Blue

One of a plethora of boy bands who swamped the market during the 2000s, Blue were rare among the genre in achieving international popularity and an extended shelf life which resulted in all four members developing individual reputations and TV careers beyond the group. Specialising in close harmonies, gleaming blue-eyed pop and clean-cut images, they struck it big in 2001 with their debut single All Rise. They followed it with two Number 1 hits Too Close and If You Come Back; their debut album All Rise also went to Number 1 and sold nearly 2 million copies as Blue became Britain's newest teen heartthrobs. Second album One Love in 2002 also hit Number 1 and included Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, an Elton John song, with Elton himself guesting. Further collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone followed, as did another million-selling Number 1 album, Guilty. As their individual profiles increased they all developed solo careers, appearing on celebrity TV shows, and Blue split in 2005. However, in 2009 they announced their reunion with a new album and tour planned for 2010.