Nicola Roberts
Encyclopedia
Nicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals
which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud. From that point on the girl group battled against a boy band for a record deal based on the commercial success of their debut single, of which Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground
" topped the UK Singles chart. The success of the band widened and soon they became the most successful television reality group as well as having 20 consecutive top ten singles. The band which consisted of four other members spawned five albums and enjoyed positive responses from critics. Although during her time in the band Roberts was referred to as the ugly one, and her pale complexion and red hair amongst other issues sent her into a serious depression.
However in 2008 Roberts started producing a make-up collection named Dainty Doll which after expansion enjoyed success at stores such as Harrods
. Her solo work continued in an investigative documentary into compulsive tanning named Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning as well as her taking a public stance against underage tanning working alongside MP's. In 2011 it was announced that Roberts had been producing her debut album named Cinderella's Eyes
, her debut solo single "Beat of My Drum
" gathered acclaim although commercially its performance was mixed. A follow-up single "Lucky Day
" garnered positive reviews but like the previous commercially its performance was weak charting at number 40 in the UK. The following week Cinderella's Eyes was released, inspired by her time in Girls Aloud it featured production from Dragonette
, Diplo and Joseph Mount
. Roberts described the album as electronically lead and critically it garnered universally positive reviews and commercially it peaked at number 17 in the United Kingdom.
, Lincolnshire
when her mother was just 17. Her father at the time was working in the RAF which resulted in financial struggles during the time of her birth within the family. Her father then went onto work for company Ford whilst her mother became a photographer leading to an increase in family funds. Roberts grew up in a "rough" council estate, despite this she never felt threatened although expressed concern with her younger siblings exploring the area as they "probably wouldn't come back". Despite a history of drugs in the estate she called it a minority and called current day estates much worse than her own. Aged 11 Roberts and her family moved to a house in a middle class area which Roberts struggled with believing it was "too posh", and despite moving away from her council estate she spent time associating with self described mischievous children from lower class backgrounds.. In school Roberts found herself shying away in contrast to her home life where she was outgoing even gaining the nickname Cilla from her family after the diva-like behaviors of singer Cilla Black
. Academically Roberts performed well leaving school with ten GCSE's but declared her dislike with school and began discussing a musical career which led her to work with several girl groups recording demo tracks in some cases. Roberts acknowledged she had always wanted to be a singer and had been entering competitions and auditions with her father alongside her and gaining support from other family members.
Roberts auditioned for the reality television series Popstars The Rivals
when she was just sixteen, the participants checked into a Kensington hotel before performing in front of celebrity judges with Roberts explaining "I didn't really have much life experience. It was the first time I'd been to London and I had my mum there because I was only sixteen". During the auditions she co-incidentally sat next to Kimberley Walsh
who completed in the final line-up of the band and spent time practicing with her Roberts expressed she was confident before the audition but during she was unable to smile due to nerves leaving her "terrified" until celebrity judge Geri Halliwell
said "I think you're great, you're an individual, you really stand out". The majority of participants were well-trained and Roberts found her personality and image was different to others in the process leaving her feeling like "a fish out of water". Participants had dressed well for the audition but due to lack of funds Roberts was less well-maintained and dressed than others.
Further down the process of the competition Roberts was one of 15 left and she noted the show was becoming increasingly more about personality over vocals, she found this troubling, as she was confident with her vocals but found that her personality was more concealed than others in the competition. A notable incident during the competition was a producer working for the series expressed to her mother that she wouldn't win as she wasn't outrageous or as outgoing as others and vocals did not matter in comparison to that leaving her mother shocked at the politics of the show. After the final ten participants were selected Roberts was eliminated from the competition but didn't see it as her last chance and after departures from contestants Roberts found herself back in the selection despite conflicts from judge Louis Walsh
who did not want her back in the show in comparison to Halliwell and judge Pete Waterman
who did. Nicola Ward was the contestant of which Roberts took the place of, Ward despite now regretting her actions stated it was pressures from her boyfriend which resulted in her leaving the show. On the night of the finale, Roberts sang the track "I'm So Excited
" by The Pointer Sisters and remembered feeling nervous at the news the voting format had changed, Davina McCall
presented the finale and Roberts was second selected after band member Cheryl Cole
. The night in which the band was formed, a party involving photographs with the band was thrown which saw them being introduced to John McMahon their tour manager who became more of a personal friend to the group.
