S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998. They originally comprised Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens.
S Club 7 were formed by the former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, who signed them to Polydor Records. They rose to fame with their BBC television sitcom Miami 7, aimed at a young audience. Within five years, they achieved four UK number-one singles, a UK number-one album (S Club), several successful singles in Europe and a top-10 single on the US Hot 100 ("Never Had a Dream Come True"). They recorded four studio albums, released 11 singles, and have sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. Miami 7 lasted four seasons and was watched by over 90 million viewers.
S Club 7 won BRIT Awards in 2000 for British breakthrough act and in 2002 for best British single. In 2001, they earned the Record of the Year award. After Cattermole departed in 2002 to join a metal band, the group removed the "7" from their name. Their penultimate single reached number five in the UK charts and their final album failed to make the top ten. They disbanded in 2003.
After disbanding, some members suffered financial problems and were critical of Fuller's management. O'Meara was implicated in a bullying controversy in the reality television show Celebrity Big Brother. The members performed intermittently in smaller groups. S Club 7 reunited for a UK tour in 2015 before splitting again. In 2023, they began an arena tour to mark 25 years since their formation. Cattermole died in April that year and Spearritt withdrew from the tour in May. In July, S Club released their first new single in more than 20 years, "These Are the Days", in memory of Cattermole.
History
1997–1998: Formation
S Club 7 were formed by the music executive Simon Fuller, who had previously managed the Spice Girls. He conceived the group concept after the Spice Girls sacked him as their manager in November 1997. He described S Club 7 as a continuation of ideas he had had for the Spice Girls, but with a softer, more uplifting image. The same songwriting team was used for both acts.
Fuller placed an advert in The Stage and held auditions with more than 10,000 applicants. Both Jo O'Meara and Paul Cattermole were spotted by producers from Fuller's company, 19 Management, and asked to audition. Rachel Stevens was the only member who did not audition; instead, two producers approached her and asked her to record a demo tape. According to the journalist Steven Poole, after Fuller's disagreements with the Spice Girls, he picked "the blandest, most malleable characters ... nice kids who wouldn't answer back".
Once the lineup was decided, the members flew to Italy to become acquainted with each other. Stevens remarked that the group "felt comfortable with each other from the beginning". Several members of the group said that the "S" in S Club 7 stands for Simon, after the group's creator, although the official line has always been ambiguous. The group's entry on the Popjustice website says that at one point they were nearly called "Sugar Club" instead of the name that stuck. Another theory is that the group is so-named because "S" is the first letter of the word "seven". McIntosh, in a December 2012 interview, said a lot of Fuller's success has been based on the number 19 (owning 19 Entertainment); therefore as "S" is the 19th letter of the alphabet, the "S" was put into S Club 7.
1999–2000: Debut and success
S Club 7 rose to fame in a children's television series, Miami 7, first broadcast on CBBC between April and July 1999. The members played fictional versions of themselves and went on adventures and performed a song in each episode. In the US, the show was renamed S Club 7 in Miami and broadcast on Fox Family. By 2000, it had been sold to 100 countries and viewed by 90 million people. The use of the television show to publicise the group was likened to the Monkees.
S Club 7 released their debut single, "Bring It All Back", on 9 June 1999, which The Guardian likened to the Jackson 5. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and was certified platinum. S Club 7's debut album, S Club, was released in October 1999. It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and was certified double platinum. S Club 7 supported Woolworths' Kids First Campaign throughout 1999 and 2000. In September 1999, "S Club Party" entered the UK charts at number two and number one in New Zealand. The double A-side with the ballad "Two in a Million" and the uptempo "You're My Number One", reached number two in the UK charts in December 1999.