G4 (band)
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| G4 | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Guildhall, City of London, England |
| Genre(s) | Opera Pop Rock Ballad Swing |
| Years active | 2004-2007 |
| Label(s) | Sony BMG |
| Website | http://www.g4site.com/ |
| Members | |
| Jonathan Ansell Mike Christie Matthew Stiff Ben Thapa |
|
G4 were a successful vocal troupe made famous by ITV's The X Factor television programme in 2004 in which they came second. The members were Jonathan Ansell, Matthew Stiff, Mike Christie and Ben Thapa. All the members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and formed G4. The members then were Jonathan Ansell, Mike Christie, Ben Thapa, and Tom Lowe. Later, due to artistic differences, Tom Lowe resigned as bass, and Matthew Stiff took his place. They were mentored on the The X Factor by Louis Walsh.
After losing in the final of The X Factor to Steve Brookstein they signed a 1.5 million album deal with Sony BMG and went on to outsell the winner. Their debut album "G4" was released on February 28, 2005. It reached Number One for Mother's Day weekend 2005 and sold over 245,000 copies in the first week. Their debut single "Bohemian Rhapsody" was released on March 14, 2005 and entered the charts at #9. A while Later Simon Cowell (the man who mentored Steve Brookstein on the X Factor) admitted that G4 and Louis Walsh were the real winners of the competition as they had massively outsold Brookstein. Their second album "G4 & Friends" was released on November 28, 2005. It entered the charts at #6. They made hundreds of public appearances including BBC Proms in the Park in 2005 and O2 Party in the park. In total they have sold in excess of 1.5 million albums in the UK, completed 5 sell-out UK tours, sold in excess of 40,000 live at the Royal Albert Hall DVDs (one of the concerts on their first tour) and also released a best selling autobiography.
Their name, G4, comes from the fact that they were all students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and stands for Guildhall 4. The group were rumoured to be called G-Force, but over time changed to G4. However, the group denied that they had ever been known as G-Force during an interview on BBC Radio Bristol in November 2006. Coincidentally, the group opened a rollercoaster named G-Force in 2005 at Drayton Manor Theme Park.
The group performed contemporary hits such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Yellow", "Beautiful", "Circle of Life" and "You're the Voice", the swing classic "Fever", alongside classical pieces like "Nessun Dorma", "La Donna E Mobile" (which they had their audience sing along to during the 2006 tour) and "Pearl Fishers' Duet", and even Radiohead's "Creep".
G4's third album was released on 27 November 2006. It entered the charts at #21. The album is titled Act Three and includes tracks such as "Somebody to Love", "O Sole Mio", "I Don't Like Mondays", "Volare" and "Silent Night". It also includes "No Matter What" with Stephen Gately.
In 2006, G4 made a special appearance at the American 4th of July party at Winfield House, home of the US Ambassador to the UK, and sang The Star-Spangled Banner.
On April 5, 2007, the group announced on GMTV that they will be splitting after their 2007 tour due to arguing within the band. It was rumoured that they were not getting on, and they wanted to remain friends, but staying in the group would have led to resentment. G4 made their final performance at an outdoor gig in Romsey on July 28th 2007.[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] X-Factor Performances
- Top 9: "Everybody Hurts"
- Top 8: "Don't Look Back In Anger"
- Top 7: "Baby One More Time"
- Top 6: "Circle Of Life"
- Top 5: "My Way"
- Top 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"
[edit] Genres of Music
G4 has been known for successfully singing many genres of music. It was commented by fans that if G4 wanted to do a certain genre, then G4 would perform it, without hesitiation. Here are some examples of songs of a type of music they performed:
- Opera (Nessun Dorma)
- Rock ballad (Everybody Hurts)
- Pop rock (Creep)
- Heavy Metal (Bohemian Rhapsody)
- Glam Rock (Life on Mars)
- Swing (My Way)
- Popera (Old and Wise)
- Carribean (Volare)
- Gospel (Silent Night)
- Pop (Yellow)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Title | First Released | UK Chart | Label | BPI Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G4 | February 28, 2005 | 1 | Sony-BMG | Double Platinum Sales 800,000 |
| G4 & Friends | November 28, 2005 | 6 | Sony-BMG | Platinum Sales 400,000 |
| Act Three | November 27, 2006 | 21 | Sony-BMG | Platinum Sales 300,000 |
[edit] Singles
| First Released | Title | UK Chart | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 14, 2005 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | 9 | Sony-BMG | Available on 2 CDs |
| July 2005 | "Life On Mars" | N/A | Sony-BMG | Download only |
| December 19, 2005 | "First Of May"/"When A Child Is Born" | N/A | Sony-BMG | Featuring Robin Gibb, ineligible for chart position due to a sticker included in the case |
| March 20, 2006 | "Happy Mothers Day" | N/A | Sony-BMG | Available as online purchase or download only |
[edit] DVDS
"Live at the Royal Albert Hall" Released November 28, 2005
Sales 40,000+
[edit] Live only performances
G4 has performed some cover songs only on their tours, as they think that they are only suitable for live performances. These include "Surfin' USA" by The Beach Boys, "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears, and "Somebody to Love" by Queen (later released on their Act Three album).
[edit] References
- ^ "Classical group G4 announce split", BBC News, 6 April 2007.
- ^ "G4 splitting over 'boiling frustrations'", Evening Standard, 5 April 2007.
[edit] External links
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