" to number one which eventually did happen. The competition was still ongoing with the band having to compete with their debut single against another band produced by the television series named, One True Voice
. The competitions winners would be signed to the label Polydor and the winners would be decided from the commercial success of each single which ultimately the girls band won. Shortly after the success of their debut single, news broke that McMahon had died in a car accident shortly after he had texted Roberts which she did not respond, being busy. The untimely death of McMahon had a large impact on Roberts who at the time became very emotionally unstable. During the early stages of the band, Roberts and fellow member of the band Girls Aloud, Cheryl Cole became a flat-mate of Roberts. This period proved difficult for both as they hadn't been in living situations without family before, which led to technical problems which they found difficult to solve within the home but they also bonded to the point that they had anxiety at separation with Nicola claiming that she wouldn't have survived the band without Cole. It was at this time that Roberts was in the midst of several personal problems, the biggest being the constant criticism of her image, after critics called her red hair and pale complexion unattractive. This would later have a huge influence on her excessive usage of false tan which would lead to a personal struggle which resulted in her campaign for the ban of sun bed's.
The group have enjoyed great successes since their start including two entries in the Guiness Book of World Records for Most Successful Reality Television Group and Most Consecutive Top Ten Entries in the UK by a Female Group. However critically they have also enjoyed their success with five BRIT Award nominations and winning the award for Best British Single in 2009 for "The Promise
". But commercially they have been more successful with four UK number one singles and twenty consecutive top ten singles, the consecutive success only broke in 2009 with their 21st single "Untouchable
". Their albums have generally been fairly well received although critical responses at times have been "less than desirable". Their debut album Sound of the Underground peaked at number two in the UK and was certified Platinum and their second album What Will the Neighbours Say?
despite charting at number six was a commercial improvement gaining a double Platinum certification as well as being critically better received than their debut. The band's third album failed to enter the top ten although whilst gaining a Platinum certification, Chemistry but was a critical improvement again but featured a panned cover version of the single "See the Day". Their fourth record Tangled Up
was generally well-received and whilst charting at number four it was certified Platinum but the following year in 2008 they released Out of Control
and whilst critically the response was lukewarm commercially it was their biggest hit becoming their first UK number one album.
Roberts found time away from her family increasingly difficult, but after the divorce of her parents and the strain of her career over her boyfriend she became emotionally depressed. Her hectic schedule led her to dissolve relations with family members and after declaring frustration at the situation she started locating to her home town in Liverpool
as much as possible. Roberts found herself splitting into different personalities for her career and personal, and despite being appreciative of her career the difficulties in her personal life made her question her music career. Roberts suffers from hypoglycemia which involves avoiding sugary and processed foods but spending time on the road touring she found it difficult not to eat convenience food which in the past before she was aware of the illness was what she and the other members ate more than anything else. Her illness which was undiagnosed at times in which she had been touring made her feel weak and at times had proven too much for stage life when she had to leave and required attention to finish the remainder of the show. Another issue arose during touring, after during the Tangled Up Tour
her dog named Elvis passed away just months after he was given as a present to Roberts. She felt a connection to the dog and soon became enamored with him soon after he was presented to her and after her death she found it troubling and found that she didn't have time to cope or slow down due of being on the road. In 2006 Roberts split-up with long-term boyfriend Carl Egerton and despite the split being amicable and ending with the pair remaining friends, overall it had a mixed effect on Roberts who struggled with the single concept for a while but ultimately became a more independent and mature person herself. Despite initially searching for a boyfriend, Roberts stopped declaring that, that was what trained her to be independent until 2008 when she met Charlie Fennell whom he met on many an occasion and led to them slowly building a relationship.
