Liz McClarnon | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Elizabeth Margaret McClarnon |
Born | 10 April 1981 |
Origin | Liverpool, England |
Genres | Pop |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | All Around the World |
Member of | Atomic Kitten |
Spouse(s) | Peter Cho (m. 2023) |
Website | lizmcclarnon |
Elizabeth Margaret McClarnon-Cho (born 10 April 1981) is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She is the longest serving member of the girl group Atomic Kitten, with whom she has scored three number-one singles and two number-one albums. McClarnon co-wrote several Atomic Kitten songs, including the UK top 10 hits "See Ya", "I Want Your Love" and "Someone Like Me".
In 1997, while McClarnon was still in secondary school, her music teacher arranged for her to take part in an audition with OMD frontman Andy McCluskey, who was aiming to create a new girl group. The group became Atomic Kitten, which was made up of McClarnon, Kerry Katona and Natasha Hamilton, and they released their first record in 1999. Katona left the group in 2001 and was replaced by Jenny Frost. Atomic Kitten have had three UK number one singles, "Whole Again", "Eternal Flame", and "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)". They also had two UK number one albums, Right Now , and Feels So Good , both being certified double-platinum in the UK for sales of over 600,000 copies each. The total worldwide sales are estimated at 6.2 million singles and 4 million albums. Liz is the only member of the group to write any material. [1] McClarnon appeared in the video for "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" with the FHM Hot 100, which charted at number 10 in the UK.
In 2005 McClarnon signed a solo deal with All Around the World. In December she was the opening act of Magnet Tour, by Robin Gibb. [2] On 13 February 2006, she released her first solo single, "Woman in Love", a cover of Barbra Streisand's 1980 hit. [3] The song was released as a basic single worldwide, but in the UK it was released as a double A-side with a cover of Jackie Wilson's "I Get the Sweetest Feeling". "Woman in Love" peaked at Top100 in Austrália, Nederland, Belgium, Ireland, Top20 in Spain and Top5 in UK and Scotland. [4] On 27 December 2006 McClarnon appeared in the ITV documentary The Girl With the Golden Hair and performed three songs with Richard O’Brien: "Thank You for the Music", "I Wonder (Departure)" and "I’m a Marionette". [5] In March 2007, McClarnon recorded "(Don't It Make You) Happy" to compete for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, but failed – the competition was won by Scooch.
Despite the success of the first single, McClarnon's album release was delayed several times for 3 years, until it was canceled when she left the label in 2008. That year, McClarnon won Celebrity MasterChef . [6] In 2009 she recorded "Lately" for the Global One Music Charity Project. The same song has been recorded by different artists all around the world in different languages. [7] In 2009, McClarnon signed with the label 3 Beat Records and planned to release "Not in Love" as a single, but this never happened and she left the label. In 2010, she presented the reality show Hotter Than My Daughter , which aired at the beginning of February 2010 for six weeks, on BBC Three.
From 2010 to 2011, she played Beth in Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds . [8] In 2011, McClarnon was cast as Paulette in the first UK tour of Legally Blonde The Musical . [9] She also starred in the Cinderella pantomime in the Liverpool Empire in 2012, playing the lead role. [10]
On 31 January 2013 the original line-up of Atomic Kitten – McClarnon, Hamilton and Katona – would reform for The Big Reunion , along with five other pop groups of their time – 911, Honeyz, B*Witched, Five and Liberty X. They have been performing live touring Europe ever since. [11]
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [12] | AUS [13] | BEL [14] | EUR [15] | IRE [16] | NL [17] | SCO [18] | SPA [19] | |||||||
"Woman in Love" | 2006 | 5 | 77 | 52 | 20 | 21 | 77 | 2 | 16 | non-album single | ||||
"I Get the Sweetest Feeling" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"(Don't It Make You) Happy" | 2007 | Eurovision Song Contest 2007 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Celebrity Love Island | Contestant | Series 1 |
2008 | Celebrity MasterChef | Contestant | Series 3 |
2010–2011 | Hotter Than My Daughter | Presenter | |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2010–2011 | Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds | Beth |
2011 | Legally Blonde The Musical | Paulette |
2012 | Cinderella | Cinderella |
Atomic Kitten are an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, who served as principal songwriters during Atomic Kitten's early years. The group's debut album Right Now was released in October 2000 and charted at number 39 in the United Kingdom. After five top ten singles, original member Kerry Katona quit – four weeks before "Whole Again" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart – and was replaced by former Precious singer Jenny Frost. "Whole Again" became the group's most successful single, staying at number one for four weeks in the UK and six weeks in Germany, and reaching number one in many other territories; in Britain, it was the 13th-best-selling single of the 2000s. The group re-released their debut album, with some tracks re-recorded with Frost's vocals: it peaked at number one in the UK and was certified double platinum after selling over 600,000 copies.
Kerry Katona is an English television personality and former singer. She was an original member of the pop girl group Atomic Kitten between 1998 and 2001, leaving before the group's success. Katona has appeared on various reality television shows, including I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here (2004), Celebrity Big Brother (2011), Dancing on Ice (2011), Celebs on the Farm (2021), and her own shows about her life on MTV UK.
Jennifer "Jenny" Frost is an English singer and television presenter. She is best known as member of girl groups Precious and Atomic Kitten, replacing Kerry Katona in the latter.
Natasha Maria Hamilton is an English singer, best known as member of the girl group Atomic Kitten.
Heidi India Partakis is an English singer, best known as a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She was an original member of girl group Atomic Kitten, however she left the group before they released any material. In 2001, Range replaced original member Siobhán Donaghy in the Sugababes, after which the group enjoyed higher commercial success and accumulated six UK number-one singles as well as two number-one studio albums over the course of a decade, before the line-up at the time disbanded in 2011.
