Twenty-five years after being pitted against one another and branded fierce rivals, the original reality-TV pop stars Hear’Say and Liberty X are coming together to prove that, sometimes, there really is strength in numbers.
When Popstars arrived on British television at the turn of the millennium, it didn’t simply launch a pop band – it changed the rules of the game. The groundbreaking talent show had the nation hooked, transforming the search for five singers into appointment television and giving viewers a front-row seat to the making of a pop group. Who would make the band? And, perhaps more intriguingly, who wouldn’t?
Before social media transformed the way we consume, dissect and react to pop culture, Popstars was already generating headlines, water-cooler chatter and the kind of television moments that dominated the national conversation the following day. The judges’ critiques became a source of many a controversy, while the more eccentric contestants quickly found themselves becoming fodder for comedians and chat-show hosts. It was messy, unpredictable and, by today’s standards, almost wonderfully unfiltered.
At the centre of it all were Hear’Say and Liberty X. Hear’Say emerged as the winners, while the five contestants who missed out on a place in the winning group were subsequently brought together as Liberty X. The latter were soon cruelly dubbed the ‘flop stars’ – a label that would look increasingly ridiculous as their own career began to take off.
Neither story, as it turned out, followed the script. Hear’Say experienced the dizzying highs and pressures that came with becoming instant pop stars, while Liberty X turned supposed disappointment into a career that would ultimately rival – and, in some respects, outlast – the expectations placed upon them. Both groups had their own obstacles to navigate, their own moments of triumph and their own reasons to keep going.
At the time, nobody could have predicted quite where either story would lead.
Now, a quarter of a century later, the two groups are no longer defined by who won or who came second. They’re bringing their original members together for ‘Popstars: The Originals 2027 Tour’, sharing a stage for the first time and looking back on the extraordinary cultural moment that connected them in the first place.
And perhaps the biggest surprise of all? The rivalry that seemed so important back then was never quite as important to the people living it.
HEAR’SAY & LIBERTY X – POPSTARS: THE ORIGINALS 2027 TOUR
“We’ll be stronger together, than we would be apart…”
In the early 2000s, competition in music was practically hardwired into the cultural zeitgeist. Rivalries were encouraged, chart battles became headline news, and fans were often expected to pick a side. There had to be a winner – and there was seemingly very little room for second best. Hit No.1 and you were on top of the pops (quite literally); miss out and you risked being relegated to pop’s substitutes’ bench. For Hear’Say and Liberty X, that mentality was amplified from the moment Popstars put them on opposing sides of the same story.
One of the most satisfying things about the two bands coming together 25 years later is the opportunity to finally put that rivalry to bed. If anyone understands what it was really like to be swept up in the Popstars phenomenon, it’s the people who lived through it – and nobody knows that experience better than Danny Foster (Hear’Say), Michelle Heaton (Liberty X), Tony Lundon (Liberty X), Kym Marsh (Hear’Say), Jessica Pietersen (Liberty X), Suzanne Shaw (Hear’Say), Kevin Simm (Liberty X), Noel Sullivan (Hear’Say) and Kelli Young (Liberty X). Looking back now, the irony is that there appears to be far more that unites these two groups than ever truly divided them.
“Healthy, friendly competition is fine, but that kind of sensationalised rivalry, and the idea that you could only ever like just the one group, and not even show a slight appreciation for anyone else, never made any sense to me,” a reflective Kelli muses as she converses with her fellow Liberty X bandmates, and friends from Hear’Say at their managements head office in North East London. “It was a short sighted way of looking at things, and it prevented a lot of good, collaborative things from happening.”
Suzanne echoes the sentiment: “Back then it was all about achieving success for your band and no-one else’s. Collaborations were never encouraged, and we were kept apart for reasons I still don’t really understand.”
Offering a something of a slightly different perspective, Galway native Tony notes: “If you look at it from the point of view of a record company though, it made sense to lean into that idea of bands being at war with one another, because it helped to sell a lot more records! It wasn’t always nice, and I didn’t necessarily like it because it only added to the pressure we were already under, but at the end of the day to be successful and keep your deal, you had to play the game. There’s no place for that feeling of discomfort in what we’re doing now; this is a moment to celebrate.”
“Absolutely,” Danny nods in agreement. “For me this is project is about unity, celebration and collaboration. Back in 2001, difference and diversity wasn’t championed in the same way it is today – it was always “either or”, you couldn’t possibly like two things at the same time. Now we’re saying: “guess what? You can enjoy a bit of both and you don’t need to feel bad about it!”
“We’ve each lived a little bit more life since our time on Popstars – we’ve all learnt a lot, and grown a lot too. All of those different experiences, good and bad, have shaped us into the individuals we are today. Like Tony said, now it’s about coming back together and celebrating what we achieved, and the music.”
