Rachel Stevens

Rachel Lauren Stevens (born 9 April 1978) is an English singer, businesswoman, model and actress.

Their first album, S Club, had a strong 1990s pop sound, similar to many artists of their time.

However, through the course of their career, their musical approach changed to a more dance and R&B sound which is heard mostly in their final album, Seeing Double.

The concept and brand of the group was created by Simon Fuller, also their manager through 19 Entertainment; they were signed to Polydor Records.

Their television series went on to last four series, seeing the group travel across the United States and eventually ending up in Barcelona, Spain.

It became popular in 100 different countries where the show was watched by over 90 million viewers.

The show, which was a children's sitcom, often mirrored real life events which had occurred in S Club, including the relationship of Hannah Spearritt and Paul Cattermole, as well as the eventual departure from the group of the latter.

In 1993, she first caught attention by winning a modelling contest sponsored by UK teen magazine Just 17, beating 5,000 other competitors.

Following her first modelling jobs, she decided to study at the London College of Fashion, where she achieved a diploma in business.

During that time she also worked for a film company and later in public relations, but began to lose interest and decided to pursue a career in singing instead.

She has been a member of the pop group S Club, which was active from 1998 to 2003, and has reformed once again since 2023.

The group rose to fame by starring in their own BBC television series, Miami 7, in 1999.

Over the five years they were together, S Club 7 had four UK No.1 singles, one UK No.1 album, a string of hits throughout Europe, including a top-ten single in the United States, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

They recorded a total of four studio albums, released eleven singles and went on to sell over fourteen million albums worldwide.

As well as the popularity of their television series, S Club 7 won two Brit Awards—in 2000 for British breakthrough act and in 2002, for best British single.

In 2001, the group earned the Record of year.

S Club's second to last single reached number-five in the UK charts and their final studio album failed to make the top ten.

She released her solo debut studio album Funky Dory in September 2003.

The album reached number nine on the UK album chart and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded it with a gold certification in October 2003.

Two singles, "Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex" and "Funky Dory", were initially released from the album: "Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex" peaked at number two in the UK and received a silver certification from the BPI.

However, on 21 April 2003, during a live onstage performance, S Club announced that they were to disband.

In 2003, after S Club disbanded, Stevens signed a £1.5 million solo four-album deal with Polydor Records and re-signed with Fuller.

She said that breaking out on her own after success with S Club was difficult: "I think we [S Club] ended up conforming to what people's perceptions were. This one was the ditzy one, this one was the singer, this one was the dancer. And to come out of that and be a whole person has been a real challenge for me. I didn't have my say, really, in the group. None of us did".

Her first solo single, written by Cathy Dennis and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, "Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex", was released in September 2003.

Taking inspiration from R&B and adult-style pop music, Stevens's debut solo album, Funky Dory, was released later that month.

The album was a hit, reaching number 9 on the UK albums chart and was certified gold.

In July 2004, Stevens released the single "Some Girls" as a charity record for Sport Relief, and the single's success prompted Polydor to re-issue Funky Dory with three new songs.

Come and Get It, her second studio album, was released in October 2005.

It peaked at No. 28 in the UK, and two of its three singles reached the Top 10.

Following the release, Stevens took an extended hiatus from her music career.

In 2008, she came second in the sixth series of the BBC One series Strictly Come Dancing with her dance partner Vincent Simone.

On 16 November 2010, she gave birth to her first child, Amelie.

In 2013, she was a mentor assistant on The X Factor New Zealand.

In September 2013, Stevens announced she was pregnant with her second child and gave birth to Minnie on 1 April.

Also in 2014, she was awarded FHM's sexiest woman of all time.

Stevens became one of the coaches in the 4th season of RTE's The Voice of Ireland.

Stevens' version of the song "More, More, More" has been used in adverts for sofa retailer ScS.

In November 2014, S Club 7 announced plans for an arena reunion tour, titled Bring It All Back 2015, touring the UK in May 2015.

Born in Southgate, London, to a Jewish family, she had a Jewish upbringing and attended Osidge JMI School and Ashmole School in London.

Her father is Michael Stevens and she has two brothers, Jason and Leigh.