The Saturdays and their career

cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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I posted this in another thread but I actually think it deserves a thread of its own. Apologies for what seems like an essay, but it's just my thoughts on where The Saturdays went wrong with their career and what they should do.

Was listening to Up and Work last night and thinking about the Sats in general while listening to those songs.

Those two songs I mentioned above are really what The Saturdays do best - fun, catchy pop without being too cheesy. They also do ballads/mid-tempos quite well. I think the group really need to go back to their Chasing Lights sound (pure pop) and forget about trying to do the dance thing. It doesn't really work for them. They tried the dance pop thing with On Your Radar and that album flopped. Another Chasing Lights-style album would probably do quite well. They need to find a sound that suits them and stick to it . Look at Girls Aloud - they kinda had their own sound and it worked for them.

They really need to record a killer song that will become a breakthrough hit for them, will become No 1, stick around in the charts for weeks and recognisable as a Saturdays song to people even if they aren't fans of the group (a la Sugababes - Freak Like Me, Atomic Kitten - Whole Again, Rihanna - Umbrella) They need "the song" that will make their career.

They also need to promote their albums better. Instead of just releasing 2 or 3 random singles and moving on to the next album, they need to keep the album campaign going for a while, promote the hell out of it, release several singles and maybe even a TV show/movie (similar to Katy Perry: Part of Me) to help promote the album. It worked for Katy Perry with Teenage Dream, so I don't see why it shouldn't work for The Saturdays. Teenage Dream defined Katy Perry and turned her into the international popstar she is now and most people would be able to recognise her songs even if they aren't fans of hers. Re-releasing TD and the movie also helped to boost Katy's career. They messed up with Headlines. Instead of releasing it as a separate mini-album, they should have re-released Wordshaker and put the new songs on a separate disc like what Lady Gaga did with The Fame Monster or to use a more recent example Lana Del Rey with Born To Die: The Paradise Edition. It certainly would have boosted sales of Wordshaker.

The whole Wordshaker era was a complete disaster. They should never have released Forever Is Over as the lead single. It's a good song but the pop-rock style doesn't suit The Saturdays. I read somewhere that it was originally written for Kelly Clarkson and it would have suited her better. That logo they used on the Wordshaker album cover was awful and the whole era wasn't handled very well at all. They also mess up by releasing the wrong lead singles. Ego should have been released as the lead single from Wordshaker instead of Forever Is Over and Higher or Puppet should have been released from Headlines as the lead single instead of Missing You. And why was 30 Days released instead of another single from On Your Radar?

I also think they've messed up with the US single releases. What About Us is totally the wrong single to release as their American debut. And why did Sean Paul have to feature on it? His part adds nothing to the song. I really think Higher featuring Flo Rida should have been their US debut or even the motown version of Why Me, Why Now they sang on the work tour. In fact the motown version of Why Me, Why Now would have been a big hit and the Americans would've absolutely loved it. Why oh why did they mess it up completely? And now they're making the UK fans wait until March to buy What About Us, which is again completely stupid. They should've done what Cher Lloyd did and release one of their best singles in the US as their debut. I'm not a fan of Cher Lloyd but I will admit her releasing Want U Back as her US debut worked very well.

Don't get me wrong, I love The Saturdays but I think they need to get their act together if they want to stick around. I think their next album will be a make or break one for them. I reckon if it flops then that might be the beginning of the end for them :(

Thoughts?
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Comments

  • Taz93Taz93 Posts: 13,315
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    I posted this in another thread but I actually think it deserves a thread of its own. Apologies for what seems like an essay, but it's just my thoughts on where The Saturdays went wrong with their career and what they should do.

    Was listening to Up and Work last night and thinking about the Sats in general while listening to those songs.

    Those two songs I mentioned above are really what The Saturdays do best - fun, catchy pop without being too cheesy. They also do ballads/mid-tempos quite well. I think the group really need to go back to their Chasing Lights sound (pure pop) and forget about trying to do the dance thing. It doesn't really work for them. They tried the dance pop thing with On Your Radar and that album flopped. Another Chasing Lights-style album would probably do quite well. They need to find a sound that suits them and stick to it . Look at Girls Aloud - they kinda had their own sound and it worked for them.

