G4 (band)

G4
Origin	Guildhall, City of London, England
Genres	Operatic pop, rock, Swing
Years active	2004–2007
Labels	Sony BMG
Past members
Jonathan Ansell Mike Christie Matthew Stiff Ben Thapa

G4 were a four-piece British vocal troupe who first came to prominence when they finished second in ITV's talent show The X Factor in 2004. The members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which the name G4, standing for "Guildhall 4", derives.

The X Factor

G4 auditioned for the first series of The X Factor in 2004. Mentored by Louis Walsh, they reached the final, where they finished as runners-up to Steve Brookstein. Simon Cowell, who had mentored Steve Brookstein through the show, admitted later that G4 and Walsh were the real winners of the competition as they went on to outsell Brookstein.

X Factor performances

• Last 9: "Everybody Hurts"
• Last 8: "Don't Look Back in Anger"
• Last 7: "Baby One More Time"
• Last 6: "Circle of Life"
• Last 5: "My Way"
• Last 4: "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Somebody to Love"
• Semi-final: "O Holy Night" and "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• Final: "Nessun Dorma", "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Creep"

Post-X Factor

After The X Factor, G4 signed a £1.5 million album deal with Sony BMG. Having not been picked up by Cowell, Sony A&R Nick Raphael said that his label decided to pursue the band because, "We felt that they were the best act on the show." With the rules of The X Factor allowing any band or artist that doesn't win to sign with anyone, Sony competed with Universal and EMI for G4's signatures. Raphael believes their manager Louis Walsh accepted Sony BMG's advances because,

"We had a plan of how to work with the band, as opposed to our competitors who just had a desire to sign the band. ... We had a definitive release date, a definitive date to put out merchandise and we had already organised the structure to make the record."

Their debut album, G4, was released on 28 February 2005. It reached Number One for Mother's Day weekend 2005 and sold over 245,000 copies in the first week. Their debut single, a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", was released on 14 March 2005, and entered the charts at #9. Their second album, G4 & Friends was released on 28 November 2005, and entered the charts at #6.

G4's third album Act Three was released on 27 November 2006. It entered the charts at #21.

In 2006, G4 made a special appearance at the American 4 July party at Winfield House, home of the US Ambassador to the UK, and sang "The Star-Spangled Banner".

On 5 April 2007, the band announced on GMTV that they would be splitting after their 2007 tour due to disagreements within the band. G4 made their final performance at Romsey on 28 July 2007.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album details	Chart peak positions		Certifications
		UK	IRE
2005	G4 Released: 28 February 2005 Genre: Popera Label: Sony BMG Format: CD, digital download	1	4	UK: Double Platinum
	G4 & Friends Released: 28 November 2005 Genre: Popera Label: Sony BMG Format: CD, digital download	6	-	UK: Platinum
2006	Act Three Released: 27 November 2006 Genre: Popera Label: Sony BMG Format: CD, digital download	21	50	UK: Platinum

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions		Album
		UK	IE
2005	"Bohemian Rhapsody"	9	11	G4
	"Life on Mars?"	N/A	N/A
	"First of May"/"When a Child Is Born"	N/A	N/A	G4 & Friends
	"Happy Mother's Day"	N/A	N/A

DVDs

• Live at the Royal Albert Hall, released 28 November 2005