“There’s a song for lovers you can hear all the time…”
No pop career is ever completely plain sailing. There are highs and lows, chart-hits and chart misses, and moments when things go exactly to plan alongside those that don’t. The tabloid media has always loved the drama, social media has given trolls an even bigger megaphone, and the endless cycle of gossip can make it seem as though that’s what fans care about most.
But ask the people who have been there through it all – the real supporters – and what matters is the music. It’s those records that become the soundtrack to their lives, attached to memories, moments and milestones that outlast the headlines. As the singers and writers behind some of those enduring hits, it’s fascinating to consider how the members of Hear’Say and Liberty X feel about their respective back catalogues now – and whether, 25 years on, they hear them differently today.
“Danny, Noel, Suzanne and I sang ‘The Way To Your Love’ together as a four for the first time a few days ago, and it was so emotional!” Kymshares as different song titles, album tracks and b-sides are banded around the room. “Singing the lyrics to that song as adults was a lot to process because they’ve taken on a whole new meaning for us now… there were lots of tears, shed in that moment.”
“It’s the line: “we’ll be stronger together, than we would be apart” that floored us because it’s genuinely how each of us feel being back together, we feel strong,” Suzanne notes.
“‘Pure And Simple’ will always be a really special song for us, because it was our first. But I think ‘The Way To Your Love’ has probably overtaken it now in the sense that we resonate so much with the lyric, it’s an incredible song.” Marsh concedes.
“Definitely, the sentiment of that song means so much more to us now than it ever did back then,” a thoughtful Noel shares.
Backing up his bandmates point, Danny continues: “As you get older you gain much more wisdom, and you for sure feel and think about things differently.”
“25 years ago we just wanted to record and release really good pop songs, and have fun! Lyrics were always important to us of course, but I don’t think we really thought all that much about what we were singing. When you’re singing as a 20-year-old you have an inkling about what you’re saying through song, but at this stage in our lives, we have an understanding about what we’re saying through song. That’s the biggest difference.”
Hear’Say – The Way To Your Love (Official Music Video)
Reflecting on her own relationship with the music of Liberty X, Michelle Heaton contemplates: “The process of us all coming back together has given each of us a reason to go back and really listen to our respective back catalogues probably in a way that we never have before. Personally I get a totally different feeling listening back to the music now, it’s joyous.”
“What’s been brought to my attention through social media is the love and appreciation people have for a lot of our album tracks and b-sides… some I genuinely don’t even remember (laughs).”
Laughing in agreement, Heaton’s fellow Liberty X-er Jessica adds: “I’m the same! Sometimes someone will tell me their favourite song, and I’ll honestly have no recollection of it! Then they point out that it’s one we wrote, and I’m still none the wiser (laughs). But to know that people still get enjoyment from the songs we wrote and recorded 25 years ago is incredible. I’ll always celebrate and find joy in our music – the songs connect us, and hold so many special memories. We had the best time making them, and performing them.”
“It’s nice to know that they mean as much to other people as they do to us,” Kelli admits. “When you hear of those real life stories, and relationships fans have formed with your music, it’s the best feeling ever… still!”
“We recently celebrated 25 years of ‘Thinking It Over’ and as much as I don’t usually look or read comments on social media, I was glad I did that day, because I was able to see just how much love there is for that song.”
“‘Thinking It Over’ changed our lives,” Kevin acknowledges with an air of gratitude. “It still blows our minds the recognition that song got.”
“That’s what’s so amazing about pop music, is that it can travel and reach people in a way that you never thought possible.” Kelli says before turning her attention to next years Popstars: The Originals Tour, adding: “We’re very fortunate to have so many incredible songs between us, so compiling the setlist for the shows next year will be so much fun!”
“Imagine hearing ‘Pure And Simple’ AND ‘Just A Little’ in the same show!” a clearly excited Danny interjects excitedly.
“That will be such a moment!” Kelli agrees before pondering the creative possibilities the bands can explore in the coming months. “We’ve already started to do a little bit of work with the team who are going to be devising the tour with us, which has been very exciting.”
“There’s been lots conversations around how we want to present ourselves as Hear’Say and Liberty X in 2026/27, and also how we want to bring both bands together on stage because we definitely want to collaborate with one another during the show.”
“It would be a shame if we didn’t do something together on wouldn’t it?” Michelle agrees. “That’s what we’re here for?” Kelli says with a nod.
“I think people would love to see that,” Kym says with a warm smile, before Danny concludes: “it would be a full circle moment for sure.”
Liberty X – Thinking It Over (Official Music Video)
“Trust is all it takes…”
As any pop star will tell you, when you’re living in the throes of superstardom, your life isn’t entirely your own. There’s a relentless schedule to follow, people to see, places to be, and decisions being made around you. Everything is mapped out, managed and moving at speed. You’re no longer quite living in the “real” world; you’re a resident of Planet Pop, where the pace is relentless and there’s barely time to catch your breath.
Reuniting 25 years later, a little older and considerably wiser, Hear’Say and Liberty X have something they didn’t necessarily have the first time around: control. Control over when they work, what they do, how they tell their story and, perhaps most importantly, why they’re doing it. So, after experiencing pop stardom at its most intense, what does it feel like to return on their own terms?