    They really need to record a killer song that will become a breakthrough hit for them, will become No 1, stick around in the charts for weeks and recognisable as a Saturdays song to people even if they aren't fans of the group (a la Sugababes - Freak Like Me, Atomic Kitten - Whole Again, Rihanna - Umbrella) They need "the song" that will make their career.

    They also need to promote their albums better. Instead of just releasing 2 or 3 random singles and moving on to the next album, they need to keep the album campaign going for a while, promote the hell out of it, release several singles and maybe even a TV show/movie (similar to Katy Perry: Part of Me) to help promote the album. It worked for Katy Perry with Teenage Dream, so I don't see why it shouldn't work for The Saturdays. Teenage Dream defined Katy Perry and turned her into the international popstar she is now and most people would be able to recognise her songs even if they aren't fans of hers. Re-releasing TD and the movie also helped to boost Katy's career. They messed up with Headlines. Instead of releasing it as a separate mini-album, they should have re-released Wordshaker and put the new songs on a separate disc like what Lady Gaga did with The Fame Monster or to use a more recent example Lana Del Rey with Born To Die: The Paradise Edition. It certainly would have boosted sales of Wordshaker.

    The whole Wordshaker era was a complete disaster. They should never have released Forever Is Over as the lead single. It's a good song but the pop-rock style doesn't suit The Saturdays. I read somewhere that it was originally written for Kelly Clarkson and it would have suited her better. That logo they used on the Wordshaker album cover was awful and the whole era wasn't handled very well at all. They also mess up by releasing the wrong lead singles. Ego should have been released as the lead single from Wordshaker instead of Forever Is Over and Higher or Puppet should have been released from Headlines as the lead single instead of Missing You. And why was 30 Days released instead of another single from On Your Radar?

    I also think they've messed up with the US single releases. What About Us is totally the wrong single to release as their American debut. And why did Sean Paul have to feature on it? His part adds nothing to the song. I really think Higher featuring Flo Rida should have been their US debut or even the motown version of Why Me, Why Now they sang on the work tour. In fact the motown version of Why Me, Why Now would have been a big hit and the Americans would've absolutely loved it. Why oh why did they mess it up completely? And now they're making the UK fans wait until March to buy What About Us, which is again completely stupid. They should've done what Cher Lloyd did and release one of their best singles in the US as their debut. I'm not a fan of Cher Lloyd but I will admit her releasing Want U Back as her US debut worked very well.

    Don't get me wrong, I love The Saturdays but I think they need to get their act together if they want to stick around. I think their next album will be a make or break one for them. I reckon if it flops then that might be the beginning of the end for them :(

    Thoughts?

    Brilliant post. :)

    I agree, they still haven't found their niche yet. They don't have their own sound- they're followers not trend setters. I kinda feel like they've given up on the UK and decided to try their luck in America instead. Their career has been cocked up thanks to terrible decisions!
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    Taz93 wrote: »
    Brilliant post. :)

    I agree, they still haven't found their niche yet. They don't have their own sound- they're followers not trend setters. I kinda feel like they've given up on the UK and decided to try their luck in America instead. Their career has been cocked up thanks to terrible decisions!

    Well as I said the UK release of What About Us has been f'ed up. Not releasing it until March is really stupid as at that point it will have been almost a whole year since they released anything in the UK. They really should have concentrated on the British market before heading off to the US. I really hope they have better material for the next album. Releasing generic, bland songs gets them nowhere.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,376
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    :confused:
    I posted this in another thread but I actually think it deserves a thread of its own. Apologies for what seems like an essay, but it's just my thoughts on where The Saturdays went wrong with their career and what they should do.

    Was listening to Up and Work last night and thinking about the Sats in general while listening to those songs.