in support of the Out of Control album, Roberts called the tour the most successful as it spanned the most dates. Also she noted the production was more successful than any other tour the band had performed. Roberts also found personal issues within touring, on one hand she called touring her favourite part out of a musical career, but on the other she found the pressures of performing and the hectic schedule difficult. In the early stages of her career, beginning with her auditions for the televisions series Popstars: The Rivals she started noticing girls dressed more fashionable and more glamorous than she was and found that at aged just 16 she wanted to look like them which she found troubling. During the times in which Roberts had felt unattractive for multiple reasons including her skin tone she would use fake tan everyday which led her to describe herself as a "dirty mess" but at the time made her feel more attractive. Before her fame she had never struggled with her red hair calling it her "prized possession", but after critics were picking up on her image she no longer saw it as that. Roberts explained; "I hated it and I hated people judging me. I'd put on the telly and there'd be someone saying something cruel, or I'd open up a magazine and read it. Normal people don't have people telling them day to day they're ugly or miserable. No one would dream of doing that. Being so young and shy it felt terrible and at the same time I'd think, "stop being so vain, you've got this amazing job" but it wasn't enough. It didn't stop me feeling bad". During the Girls Aloud television specials named Passions Roberts travelled to Taiwan
, the trip left her more knowledgeable about natural skin products, something she had been very interested in due to her own complicated complexion. Due to her pale skin tone, Roberts found herself easily burning in the sun which led to chronic pain and during the shoot of the Girls Aloud single "Love Machine
" she had trouble filming due to severe burns which left her wanting to visit the hospital.
In 2008 Roberts started limited production and release on her own make-up collection named Dainty Doll with manufacturers Jelly Pong Pong, as part of the Girls Aloud television series The Passions of Girls Aloud. But in the 18 months that followed Roberts started working on a major expansion for the collection which resulted in prestigious department store Harrods
in London exclusively stocking the items. The success of the release led to a worldwide release across the United Kingdom, of which Roberts had helped design, formulate and launch. The Dainty Doll collection includes ten different products in various shades and colours with prices ranging from £10 onwards with natural ingredients, Roberts explained "The reason behind me doing this is because I had a point of difference and that was because of the pale skin and it was something I obviously felt really passionate about. I was aware that there weren't many make up brands that catered for women for extra pale skin so I feel proud that I've been the person to do it." Adding to her stance against tanning Roberts present and produced a BBC Three
investigative documentary
named Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning which saw her reveal her own personal tanning issues and those of men and women throughout the UK who excessively use tanning bed's. During the documentary Nicola met families of those deceased from melanoma
who were actively pushing for a change in the law for a ban on tanning bed's for the under 18's. In 2010 Roberts then became an advocate for the ban of underage usage for tanning bed's alongside British MP Julie Morgan, both wanting to succeed in producing a bill that stops underage tanning, and excessive tanning for adults. At the launch of the bill Roberts said "Going into the streets of Liverpool and interviewing the young girls who are obsessed with having a tan and feeling like they had to be brown to be seen as attractive, that whole mentality that they had gathered was just a bigger problem than I ever thought it was."
, Diplo and Joseph Mount
. Roberts after a year of recording announced that she would be releasing her debut album, Cinderella's Eyes
. The first single "Beat of My Drum
" had an on-sale release meaning it had little promotion beforehand and commercially it peaked at number 27 in the United Kingdom but critically it garnered acclaim from critics which Roberts described as "amazing". A second single "Lucky Day
" was released shortly after and whilst gaining positive reviews it failed to make an impact commercially peaking at number 40 in the UK. The album was then released on 23 September 2011, Roberts described the album as "electronically lead", and the album was inspired by her time performing with Girls Aloud - "It would have been stupid for me to make an album that meant nothing" she said. For Roberts the album was about making a risky record, where there wasn't a guaranteed commercial success, explaining to The Guardian
: "It's taken every last bit of confidence just to release this record, or maybe I've just brainwashed myself into feeling more confident. I don't know if it's good, or if I've just told myself it's good." The album was released to universal positive reviews from critics, reviewers such as Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times
, James Lachno of The Daily Telegraph
, Emily Mackay of NME
, Hugh Montgomery of The Independent
and others hailed it as the best solo record from a member of Girls Aloud. Commercially in the United Kingdom the album peaked at number 17 whilst on the Digital charts it peaked at number 13, in Scotland it charted at number 21 whilst in Ireland it peaked at number 48.
In October of 2011, Roberts confirmed to the Daily Star newspaper that she had begun work on her second solo album.
