Liberty X

by Jon O'Brien
Although they originally rose to fame as the rejects from the 2001 ITV talent search show Popstars, five-piece R&B-infused pop group Liberty X surpassed everybody's expectations by eventually eclipsing the success of the show's winners, Hearsay. Comprising of Tony Lundon, Kelli Young, Kevin Simm, Michelle Heaton and Jessica Taylor, Liberty X signed to Richard Branson's V2 label just weeks after being turned down by the Popstars judges. But while Hearsay's bubble burst a little under 18 months later, Liberty X's continued to grow thanks to a succession of hit singles. In September 2001, the group released their debut single, "Thinking It Over," under the moniker of Liberty. But after receiving a legal challenge in the High Court from an American R&B act, also called Liberty, the group were forced to add an X to the end of their name. And from there, they briefly became one of the UK's biggest pop groups. In May 2002, they reached #1 in the UK with "Just A Little," which later went onto win Best British Single at the 2003 Brit Awards. This was then followed by "Got To Have Your Love," a cover of the Mantronix classic, and "Holding On For You," which all came from their multi-platinum debut album Thinking It Over. After collaborating with Richard X on "Being Nobody," the group went onto release two further singles from their sophomore effort, Being Somebody, in 2003 to rather disappointing sales. The group returned from an 18 month hiatus in September 2005 with their third and final album, X, which continued the law of diminishing returns despite the presence of hit singles "Song For Lovers" and the official Children In Need double A-side "A Night To Remember"/ "Everybody Dance." In May 2007, the band announced they would no longer be recording together. Michelle and Jessica stayed in the public eye thanks to their marriages to failed popstar Andy Scott-Lee and cricketer Kevin Pietersen respectively, although both Kevin and Kelli were rumoured to be attempting solo careers.