    Those two songs I mentioned above are really what The Saturdays do best - fun, catchy pop without being too cheesy. They also do ballads/mid-tempos quite well. I think the group really need to go back to their Chasing Lights sound (pure pop) and forget about trying to do the dance thing. It doesn't really work for them. They tried the dance pop thing with On Your Radar and that album flopped. Another Chasing Lights-style album would probably do quite well. They need to find a sound that suits them and stick to it . Look at Girls Aloud - they kinda had their own sound and it worked for them.

    They really need to record a killer song that will become a breakthrough hit for them, will become No 1, stick around in the charts for weeks and recognisable as a Saturdays song to people even if they aren't fans of the group (a la Sugababes - Freak Like Me, Atomic Kitten - Whole Again, Rihanna - Umbrella) They need "the song" that will make their career.

    They also need to promote their albums better. Instead of just releasing 2 or 3 random singles and moving on to the next album, they need to keep the album campaign going for a while, promote the hell out of it, release several singles and maybe even a TV show/movie (similar to Katy Perry: Part of Me) to help promote the album. It worked for Katy Perry with Teenage Dream, so I don't see why it shouldn't work for The Saturdays. Teenage Dream defined Katy Perry and turned her into the international popstar she is now and most people would be able to recognise her songs even if they aren't fans of hers. Re-releasing TD and the movie also helped to boost Katy's career. They messed up with Headlines. Instead of releasing it as a separate mini-album, they should have re-released Wordshaker and put the new songs on a separate disc like what Lady Gaga did with The Fame Monster or to use a more recent example Lana Del Rey with Born To Die: The Paradise Edition. It certainly would have boosted sales of Wordshaker.

    The whole Wordshaker era was a complete disaster. They should never have released Forever Is Over as the lead single. It's a good song but the pop-rock style doesn't suit The Saturdays. I read somewhere that it was originally written for Kelly Clarkson and it would have suited her better. That logo they used on the Wordshaker album cover was awful and the whole era wasn't handled very well at all. They also mess up by releasing the wrong lead singles. Ego should have been released as the lead single from Wordshaker instead of Forever Is Over and Higher or Puppet should have been released from Headlines as the lead single instead of Missing You. And why was 30 Days released instead of another single from On Your Radar?

    I also think they've messed up with the US single releases. What About Us is totally the wrong single to release as their American debut. And why did Sean Paul have to feature on it? His part adds nothing to the song. I really think Higher featuring Flo Rida should have been their US debut or even the motown version of Why Me, Why Now they sang on the work tour. In fact the motown version of Why Me, Why Now would have been a big hit and the Americans would've absolutely loved it. Why oh why did they mess it up completely? And now they're making the UK fans wait until March to buy What About Us, which is again completely stupid. They should've done what Cher Lloyd did and release one of their best singles in the US as their debut. I'm not a fan of Cher Lloyd but I will admit her releasing Want U Back as her US debut worked very well.

    Don't get me wrong, I love The Saturdays but I think they need to get their act together if they want to stick around. I think their next album will be a make or break one for them. I reckon if it flops then that might be the beginning of the end for them :(

    Thoughts?


    Frankie - swoon
  • Zack06Zack06 Posts: 28,304
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    They have no #1 singles in the UK so it's a bit odd that they haven't thought to re-establish themselves here before heading to the States. However, they seem to have good management for their US campaign and if they do well out there it could be their saving grace. I don't mind a few of their songs, but I just think that like The Wanted, they lack true star quality and I just don't think any of them are that talented. But good luck to them with their career. :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,074
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    it`s like in the UK they`ve forever been working on that "breakthrough" and it just hasn`t happened they haven`t clicked with the general public never really took to them properly

    What was the point in 30 Days release? was a 2 nd single album originally due?

    i do like a couple of songs (higher, ego, work,all fired up) but sometimes i used to see them perform on tv or wherever and to me they never seemed like a band to me anyway it looked like they always met like 30 mins before going on stage with some embarrassing performances
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,561
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    Zone_Out wrote: »
    it`s like in the UK they`ve forever been working on that "breakthrough" and it just hasn`t happened they haven`t clicked with the general public never really took to them properly

    What was the point in 30 Days release? was a 2 nd single album originally due?