Popstars The Rivals
Popstars The Rivals was a British television talent show series that was broadcast on ITV1 in late 2002. It was the second UK series of the international Popstars franchise...
which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud. From that point on the girl group battled against a boy band for a record deal based on the commercial success of their debut single, of which Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground
Sound of the Underground (song)
"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
" topped the UK Singles chart. The success of the band widened and soon they became the most successful television reality group as well as having 20 consecutive top ten singles. The band which consisted of four other members spawned five albums and enjoyed positive responses from critics. Although during her time in the band Roberts was referred to as the ugly one, and her pale complexion and red hair amongst other issues sent her into a serious depression.
However in 2008 Roberts started producing a make-up collection named Dainty Doll which after expansion enjoyed success at stores such as Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
. Her solo work continued in an investigative documentary into compulsive tanning named Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning as well as her taking a public stance against underage tanning working alongside MP's. In 2011 it was announced that Roberts had been producing her debut album named Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. A member of the British five-piece girl-band Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the band...
, her debut solo single "Beat of My Drum
Beat of My Drum
"Beat of My Drum" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 3 June 2011, via Polydor Records, as the first single from Roberts's debut solo album, Cinderella's Eyes. It had an on-air, on-sale release date which meant originally it received no prior promotion,...
" gathered acclaim although commercially its performance was mixed. A follow-up single "Lucky Day
Lucky Day (song)
"Lucky Day" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on September 18, 2011 under label Polydor Records as the second single from Roberts debut album Cinderella's Eyes. The song was written by Roberts and was produced by Canadian electropop group Dragonette...
" garnered positive reviews but like the previous commercially its performance was weak charting at number 40 in the UK. The following week Cinderella's Eyes was released, inspired by her time in Girls Aloud it featured production from Dragonette
Dragonette
Dragonette is a Canadian electropop group active since 2005. Dragonette consists of singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer....
, Diplo and Joseph Mount
Joseph Mount
Joseph Patrick Kennith Mount is the founder of British band Metronomy.-Biography:Mount started out as a rock and roll drummer, playing in various bands at school and then in his mid teens with The Upsides and The Customers. Mount also taught drums to kids in his local area...
. Roberts described the album as electronically lead and critically it garnered universally positive reviews and commercially it peaked at number 17 in the United Kingdom.
Early life and Popstars (1985-2002)
Nicola Roberts was born on the 5, October 1985 in StamfordStamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
when her mother was just 17. Her father at the time was working in the RAF which resulted in financial struggles during the time of her birth within the family. Her father then went onto work for company Ford whilst her mother became a photographer leading to an increase in family funds. Roberts grew up in a "rough" council estate, despite this she never felt threatened although expressed concern with her younger siblings exploring the area as they "probably wouldn't come back". Despite a history of drugs in the estate she called it a minority and called current day estates much worse than her own. Aged 11 Roberts and her family moved to a house in a middle class area which Roberts struggled with believing it was "too posh", and despite moving away from her council estate she spent time associating with self described mischievous children from lower class backgrounds.. In school Roberts found herself shying away in contrast to her home life where she was outgoing even gaining the nickname Cilla from her family after the diva-like behaviors of singer Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
. Academically Roberts performed well leaving school with ten GCSE's but declared her dislike with school and began discussing a musical career which led her to work with several girl groups recording demo tracks in some cases. Roberts acknowledged she had always wanted to be a singer and had been entering competitions and auditions with her father alongside her and gaining support from other family members.
Roberts auditioned for the reality television series Popstars The Rivals
Popstars The Rivals
Popstars The Rivals was a British television talent show series that was broadcast on ITV1 in late 2002. It was the second UK series of the international Popstars franchise...
when she was just sixteen, the participants checked into a Kensington hotel before performing in front of celebrity judges with Roberts explaining "I didn't really have much life experience. It was the first time I'd been to London and I had my mum there because I was only sixteen". During the auditions she co-incidentally sat next to Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
who completed in the final line-up of the band and spent time practicing with her Roberts expressed she was confident before the audition but during she was unable to smile due to nerves leaving her "terrified" until celebrity judge Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
said "I think you're great, you're an individual, you really stand out". The majority of participants were well-trained and Roberts found her personality and image was different to others in the process leaving her feeling like "a fish out of water". Participants had dressed well for the audition but due to lack of funds Roberts was less well-maintained and dressed than others.
