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Mollie King
King in September 2011
King in September 2011
Background information
Birth nameMollie Elizabeth King
Born (1987-06-04) 4 June 1987 (age 37)
Wandsworth, London, England
OriginLondon, England
GenresPop, dance, electropop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, dancer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2004–present
Labels
WebsiteThe Saturdays

Mollie Elizabeth King (born 4 June 1987) is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known for being a member of girl group The Saturdays. In the Saturdays, King has had thirteen top-ten and eight top-five singles, including the UK no.1 hit What About Us on the UK Singles Chart and five top-ten albums on the UK Albums Chart. Before The Saturdays, King was a member of another girl group, Fallen Angelz, with whom she appeared on The X Factor. In 2015, King signed a solo deal with Island Records.

On 7 August 2017, Mollie was the first contestant announced for that year's series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with AJ Pritchard.

Early life

King was born in Wandsworth, London, England, the youngest of three daughters born to Susan (née Wykes) and Stephen King. She attended Surbiton High School, in Kingston-upon-Thames, London. She has two sisters, Ellen and Laura Ann (born 1983). King had a successful ski career and was on the Surbiton High Ski team with fellow pupil Chemmy Alcott.[citation needed] By age eleven, King was a member of the British Children's Ski Team resulting in her receiving a scholarship to the British Ski Academy. King later raced for Great Britain as one of the youngest on the team and later went on to ski for the British Alpine squad although turned down a ski career to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.[citation needed] King achieved three As in her A levels, in Psychology, Business and Economics and Sport in spite of having been diagnosed with Dyslexia.[citation needed] King also was a Finalist for Miss Guildford at just the age of 18.[citation needed]

Career history

King auditioned for The X Factor in 2005, before joining The Saturdays, and was criticised by Sharon Osbourne for her outfit. She then changed her outfit and went back to sing a Christina Aguilera ballad, where the judges praised her and encouraged her to come back when she was older. As a result of her audition being broadcast, King appeared on The X Factor in 2007 again as part of girl group Fallen Angelz which was formed in 2005. They managed to get to the final stages of boot camp before being eliminated from the competition. With the Fallen Angelz, King appeared in Singing with the Enemy.

2007–14: The Saturdays

After leaving Fallen Angelz, King auditioned to become a member of girl group The Saturdays. The group signed a record deal with Fascination and Polydor Records. The girls accompanied Girls Aloud on their Tangled Up Tour from 13 May to 4 June 2008. The Saturdays released their first single "If This Is Love" which featured samples from the song Situation by Yazoo. The single entered the UK Singles Charts at number 8. The second single released from the Saturday's album was titled "Up" which was produced by Quiz & Larossi. The production was described as an upbeat bubblegum pop, dance-pop and electropop song.[1][2][3] Its style has also been described as "electro-tinged" and "robotic disco-pop".[3] Chasing Lights was the group's first studio album, which charted at number 9 on the UK Album Charts. The album gained a Platinum certification by the BPI, selling over 400,000 copies. The album, and band, were compared heavily to other British girl band's such as Girls Aloud and Sugababes[4] however the album ultimately received mostly positive reviews.[5] The album produced two more UK Top-Ten Singles: "Issues" and a cover version of "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode for Comic Relief. The album's last single was "Work", which charted at 22 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the group's lowest charting single, and only single to peak at a higher position in Ireland than in the UK. They then embarked on their first concert tour, The Work Tour.

Wordshaker was released as The Saturdays' second studio album in October 2009. The album debuted at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart, equalling the peak position of their debut album. The album was later certified Silver by the BPI.[citation needed] "Forever Is Over", a track previously recorded by Kelly Clarkson,[6] was released as the lead single from the album, charting at number 2 in the UK and number 8 on the Irish Singles Charts. "Ego" was released as the second and last single from Wordshaker. The single charted at number 9, becoming one of the group's lower charting singles. However, it became one of the band's best-selling singles, gaining a Silver certification by the BPI.[citation needed]

Headlines! was released as a "mini album",[7] with the first single chosen as "Missing You". It gained positive reviews and King's voice was described thus: "King uses the natural croak in her voice".[8] It was written by Lukas Hilbert and Alexander Kronlund.[9] Headlines! and "Missing You" both charted at number three on the UK Album Charts and the UK Singles Chart. The album performed better than their previous releases in Ireland where it peaked at number 10. As the band were promoting "Missing You", King had to pull out of performing on T4 on the Beach due to a horsefly bite which left her right leg swollen and resulted in King being dependent on crutches for a while.[10] "Higher", a collaboration with Flo Rida was released as the second and final single from Headlines!. It charted at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's 8th top-ten single at the time. In 2010, King appeared with her bandmates in a documentary series aired on ITV2 entitled The Saturdays: 24/7.