    i do like a couple of songs (higher, ego, work,all fired up) but sometimes i used to see them perform on tv or wherever and to me they never seemed like a band to me anyway it looked like they always met like 30 mins before going on stage with some embarrassing performances

    No idea. It looked like it was going to be for an On Your Radar re-release (the single artwork was very similar to it) but then it turned out it was only supposed to keep their name alive while they went to America. :rolleyes: Since 'All Fired Up' was released they've pretty much been invisible because both 'My Heart Takes Over' and '30 Days' were promoted, released and dissapeared in a matter of weeks.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    Shadow2009 wrote: »
    No idea. It looked like it was going to be for an On Your Radar re-release (the single artwork was very similar to it) but then it turned out it was only supposed to keep their name alive while they went to America. :rolleyes: Since 'All Fired Up' was released they've pretty much been invisible because both 'My Heart Takes Over' and '30 Days' were promoted, released and dissapeared in a matter of weeks.

    So it was really only a buzz single? IIRC it stayed in the top 10 for a week or two and then quickly flopped.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,561
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    So it was really only a buzz single? IIRC it stayed in the top 10 for a week or two and then quickly flopped.

    I wouldn't say a buzz single (that's kinda making excuses for it's flop :p) but there was definitely no expectations with it. It had a cheap video filmed in a matter of hours, the song was probably a leftover from the On Your Radar sessions, they had a few little TV performances and a signing in Glasgow and that was pretty much it.

    Well, I say there was no expectations but I think they wanted to fix up their profile a bit before America. Radio had abandoned them with My Heart Takes Over and it only went to #15. Releasing 30 Days was actually a decent idea as it helped them get a bit more airplay and it left them going to the US with another top ten single under their belts.
  • WhisperingGhostWhisperingGhost Posts: 4,762
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    It's a bit weird that they've been going for 4 (nearly 5?) years and still havn't had that much success in comparison to other girl bands in recent years (and with not many competitors either).

    It surely has nothing to do with promotion as they never seem to be out of the papers for one thing or another. IMO, it can't be the music as they have released some great pop tunes (their first album was brilliant).

    But there just seems to be something missing. I dont know what it is but it must be the opposite of when someone has got the 'x factor' - there's nothing which draws people to them e.g it could've been any girl band singing their songs, there's no real identity amongst them.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 716
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    They have regular airplay on radio and TV, high profile television performances but they still can't even sell that well.

    There album sales are dreadful CL - ~350k, W - ~100K, OYR - ~50k

    And there single sales are terrible for what is currently the biggest climate for selling singles in years. Only one of their singles has passed 300k which frankly is disappointing considering their exposure and the fact they are singles artists.

    They arn't going to have much luck in the US either. I mean come on. Really! :D The last Girl Band from the UK to strike it lucky in the US was the Spice Girls. Sugababes must be the only other British girl band in the last decade to hit an entry on the Hot 100.
  • Reem2011Reem2011 Posts: 4,257
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    All Saints went to No. 4 on the Hot 100 with Never Ever. But they never followed through to break the states.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    It's a bit weird that they've been going for 4 (nearly 5?) years and still havn't had that much success in comparison to other girl bands in recent years (and with not many competitors either).

    It surely has nothing to do with promotion as they never seem to be out of the papers for one thing or another. IMO, it can't be the music as they have released some great pop tunes (their first album was brilliant).

    But there just seems to be something missing. I dont know what it is but it must be the opposite of when someone has got the 'x factor' - there's nothing which draws people to them e.g it could've been any girl band singing their songs, there's no real identity amongst them.

    Chasing Lights was and is still their best album. They had so much potential back then. Where did they go wrong?
  • SpencerLeveySpencerLevey Posts: 1,511
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    *Vanessa's voice isn't what is used to be
    *They changed their sound to more dance-music
    *Wrong single choices
  • ChrisJamesSatsChrisJamesSats Posts: 458
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    I agree they should release Higher with Flo Rida over there first. Then they should follow up with One Shot just before the album as a way of saying "we're here to stay!" as it's just baffling why it wasn't released here. The album should feature the best of their old tracks as well as some new, but they should ditch All Fired Up and stick with Up (I can't be doing with two songs on the album with 'Up' in the title).