Further down the process of the competition Roberts was one of 15 left and she noted the show was becoming increasingly more about personality over vocals, she found this troubling, as she was confident with her vocals but found that her personality was more concealed than others in the competition. A notable incident during the competition was a producer working for the series expressed to her mother that she wouldn't win as she wasn't outrageous or as outgoing as others and vocals did not matter in comparison to that leaving her mother shocked at the politics of the show. After the final ten participants were selected Roberts was eliminated from the competition but didn't see it as her last chance and after departures from contestants Roberts found herself back in the selection despite conflicts from judge Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
who did not want her back in the show in comparison to Halliwell and judge Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
who did. Nicola Ward was the contestant of which Roberts took the place of, Ward despite now regretting her actions stated it was pressures from her boyfriend which resulted in her leaving the show. On the night of the finale, Roberts sang the track "I'm So Excited
I'm So Excited
"I'm So Excited" is a song by American recording artists The Pointer Sisters. The track, written by The Pointer Sisters and Trevor Lawrence, was originally released in 1982 and saw a re-release in 1984. It is considered to be one of the group's signature songs.-Background:The song appeared...
" by The Pointer Sisters and remembered feeling nervous at the news the voting format had changed, Davina McCall
Davina McCall
Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :...
presented the finale and Roberts was second selected after band member Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
. The night in which the band was formed, a party involving photographs with the band was thrown which saw them being introduced to John McMahon their tour manager who became more of a personal friend to the group.
Career with Girls Aloud and personal struggles (2003-2008)
In the following days the music video for the bands debut single was shot and the hectic lifestyle led to exhaustion for many of the members including Roberts who would fall asleep at any chance she could, including in the hair and make-up studio. However McMahon was still pressuring the girls to work excessively to get their single "Sound of the UndergroundSound of the Underground (song)
"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
" to number one which eventually did happen. The competition was still ongoing with the band having to compete with their debut single against another band produced by the television series named, One True Voice
One True Voice
One True Voice were a British boyband created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals, which also produced girl group Girls Aloud. The band was created by the public, who voted for their favourite hopefuls each week...
. The competitions winners would be signed to the label Polydor and the winners would be decided from the commercial success of each single which ultimately the girls band won. Shortly after the success of their debut single, news broke that McMahon had died in a car accident shortly after he had texted Roberts which she did not respond, being busy. The untimely death of McMahon had a large impact on Roberts who at the time became very emotionally unstable. During the early stages of the band, Roberts and fellow member of the band Girls Aloud, Cheryl Cole became a flat-mate of Roberts. This period proved difficult for both as they hadn't been in living situations without family before, which led to technical problems which they found difficult to solve within the home but they also bonded to the point that they had anxiety at separation with Nicola claiming that she wouldn't have survived the band without Cole. It was at this time that Roberts was in the midst of several personal problems, the biggest being the constant criticism of her image, after critics called her red hair and pale complexion unattractive. This would later have a huge influence on her excessive usage of false tan which would lead to a personal struggle which resulted in her campaign for the ban of sun bed's.
The group have enjoyed great successes since their start including two entries in the Guiness Book of World Records for Most Successful Reality Television Group and Most Consecutive Top Ten Entries in the UK by a Female Group. However critically they have also enjoyed their success with five BRIT Award nominations and winning the award for Best British Single in 2009 for "The Promise
The Promise (Girls Aloud song)
"The Promise" is a pop song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
". But commercially they have been more successful with four UK number one singles and twenty consecutive top ten singles, the consecutive success only broke in 2009 with their 21st single "Untouchable
Untouchable (Girls Aloud song)
"Untouchable" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Influenced by trance music and Balearic...
". Their albums have generally been fairly well received although critical responses at times have been "less than desirable". Their debut album Sound of the Underground peaked at number two in the UK and was certified Platinum and their second album What Will the Neighbours Say?
What Will the Neighbours Say?