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped the UK Singles Chart again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group Atomic Kitten, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.
Right Now is the debut studio album by English girl group Atomic Kitten, released on 16 March 2000. The first release of the album originally peaked at number 39, putting the group at risk of being dropped by their record label. Following the departure of Kerry Katona in January 2001, the album was re-released on 6 August 2001 featuring vocals from new member Jenny Frost with additional new tracks featured on the album. The re-release was a success, peaking at number 1. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders, Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, were among the album's principal songwriters.
"Whole Again" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten for their debut studio album, Right Now (2000). It was co-written by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, along with Jem Godfrey and Bill Padley, with production helmed by McCluskey and Kershaw under their production moniker Engine. Godfrey and Padley are credited as additional producers.
"Woman in Love" is a song performed by Barbra Streisand and taken from her 1980 album Guilty. The song was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, who received the 1980 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. It is her fourth of four Platinum records, and is considered her greatest international hit.
"Follow Me" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Lucy Abbot, Sara Eker, Dawn Joseph, Steve Robson, and Peter Kearney for their debut album, Right Now (2000), with production helmed by Trevor Steel, John Holliday, and additional producer Quiet Money. "Follow Me" was released as the album's fourth single in October 2000. A departure from the bubblegum pop of Atomic Kitten's first three singles, it introduced a more mature and mellow, R&B-influenced pop sound but was less successful than their previous top 10 hits, peaking at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.
"I Want Your Love" is a song by Atomic Kitten, released as the third single from their debut album, Right Now (2000). The song samples the theme to the 1958 film The Big Country, and it was produced, arranged, recorded, and mixed by Damien Mendis at Metropolis Studios in London.
"See Ya" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten, released as the second single from their debut album, Right Now (2000). The song was written by Stuart Kershaw, Andy McCluskey, and Atomic Kitten-member Liz McClarnon. It was produced by Engine and Pete Craigie, with the radio mix receiving production from Cutfather & Joe. The single peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, reached number 50 in Ireland, and was a minor hit in the Flanders region of Belgium.
"Right Now" is the debut single of English girl group Atomic Kitten from their first album of the same name (2000). The song was re-recorded twice: once for the album's 2001 re-issue with new member Jenny Frost and again in 2004 for the group's Greatest Hits album. The 2004 version, titled "Right Now 2004", proved to be a greater international chart success. The song was written by Atomic Kitten founders and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw.
"You Are" is a song by English pop girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Paul Gendler, Wayne Hector, Ali Tennant, and Steve Mac and recorded for the 2001 reissue of the band's debut album, Right Now (2000), while production was helmed by Mac. "You Are" is an uplifting midtempo ballad; the instrumental elements used on it include keyboards, a piano, strummy guitars, soft drums, and a prominent string riff. Lyrically, the song finds the female protagonist expressing her love and affection for a man who doubts whether he is the right one for her.
"The Last Goodbye" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Daniel Poku, Espen Lind, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Hallgeir Rustan, and Peter Björklund and recorded by the band for their second album Feels So Good (2002), while production of the song was overseen by Rustan, Eriksen and Hermansen under their under their production moniker Stargate. "The Last Goodbye" is built upon a flute motif and an acoustic guitar loop. Lyrically, the break-up song finds the trio thinking deeply over a relationship with their love interests from whom they parted.
"Cradle 2005" is a song recorded by English girl group Atomic Kitten from their compilation The Greatest Hits. It was released as a single on 14 February 2005, in aid of World Vision. It is a re-recorded version of a song that was previously included on their debut album, Right Now (2000). "Cradle" was released a year after the group's announcement of their split in 2004. "Cradle 2005" reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and number 46 in Ireland.
"Love Doesn't Have to Hurt" is a song by English girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles along with Billy Steinberg, and Tom Kelly and recorded for the band's second studio album, Feels So Good (2002). Production on "Love Doesn't Have to Hurt" was helmed by Bill Padley and Jem Godfrey, with Martin Harrington and Ash Howes credited as additional producers. Initially recorded by Hoffs, it was later given to Atomic Kitten whose rendition of the Bangles' 1988 song "Eternal Flame" had been a number-one success the year before.
"If You Come to Me" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Julian Gallagher, Martin Harrington, Ash Howes, Sharon Murphy, and Richard "Biff" Stannard for their third studio album, Ladies Night (2003). Production was helmed by Gallagher and Stannard, with Harrington and Howes credited as additional producers. Recording of "If You Come to Me" took place at Stannard's recording studio, Biffco, in Dublin, Ireland. A romantic, soulful uptempo ballad, which the band labeled "classic Atomic Kitten", it talks about a woman's desire to be with her partner.
"Someone like Me" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. Released on 29 March 2004 as the third and final single from their third studio album, Ladies Night (2003), the piano-driven track was issued as a double A-side with "Right Now 2004", a remixed version of their debut single, "Right Now". With the group having announced their split prior to the song's release, it was originally intended to be released as their final single, though they later released a further three one-off singles in 2005 and two charity singles in 2006 and 2008. The group reformed officially in September 2012 without Jenny Frost, who was replaced with original member Kerry Katona.
"Be with You" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by songwriting trio Bionic, consisting of Greg Wilson, Tracey Carmen and Martin Foster, and recorded for the reissue of the band's second album Feels So Good (2002). Production was helmed by Ash Howes and Martin Harrington, based on Bionic's original track. The disco-fused dance pop song is an adaptation of "Last Train to London" (1979) by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Jeff Lynne is also credited as a songwriter. Its lyrics refer to seducing someone in a nightclub.
Atomic Kitten's Liz McClarnon was all smiles when she won back in 2008.
[[Category:Actresses from Liverpool]