ya" were instant Top 10 hits in Europe and "Whole Again" reached number
one in winter 2001. They were mainstays on MTV although such success
did not go off without a hitch. Kerry Katona announced to the press
in September 2000 that she and Westlife's Bryan McFaden were an item
and had been for a year. They were also expecting a baby and an engagement
soon followed. Katona's dislike for traveling led her to leave the group,
a foolish move she regretted after Atomic Kitten earned whirlwind praise
with their debut Right Now. Precious' Jenny Frost aimed to fill Katona's
shoes and a cover of the Bangles' "Eternal Flame" was buzz in spring
2001. A cover of Blondie's "The Tide Is High" followed several months
later while stateside attention began to heat up, placing Atomic Kitten
next to the likes of The Supremes and The Spice Girls for having more
than a dozen singles hit #1 on the charts. With the success of two more
singles from their 2002 album Feels So Good -- "Be With You" and "The
Last Goodbye" -- Atomic Kitten landed a US deal with Virgin before the
year's end. As the club/dance cut "Love Doesn't Have to Hurt" burned
up the UK charts, Atomic Kitten prepped for their self-titled American
debut, which was released in April 2003.