"Notorious" was released in May 2011 as the lead single from the group's fourth album On Your Radar and charted at number 8 in the UK and number 19 in Ireland. The album received mixed reviews upon release, with many reviewers criticising its lack of individuality.[11] The album failed to match the success of the band's previous releases, peaking at number 23 in the UK, becoming the band's only album to not reach the top 10 in the UK to date. The second single released from the album, "All Fired Up" reached number three in the UK and number 6 in Ireland. The single received mostly positive reviews.[12] The third and last single, "My Heart Takes Over" charted at number 15 in the UK. The band embarked on their third tour, the All Fired Up Tour in December 2011[13]

In 2012, the band released the single 30 Days, the lead single for their upcoming fourth studio album. n 2013, The Saturday's starred in their own E! reality TV show titled Chasing The Saturdays, in an attempt to break into the American market after signing with Island Def Jam Records and Mercury Records.[14] To coincide with the TV series, the band released an EP Chasing The Saturdays in the US and Canada. The band released "What About Us" in early 2013 as their debut worldwide single to moderate chat success. For the UK release of the song, rapper Sean Paul recorded a verse. Upon release, What About Us gained great success in the UK, becoming the band's first number one single[15] and the fastest selling single of 2013 at the time.[16] The single has sold over 370,000 copies in the UK.[17] The band then released single Gentleman which failed to repeat the success of their previous single, becoming the band's third single to miss the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The song received mixed reviews.[18] The band released follow-up single "Disco Love", which debuted within the top 10 in both the UK and Ireland. The band released their fourth studio album, Living for the Weekend on 14 October 2013, where it debuted and peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. The album performed better in Ireland than On Your Radar, peaking at number 16. A fifth single was released from the album, "Not Giving Up" which gave the group their sixteenth top twenty single in the UK.

In 2014 the group released their greatest hits album 'Finest Selection' which gave the group their fifth top 10 album and the lead single 'What Are You Waiting For' their 18th consecutive chart hit in the UK. The band stated the album was not their final and that it was a celebration of their success which has resulted in them becoming one of the UK's most successful girl groups.

Band autobiography In early 2010, The Saturdays were going to publish their autobiography.[19] King later announced that the autobiography would be titled The Saturdays: Our Story.[19] The book was officially released on 25 October 2010. King and the rest of her band appeared at a book signing at WH Smith in Bluewater for a book signing on 16 October 2010. The cover of their book cover had a similar cover to their Headlines! album and their The Headlines Tour due to them all being released around the same time.[19] The book gives insight into the world of The Saturdays by telling the tale of their success. King has her own chapter in the book, which she speaks about her love interests, their friendship within the band, and a personal insight into their lives before finding fame. The book also gives fashion and beauty tips, some gossip, accompanied by photos from the girls' own collection.[20]

Sponsorship deals

It was revealed in 2009 that The Saturdays would be the new faces of hair removal product Veet.[21] They later became the new faces of a major campaign for Impulse women's deodorant. The group recorded a television ad, which featured their songs "Forever Is Over" and "Ego". It was also dubbed "The Impulse Diaries". The TV content, which involves a sponsorship package on Channel 4, will show the girls in various settings, including a hotel room, a tour bus and backstage before a gig. This first aired on 23 October.[22] The Saturdays also did a photoshoot, posing on a giant sofa as they launched T-Mobile's Big Sofa Night In campaign in London, United Kingdom. The band sat on the sofa for more than 12 hours, the sofa was the size of a double decker bus.[23]

Philanthropy

It was announced that The Saturdays would record the 2009 Comic Relief charity single.[24] It was revealed that the girls put their fourth single ("Work") to release the comic relief single. It was confirmed that the group would release a cover of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" for the charity single. The single was released on 1 March 2009. A week later, the song charted at number 2 on the UK Singles Charts making the group the first artist in 14 years for their Comic Relief single not to chart at number 1.[25]

