G4

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G4 were a four-piece British vocal troupe who first came to prominence when they finished second in ITV's talent show The X Factor in 2004. The members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which the name G4, standing for "Guildhall 4", derives. The original members were Jonathan Ansell, Mike Christie, Ben Thapa and Tom Lowe. Prior to the group's X Factor appearance, Tom Lowe resigned as bass due to artistic differences and Matthew Stiff took his place.

The X Factor

G4 auditioned for the first series of The X Factor in 2004. Mentored by Louis Walsh, they reached the final, where they finished as runners-up to Steve Brookstein. Simon Cowell, who had mentored Steve Brookstein through the show, admitted later that G4 and Walsh were the real winners of the competition as they went on to outsell Brookstein.^[1]

X Factor performances

• Last 9: "Everybody Hurts"
• Last 8: "Don't Look Back In Anger"
• Last 7: "Baby One More Time"
• Last 6: "Circle Of Life"
• Last 5: "My Way"
• Last 4: "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Somebody To Love"
• Semi-final: "O Holy Night" and "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• Final: "Nessun Dorma", "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Creep"

Post-X Factor

After The X Factor, G4 signed a £1.5 million album deal with Sony BMG.^[2] Their debut album, G4, was released on February 28, 2005. It reached Number One for Mother's Day weekend 2005 and sold over 245,000 copies in the first week. Their debut single, a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", was released on March 14, 2005, and entered the charts at #9. Their second album, G4 & Friends was released on November 28, 2005, and entered the charts at #6.

G4's third album was released on 27 November 2006. It entered the charts at #21. The album was titled Act Three and included tracks such as "Somebody to Love", "O Sole Mio", "I Don't Like Mondays", "Volare" and "Silent Night". It also included "No Matter What" with Stephen Gately.

In 2006, G4 made a special appearance at the American 4th of July party at Winfield House, home of the US Ambassador to the UK, and sang "The Star-Spangled Banner".

On April 5, 2007, the group announced on GMTV that they would be splitting after their 2007 tour due to disagreements within the band. G4 made their final performance at Romsey on July 28, 2007.^[3][4]

Discography

Albums

Singles

DVDs

• Live at the Royal Albert Hall, released November 28, 2005

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: G4 (band)

• Official website