“It feels incredibly special,” a reflective Jessica says. “We were ten kids who went to an audition 25 years ago and got lucky! We didn’t really know what we were doing, so of course we needed guidance. Everything happened to us so quickly, and so much passed us by. We always felt a lot of fear about the future, and how things were going to pan out for us. We hope to be more present this time around, because we know how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to do this again with, like you said, a little bit more control.”
“A lot was happening to us back then,” Kelli continues. “We were hungry and ambitious up and comers who wanted to be a success, so everything mattered! So much thought went into things, what song should we release? Will it breakthrough…”
“Will we get dropped?” Tony chips in. “That was a recurring theme and question that we would constantly be asking ourselves. Everything we did, we gave our all, but after every single release there’d be that lingering thought: “have we done another to be able to move forward and continue on with the band?” It was a fear we lived with all of the time.”
“It was a lot wasn’t it?” Kelli agrees. “I think for all of us this is a moment to be lucid, and present in the moment. I want each and every one of us to realise and be aware of all of the good that’s happening around us. We put in all of the hard work to make these songs a success 25 years ago, so now is our time to sit back and enjoy the rewards of our efforts.”
“We have total faith and trust in one another that this will be incredible,” Suzanne says smiling at the rest of the group.
“Us coming back together and having equal control breaks the idea of living in someone else’s projection,” an articulate Danny states. “We had a certain image and a supposed rivalry projected onto us all those years ago, neither of which were necessarily true. We’re coming from a place of truth now, and there’s beauty in that.”
“I believe in the future untold…”
Over two decades on since their formation, being part of Hear’Say and Liberty X means something very different from what it did in the whirlwind of Popstars. What began as an unexpected shot at pop stardom became a defining chapter in all of their lives – one that demanded resilience, hard work and the ability to keep going when things didn’t always go to plan.
Now, with the benefit of hindsight, there are lessons they can pass on to the next generation: believe in yourself, work hard, never give up and don’t let setbacks dictate where your story ends. Because 25 years on, both Hear’Say and Liberty X are still here, still making their own choices and, in their own way, still marching to the beat of their own drum.
“All I ever wanted to do was be in a pop band,” a somewhat emotional Michelle shares. ”For years and years all I did was audition, audition, audition! My Mam would buy The Stage newspaper every 2 weeks and read out all of the opportunities coming up that she thought I’d be suitable for, and I’d take the bus with the money I’d saved up from dong my paper round and go here, there and everywhere, just to try to get that break I so desperately wanted.”
“With Popstars, Kevin, Jessica, Kelli, Tony and I… we got so close to that dream we all shared, but it didn’t happen for us. But Hear’Say were born and these guys got to go out there and live their dreams which was amazing.”
“We got there in the end though didn’t we?” Tony says with a smile. “My kids have never seen Liberty X perform together, they don’t know their Dad in this way, so I’m so grateful for the experiences we had together as a band, so that they (my kids) get to experience the excitement of this tour. I can’t wait to see their faces on the opening night in Dublin.”
“Being in Hear’Say taught me the power of possibility,” Danny concludes. “Before I got into the band I was a cleaner, I didn’t think there was any ever hope that I’d be the one picked to be in pop band, but it happened! And I hope that anybody out there right now, who’s looking to try to make a name for themselves in music, but doesn’t know how to make it happen, looks at us and sees that our story represents the possibility that it could happen to them too.”
“I always say, be brave enough to chase your dream, and you’ll be amazed at what can happen,” a reflective Kym muses. “We all believed in ourselves because we had to! And we went out there, and worked hard to try make something of ourselves.”
Nodding in agreement, Tony adds: “Yeah, I always tell my kids they can be anything they want to be, and your Dad’s living proof of that! In fact I feel quite proud that we are all able to say to our kids and families that, yes we got extremely lucky, but ultimately we got to the places we did through hard work and determination.”
“And despite the knock backs, and people telling us “no”, we kept on pursuing a better life for ourselves,” a defiant Suzanne says with pride.
“With this tour, I feel like we’re going against the grain like we did back in 2001,” Kelli confesses. “When we first started to put feelers out about doing this project, the feedback we got was mixed, there were lots of different opinions flying around, and people telling us what we should, and shouldn’t be doing…”
“But we just cut through the noise, and refused to listen to those that told us we couldn’t,” Jessica adds, her joy at the reunion and two bands combined power palpable. “We want to provide people with a bit of happiness, and good vibes and nostalgia – no-one’s going to stop us from doing that!”
“Exactly,” Kelli smiles. “Because if we decide that we want to do it, then we’re going to do it… just like we did 25 years ago.”
Fans who register HERE for the Popstars: The Originals Tour will gain access to an exclusive ticket pre-sale, which opens at 9am BST on Wednesday, October 14th. Remaining tickets will then go on general sale on Friday, October 16th.
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