In May 2010, the Saturdays teamed up with Manchester United and sang at a pre-match concert at Old Trafford.[26] On 12 September 2010, the girls performed at the Help for Heroes charity concert with over 60,000 fans there.[27] In March 2011, the group appeared at Westfield shopping centre with buckets and asked customers to part with their cash for Marie Curie Cancer Care, which provides nurses to help care for people with terminal cancer. Rochelle stated; "We were collecting money in Westfield, for our charity Marie Curie! We raised a lot I think."[28] The band also performed at the Sunshine Concert which was held at the Troxy in London; to raise money for charity.[29]

2015–present: Debut solo album

On 11 October 2015, King confirmed she had signed a solo deal with Island Records, with the intention of releasing a solo album in 2016.[30] Her debut solo single, "Back to You", was released on 19 August 2016.[31] On August 24, 2017 King announced via Instagram that her new single, "Hair Down", will be released on 1 September.

Television

King appeared in a number of episodes of Hollyoaks Later, along with Frankie Sandford. As a part of The Saturdays, she has appeared in BBC series Myths. King has appeared in two episodes of bebo-based online show Sam King portraying herself as an ex-girlfriend. King also appeared on The King is Dead on BBC Three and Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2010. Along with her bandmates, King appeared on Ghosthunting with... where they look for parnormal activity. She also appeared in a Reality TV show with her bandmates, known as The Saturdays: 24/7. On the show, The Saturdays performed exclusive tracks.

In early 2013, The Saturdays appeared in another reality TV documentary about their lives, Chasing The Saturdays. The programme followed the band as they tried to break into the American market after signing with Island Def Jam Records and Mercury Records.[14] The show aired in on TV network E! on Sunday nights. The US premiere received 914,000 viewers.[32] Upon its premiere in the UK, the show received 72,000 views and became the networks most watched show of the week.[33]

In October 2013, King appeared as a panellist on an episode of Through the Keyhole.[34] On 28 June 2014, King appeared, with The Saturdays, and competed in a celebrity edition TV show The Cube, where she got up to the final round, but did not continue and won £100,000 for her chosen charity, the British Heart Foundation.[35]

On 7 August 2017, King was the first contestant announced to be taking part in the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One.[36] She was partnered with A. J. Pritchard.

Other endeavours

In 2013, King created a collection for Oasis Stores titled 'Loved by Mollie'.[37] During September 2013, King designed shoes to help raise funds for UK charity Save The Children.[38] King also was an ambassador for Maybelline during the Vodafone London Fashion Week[39]

Personal life

In January 2010, it was announced that King was in a relationship with Lawson member Andy Brown. However, they broke up in February 2011. Following their split, Brown wrote the songs When She Was Mine and Standing in the Dark which he admitted were inspired by his break-up with King.[40][41]

In 2011, King started a relationship with David Gandy, a British male fashion model[42] but ten months later, the couple announced they had broken off their relationship.[43] In 2015, King and Gandy confirmed that they had reconciled.[44]

King is a fan of Britney Spears and cites the singer as a personal influence.[45]

Discography

Main article: The Saturdays discography

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK UK Sales SCO
"Back to You" 2016 90 38 39 TBA
"Hair Down" 2017 - - - TBA