    I used to be such a huge fan but I got so sick of defending them all the time and having that excitement all week that they might hit number one, to be disappointed by the result on Sunday. On Your Radar was a headache of an album I can't listen to it. I've followed them from the start but I'd say Headlines is the sound/image they should stick with.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    I've followed them from the start but I'd say Headlines is the sound/image they should stick with.

    I think a mix of Chasing Lights and Headlines would be the best sound and image for them to go for. They need to bring back the colour representation! The other thing I don't understand is why are they trying to crack America when they can't even manage to sell albums in the UK? I think they should have focused on their home country first. Look at Girls Aloud - they just concentrated on the British and Irish market and that might have been part of their success.
  • AdzPowerAdzPower Posts: 4,861
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    I think a mix of Chasing Lights and Headlines would be the best sound and image for them to go for. They need to bring back the colour representation! The other thing I don't understand is why are they trying to crack America when they can't even manage to sell albums in the UK? I think they should have focused on their home country first. Look at Girls Aloud - they just concentrated on the British and Irish market and that might have been part of their success.

    But I bet that is the EXACT reason they have gone to the States, they've realised the UK as a whole doesn't rate them and have decided to pull up stakes and try their luck somewhere else.
  • AdzPowerAdzPower Posts: 4,861
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    The video for their new single is out!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6YLi0GNBTk
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    AdzPower wrote: »
    But I bet that is the EXACT reason they have gone to the States, they've realised the UK as a whole doesn't rate them and have decided to pull up stakes and try their luck somewhere else.

    It probably is.
  • musicjukebox123musicjukebox123 Posts: 745
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    I don't understand why Brit acts only successful in the UK don't promote in Europe first then Australia before then going for the top dollar in the States.
    Momentum behind an act goes far and if you can see an act has been succesful worldwide then it must make a bigger impression as long as the song obviously is good enough as shown with One Direction.

    It just seems like going 0 to 100 without everything inbetween. Surely being a hit across Europe first would bring in same sales or more than flopping/mediocre Stateside.

    All acts who had success/ 1 top ten hits in the States. Spice Girls,Take That,Five,All Saints etc all had the momentum at least to say they were big across Europe,Australia,Asia etc which shows they have achieved outside the UK. What happens if someone asks how big they are in Europe? They haven't sustained huge success in the UK.

    If they do well then that's great and would be a rare feat for a Brit act to do better in the States than at home but i don't see it.
  • davem1234davem1234 Posts: 5,451
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    I don't know why they still not promote There music in Australia, it seems a waste
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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    It be great and funny if they get to number 1 in the US haha.

    I thiink they can do well in the US

    Edit: I do agree with posters on that they should have released Higher. it's such a catchy and I do think that Flo Rida is more popular than Sean Paul in America and having Flo Rida on the track would have been a good way to start
  • trevvytrev21trevvytrev21 Posts: 16,973
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    Omg the new song and video are both terrible! The worst-managed girlband I can think of. What a shame.
  • javjamoll84javjamoll84 Posts: 15,249
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    Omg the new song and video are both terrible! The worst-managed girlband I can think of. What a shame.

    This is true. The video is so... boring. The song has grown on my over the months but its not a launch song or even single material.

    I hope they do well, obviously, but it seems their decisions are getting worse and worse.
  • trevvytrev21trevvytrev21 Posts: 16,973
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    They're on a steady decline here in the UK, and think launching themselves in America of all places is a good idea? :confused:

    Once they've flopped over there, there'll be very little to come back to in their home market.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    This is true. The video is so... boring. The song has grown on my over the months but its not a launch song or even single material.

    I hope they do well, obviously, but it seems their decisions are getting worse and worse.

    What About Us sounds like a rather weak and forgettable album track to me. The chorus doesn't go anywhere and sounds a bit lifeless. Is there even going to be a B-side to the UK release of it?
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