What Will the Neighbours Say? is the second album by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November 2004 by Polydor Records. Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania were enlisted to produce the entire album, allowing for more inventive ideas...
despite charting at number six was a commercial improvement gaining a double Platinum certification as well as being critically better received than their debut. The band's third album failed to enter the top ten although whilst gaining a Platinum certification, Chemistry but was a critical improvement again but featured a panned cover version of the single "See the Day". Their fourth record Tangled Up
Tangled Up
Tangled Up is the fourth studio album by the British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2007 by Fascination Records. Like their previous albums, Tangled Up was crafted by the production team of Brian Higgins and Xenomania...
was generally well-received and whilst charting at number four it was certified Platinum but the following year in 2008 they released Out of Control
Out of Control (Girls Aloud album)
Out of Control is the fifth studio album by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2008 by Fascination Records. Like their previous albums, Out of Control was crafted by the production team of Brian Higgins and Xenomania...
and whilst critically the response was lukewarm commercially it was their biggest hit becoming their first UK number one album.
Roberts found time away from her family increasingly difficult, but after the divorce of her parents and the strain of her career over her boyfriend she became emotionally depressed. Her hectic schedule led her to dissolve relations with family members and after declaring frustration at the situation she started locating to her home town in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
as much as possible. Roberts found herself splitting into different personalities for her career and personal, and despite being appreciative of her career the difficulties in her personal life made her question her music career. Roberts suffers from hypoglycemia which involves avoiding sugary and processed foods but spending time on the road touring she found it difficult not to eat convenience food which in the past before she was aware of the illness was what she and the other members ate more than anything else. Her illness which was undiagnosed at times in which she had been touring made her feel weak and at times had proven too much for stage life when she had to leave and required attention to finish the remainder of the show. Another issue arose during touring, after during the Tangled Up Tour
Tangled Up Tour
The Tangled Up Tour was the fourth concert tour third arena tour, by British pop group Girls Aloud, in support of the group's fourth studio album Tangled Up. The tour was initially announced to reach arenas across the United Kingdom in November 2007. The shows commenced in Belfast on 3 May 2008 and...
her dog named Elvis passed away just months after he was given as a present to Roberts. She felt a connection to the dog and soon became enamored with him soon after he was presented to her and after her death she found it troubling and found that she didn't have time to cope or slow down due of being on the road. In 2006 Roberts split-up with long-term boyfriend Carl Egerton and despite the split being amicable and ending with the pair remaining friends, overall it had a mixed effect on Roberts who struggled with the single concept for a while but ultimately became a more independent and mature person herself. Despite initially searching for a boyfriend, Roberts stopped declaring that, that was what trained her to be independent until 2008 when she met Charlie Fennell whom he met on many an occasion and led to them slowly building a relationship.
Touring, Dainty Doll and anti-tanning stance (2009-2010)
In 2009 Girls Aloud embarked on their 2009 Out of Control TourOut of Control Tour
The Out of Control Tour is Girls Aloud's fourth arena-based concert tour and their fifth tour overall. The tour started on 24 April 2009 in Manchester's MEN Arena, with the final show on 6 June 2009 in Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena...
in support of the Out of Control album, Roberts called the tour the most successful as it spanned the most dates. Also she noted the production was more successful than any other tour the band had performed. Roberts also found personal issues within touring, on one hand she called touring her favourite part out of a musical career, but on the other she found the pressures of performing and the hectic schedule difficult. In the early stages of her career, beginning with her auditions for the televisions series Popstars: The Rivals she started noticing girls dressed more fashionable and more glamorous than she was and found that at aged just 16 she wanted to look like them which she found troubling. During the times in which Roberts had felt unattractive for multiple reasons including her skin tone she would use fake tan everyday which led her to describe herself as a "dirty mess" but at the time made her feel more attractive. Before her fame she had never struggled with her red hair calling it her "prized possession", but after critics were picking up on her image she no longer saw it as that. Roberts explained; "I hated it and I hated people judging me. I'd put on the telly and there'd be someone saying something cruel, or I'd open up a magazine and read it. Normal people don't have people telling them day to day they're ugly or miserable. No one would dream of doing that. Being so young and shy it felt terrible and at the same time I'd think, "stop being so vain, you've got this amazing job" but it wasn't enough. It didn't stop me feeling bad". During the Girls Aloud television specials named Passions Roberts travelled to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the trip left her more knowledgeable about natural skin products, something she had been very interested in due to her own complicated complexion. Due to her pale skin tone, Roberts found herself easily burning in the sun which led to chronic pain and during the shoot of the Girls Aloud single "Love Machine
Love Machine (Girls Aloud song)
"Love Machine" is a song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their second studio album What Will the Neighbours Say? . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania...