Music videos

Single Year Director
"Back To You" 2016 Lisa Gunning
"Hair Down" 2017 Kyle Lewis

Tours

The Saturdays

References

  1. ^ Younge, Aimee (16 November 2008). "The Saturdays – 'Up'". Orange. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  2. ^ Levine, Nick (13 October 2008). "Music – Singles Review – The Saturdays: 'Up'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  3. ^ a b O'Brein, Jon. "allmusic ((( Chasing Lights > Overview)))". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  4. ^ "The Saturdays 'reject Girls Aloud songs' – Music News – Digital Spy". digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  5. ^ "The Saturdays: 'Chasing Lights' – Music Review – Digital Spy". digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Forever Is Over by The Saturdays Songfacts". songfacts.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  7. ^ "BBC News – Talking Shop: The Saturdays". bbc.co.uk. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  8. ^ "BBC – Chart Blog: The Saturdays – 'Missing You'". Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Headlines! (booklet). The Saturdays. London: Fascination, Polydor Records (00602527463506). 2010. p. 2. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |titlelink= ignored (|title-link= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Mollie King forced to pull out of a television appearance due to sudden illness". Digital Spy. 2 July 2010.
  11. ^ "BBC – Music – Review of The Saturdays – On Your Radar". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Latest Celebrity News | OK! Magazine". ok.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  13. ^ "O2 and The Saturdays Competition Rules – Terms and Conditions  – Capital FM". capitalfm.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  14. ^ a b "BBC – Newsbeat – The Saturdays have signed a new record deal in America". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  15. ^ "The Saturdays topping the singles chart, Timberlake heading for number one album". imediamonkey.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  16. ^ "The Saturdays bag first ever Number 1 single AND fastest seller of the". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  17. ^ [1] [dead link]
  18. ^ "The Saturdays, 'Gentleman' – Song Review". popcrush.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  19. ^ a b c "Meet the Sats at 'Our Story' Book Signing". Official website. TheSaturdays. 6 October 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  20. ^ "The Saturdays Reveal New Book 'Our Story' PLUS Book Signing!". Official website. The Saturdays. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  21. ^ "The Saturdays Are New Faces of Veet". Female First. 22 May 2009.
  22. ^ Jacquie Bowser (12 October 2009). "Impulse signs up The Saturdays for 'behind the scenes' campaign – Brand Republic News". Brand Republic.
  23. ^ "The Saturdays sit on a gigantic pink sofa to promote T-Mobile's Night in campaign. The sofa is more interesting than them". 3am. 2 June 2010.
  24. ^ Subscribe to Youtube "» (30 January 2009). "The Saturdays announced for 2009 Comic Relief single". We Are Pop Slags.
  25. ^ Comic Relief#Comic Relief charity singles The Saturdays first in 14 years for not the single to chart at number 1
  26. ^ "The Saturdays to kick off charity match". BBC News. 4 March 2010.
  27. ^ No comments. "The Saturdays to perform at Help For Heroes Charity Concert". Thesaturdays.co.uk.
  28. ^ metrowebukmetro (13 March 2011). "The Saturdays enjoy a weekend of charity fundraising". Metro.
  29. ^ "The Saturdays wore very short dresses for charity". FHM.
  30. ^ Bustos, Kristina (11 October 2015). "Mollie King reveals she signed a deal with Island Records". Digital Spy. United Kingdom: Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  31. ^ Nissim, Mayer (15 August 2016). "Saturdays' Mollie King's solo debut is out this Friday". Digital Spy. United Kingdom: Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  32. ^ "Ratings — Sunday's Cable Ratings: "Real Housewives of Atlanta" Continues Demo Reign | TheFutonCritic.com". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  33. ^ "Top 10 Programmes – BARB". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  34. ^ "Cilla Black and Mollie King amongst stars going Through the Keyhole | Talk TV". Shows. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  35. ^ "The Cube Episode 1 | presscentre". Itv.com. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  36. ^ http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/strictly-come-dancing/news/a834938/strictly-come-dancing-saturdays-mollie-king/
  37. ^ "Celebs in High Street fashion – Yahoo Lifestyle UK". uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  38. ^ "The Saturdays | Mollie King And Helena Bonham Carter Design Shoes For Charity |". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  39. ^ "The Saturdays singer Mollie King is new face of Maybelline – Showbiz News – Digital Spy". digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  40. ^ Andrew Williams (9 August 2012). "Andy Brown: Lawson's new album is inspired by Mollie from The Saturdays |". Metro News. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  41. ^ "Lawson's Andy Brown: "'Standing In The Dark' Is Also About The Saturdays' Mollie King"". Capital FM. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  42. ^ Selby, Jenn (5 May 2011). "Mollie King talks relationship with David Gandy". Glamour. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  43. ^ Barton, Jennifer (13 February 2012). "Mollie King and David Gandy split after 10 months". Marie Claire. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  44. ^ Dubuis, Anna (24 February 2015). "Date night: David Gandy and Mollie King make a stylish pair". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  45. ^ "The Saturdays' Mollie King: Una Healy's pregnancy won't affect us | Metro News". metro.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
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