Six girl groups to get you through lockdown

I am lover of women in music, especially girl groups, and always have been from a young age. Therefore, while bored and sad in quarantine, I have decided to invest my time in ranking my favourite girl groups, from the princesses of pop to the queens of girl power.

6) Girls Aloud

After forming on ITV talent contest Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, Girls Aloud went on to have huge success. Their main appeal was that they seemed like normal, run of the mill girls. I was seven years old when they first formed, and I looked up to Girls Aloud as role models. The main reason I loved them so much though was because of Cheryl. She had a uniqueness to her and still does. I loved the fact a Geordie like me was in a hugely successful girl band and is now an international celebrity. I’m not going to say they were all incredibly talented because that wasn’t the case, and that’s why they are in sixth place, but they were a girl group you could play loud and have a bop to.

5) Destiny’s Child

Beyoncé fronted. Do I need to say any more? Yes, one of the world’s best-selling music artists and a hugely talented actress started her career in a girl group. The reason many of us love Destiny’s Child is because they were strong, independent women and that came across in all of their songs, quite literally in ‘Independent Women, Pt. 1’ but ‘Survivor’ is another empowering anthem that men and women all over the world can relate to and apply directly to their own lives. Destiny’s Child remind us that are capable of anything, all on our own!

4) TLC

TLC were incredibly ahead of their time. Musicians in the world of RnB still take inspiration from TLC. Each member brought something of their own to this girl band too making TLC a triple threat, with Left Eye providing excellent rap segments, Chilli having angelic vocals and T-Boz being a talented songwriter. Their mix of hip-hop and pop meant they were loved by many. Their songs had inspirational and important messages, from ‘Waterfalls’ that touches on many serious issues to ‘Unpretty’ which focuses on self-confidence/body image issues, which is still very relevant today. TLC are definitely up there with the best girl groups of all time.

3) Spice Girls

There’s no way I could make a top girl group list and not include the Spice Girls! They were one of the first British girl groups, they coined the term “girl power” and let’s not forget the iconic outfits – I’m looking at you, Union Jack dress. They released many hits over the years, and no-one is going to forget ‘Wannabe’ any time soon. They were so popular that they were able to release plenty of merchandise too, from dolls, badges to a PlayStation game! They even had their own movie, Spice World. The Spice Girls had a huge cultural impact, not just in this country but globally.

I’m Baby Spice by the way, which Spice Girl are you?

2) Little Mix

It will not be a surprise to anyone that knows me that Little Mix have made it to second place on my list. I am literally a super fan of this girl group and have been since the very beginning. As two of the members are from South Shields like me, I was always going to support them regardless, however there’s no denying that Little Mix deserve to be where they are today. They have an enormous amount of talent between them, from singing, dancing, rapping, beatboxing and song writing. I think it’s safe to say there’s nothing Little Mix can’t do. Coming away from the talent side of things, Little Mix stand out among the rest because of their views and beliefs. They are huge ambassadors for the LGBTQ+ community and they stand for female empowerment. Little Mix are extremely hard working, dedicated to their craft and they have great personalities, too.

1)  The Supremes

Coming in to steal the crown is The Supremes! The reason that this girl group are the best girl group of all time is because they were the originals. If it wasn’t for Diana Ross and The Supremes, I don’t believe we would even have the girl groups listed above. They paved the way for female artists and groups and have been cited as inspiring by many. Their classic songs were released as far back as 60 years ago, and yet they are still prominent in many of our playlists. Diana Ross is the queen of Motown, not only providing us with hits such as the iconic tune ‘Baby Love’ with The Supremes but also as a solo artist. They have been covered by the likes of Phil Collins and even had a movie based on them, Dreamgirls! I think this is evidence of how impactful The Supremes have been to the world.