RESEARCH S CLUB 7

Research on Jo Omera and band:

• Lead vocalist of S Club 7 - Previous to this band, she had formed a band called '2-4 Family' with Jay Dogg, Joseph Jazz and Essence Woods in 1998. She sang lead in this group as well, while the others rapped
• After auditioning for soon to be S Club 7, she was successful and left her former group
• S Club's members included Paul Cattermole, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens. Below, in their first interview, they describe the strong 'chemistry' that the members had with each other from the start, an instant bond. This foresees their successful career as they all accept each other as part of the new band, which means they will be good working together as a team. In addition, Paul and Hannah dated from 2001 to 2006. The uniqueness of each individual in combination separated the band from many others. One group they could relate to was Spice Girls, as everyone had something special about them that engages audience to grow to them. In the bottom video (bottom of post), the interviewer mentions how they "replaced the Spice Girls".

• S Club became popular after starring in their own TV series 'Miami 7' on CBBC. Each episode would feature their songs that they would be performing in the show. This ended up moving to 'Fox Family' American TV channel (now ABC Family), where they gained 90 million viewers from over 100 different countries. 

As mentioned earlier, the relaxed enjoyable atmosphere in this fun interview on CBBC, displays the chemistry of the band. The interview itself also shows how it is targeted towards kids considering the channel they're on, which is their main audience in general.

• During 5 successful years, they had 4 UK no.1 singles (Bring It All Back 1999, Never Had A Dream Come True 2000, Have You Ever 2001, Don't Stop Movin 2001) and had sold over 14 million albums worldwide. Their first 2 albums 'S Club' and '7' genre was full of teen pop/pop and disco.
• They performed live on stages to very large audiences, initially to young children to more mature audiences

• Also discussed in the first video (at top of post), band rehearsals overall went smoothly. They mentioned how they would support one another as it was often 'nerve-wracking' on set. As it was all new to them and they were just a bunch of kids, they all needed each others' help and encouragement. Sometimes they would argue now and then, but a balance can be a healthy process in rheearsing as you learn to resolve your issues. Generally, rehearsals would be positive where there would always be joking and laughs here and there between the members.

Technical rehearsals

• Their musical style changed overtime, from 90s pop to an RNB influence, particularly in the third album 'Sunshine'. This I feel changed their audience who initially were predominantly children and teens (establishing from a kids channel), to appealing to an older crowd.

'Show Me Your Colours' is a song from the album 'Sunshine'. This R&B ballad shows the alteration in music style. This may have been the band adapting to the popular trend at that moment, or simply a shakeup and preference in style.

• They won many awards including 2 Brit awards and and Record Of the Year
• In 2002, Paul Cattermole left the band which in result altered it's name to 'S Club'. He had gone on to join a metal rock band called 'Skua'. This suggests he left due to the change in music style the group had taken. 1 year later, the group split. This senses that the departure of one member imbalances the group as a whole, and can slowly fall apart. It can suggest that every member had an equal importance therefore affecting the group, or that he was the 'glue' that held S Club together.

In this interview, they discuss their mutual reasons for the band splitting, that they have 'achieved' what they wanted to.

• Jo signed a solo recording deal with Sanctuary Records, the label behind bands like KISS. She had a debut single 'What Hurts The Most' which was no.13 in the singles chart. She later left the label due to struggles at being a successful solo artist. This implies that all members individually added something special to S Club making it triumphant, that their unique personality/skills contributed in some way. 
• In 2014, A Club 7 rejoined for a performance for Children in Need. A year later the reunion tour 'Bring It All Back' followed

Overall, the massive success of S Club 7 throughout their career comes down to the strong friendships/relationships between each other, as with this they were able t communicate and support each other effectively, which gave them that mutual strive to work hard, stay invested and committed to the group, and see everyone as equally important in the band. These major elements are what make a successful musical ensemble.