" she had trouble filming due to severe burns which left her wanting to visit the hospital.
In 2008 Roberts started limited production and release on her own make-up collection named Dainty Doll with manufacturers Jelly Pong Pong, as part of the Girls Aloud television series The Passions of Girls Aloud. But in the 18 months that followed Roberts started working on a major expansion for the collection which resulted in prestigious department store Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
in London exclusively stocking the items. The success of the release led to a worldwide release across the United Kingdom, of which Roberts had helped design, formulate and launch. The Dainty Doll collection includes ten different products in various shades and colours with prices ranging from £10 onwards with natural ingredients, Roberts explained "The reason behind me doing this is because I had a point of difference and that was because of the pale skin and it was something I obviously felt really passionate about. I was aware that there weren't many make up brands that catered for women for extra pale skin so I feel proud that I've been the person to do it." Adding to her stance against tanning Roberts present and produced a BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
investigative documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
named Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning which saw her reveal her own personal tanning issues and those of men and women throughout the UK who excessively use tanning bed's. During the documentary Nicola met families of those deceased from melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
who were actively pushing for a change in the law for a ban on tanning bed's for the under 18's. In 2010 Roberts then became an advocate for the ban of underage usage for tanning bed's alongside British MP Julie Morgan, both wanting to succeed in producing a bill that stops underage tanning, and excessive tanning for adults. At the launch of the bill Roberts said "Going into the streets of Liverpool and interviewing the young girls who are obsessed with having a tan and feeling like they had to be brown to be seen as attractive, that whole mentality that they had gathered was just a bigger problem than I ever thought it was."
Solo career, Cinderella's Eyes & Second Solo Album (2011-present)
In the Girls Aloud 2008 biography Roberts expressed an interest in writing and recording her own material, wanting to experiment in the studio for better understanding of the process. She then started work in the recording studio, with producers such as; DragonetteDragonette
Dragonette is a Canadian electropop group active since 2005. Dragonette consists of singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer....
, Diplo and Joseph Mount
Joseph Mount
Joseph Patrick Kennith Mount is the founder of British band Metronomy.-Biography:Mount started out as a rock and roll drummer, playing in various bands at school and then in his mid teens with The Upsides and The Customers. Mount also taught drums to kids in his local area...
. Roberts after a year of recording announced that she would be releasing her debut album, Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. A member of the British five-piece girl-band Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the band...
. The first single "Beat of My Drum
Beat of My Drum
"Beat of My Drum" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 3 June 2011, via Polydor Records, as the first single from Roberts's debut solo album, Cinderella's Eyes. It had an on-air, on-sale release date which meant originally it received no prior promotion,...
" had an on-sale release meaning it had little promotion beforehand and commercially it peaked at number 27 in the United Kingdom but critically it garnered acclaim from critics which Roberts described as "amazing". A second single "Lucky Day
Lucky Day (song)
"Lucky Day" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on September 18, 2011 under label Polydor Records as the second single from Roberts debut album Cinderella's Eyes. The song was written by Roberts and was produced by Canadian electropop group Dragonette...
" was released shortly after and whilst gaining positive reviews it failed to make an impact commercially peaking at number 40 in the UK. The album was then released on 23 September 2011, Roberts described the album as "electronically lead", and the album was inspired by her time performing with Girls Aloud - "It would have been stupid for me to make an album that meant nothing" she said. For Roberts the album was about making a risky record, where there wasn't a guaranteed commercial success, explaining to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
: "It's taken every last bit of confidence just to release this record, or maybe I've just brainwashed myself into feeling more confident. I don't know if it's good, or if I've just told myself it's good." The album was released to universal positive reviews from critics, reviewers such as Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, James Lachno of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, Emily Mackay of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Hugh Montgomery of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
and others hailed it as the best solo record from a member of Girls Aloud. Commercially in the United Kingdom the album peaked at number 17 whilst on the Digital charts it peaked at number 13, in Scotland it charted at number 21 whilst in Ireland it peaked at number 48.
In October of 2011, Roberts confirmed to the Daily Star newspaper that she had begun work on her second solo album.
Discography
- Cinderella's EyesCinderella's EyesCinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. A member of the British five-piece girl-band Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the band...
(2011)