All about this artist
Biography:
Andy McCluskey, who enjoyed several pop hits of his own in the 80s with OMD, is the musical mastermind behind this Liverpool, England-based girl group. Natasha Hamilton (born 17 July 1982, Liverpool, Merseyside, England) joined original duo Kerry Katona (b.
6 September 1980, Warrington, England) and Liz McLarnon (b. Elizabeth Margaret McLarnon, 10 April 1981, Liverpool, Merseyside, England) in May 1999 as the previous moniker Automatic Kittens was abandoned in favour of the snappier Atomic Kitten. They performed several showcase gigs at nightclubs in Liverpool and London before signing a recording contract with Innocent Records in August.
The trio embarked on the usual course to teen stardom, supporting boy band 911, visiting Japan, and doing the dreaded school tour. Vibrant live performances and McCluskey's undiminished ability to write a good tune boosted the fortunes of the trio's first two singles.
"Right Now", featuring a mix by top production team Absolute, reached UK number 10 in December 1999. "See Ya" was more successful, debuting at number 6 in April 2000. Two more singles followed before the release of Right Now. Katona left the group in February 2001 to have a baby with Westlife's Bryan McFadden, and was replaced by Jenny Frost (b.
22 February 1978, Prestwich, Manchester, England; ex-Precious). Shortly afterwards "Whole Again", the fifth single from the group's debut album, took up residency at the top of the UK singles chart for four weeks. The trio's cover version of the Bangles' "Eternal Flame" topped the UK charts in August.
They consolidated their run of UK hits in May 2002 when new single "It's OK" reached number 3. A limp remix of Blondie's "The Tide Is High" went to the top of the charts at the end of August. The trio maintained a steady presence in the UK charts throughout 2003.
In February 2004, Atomic Kitten announced they were going to take a break from music after completing a tour in support of their compilation album.
