OrbitNumber1

Oh, thank! I love to hear this Credit to @Indie Go Mind for BINI's write-up though, he saved me some work

Serebro is one of the groups on the International Spice Girls Rate for anyone who's interested in voting for them.

The International Spice Girls Rate is on, including many Western girl groups!

The International Spice Girls is on! Sorry if I forgot to add anyone here to the tag list, but everyone is welcome!

Thank you. I wonder if TrueBliss and Bardot being so short-lived (and the BTS drama you mentioned) impacted the types of contract the later Popstars winners would have. I think both groups could've been bigger if they had stayed a little longer. btw Need Somebody is a banger! If Bardot had released at least one more album

OP been updated with the Spotify playlist, and links to each introductory post as well. And I guess that's it for now (really, let me know if I'm forgetting something I'm a firs-time host @_@). LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

MISCELLANEOUS As I was picking the participating girl groups, I discovered a lot of groups that were huge in their countries, but couldn't quite fit the main line-up for one reason or another. I still felt like they deserved to be acknowledged, thus - inspired by the International Britney and Gagas Rate - I decided to have a Miscellaneous section! These 8 groups will compete with one song each. 4 CATS - LEBANON'S SPICE GIRLS At some point I got myself asking, "Were there any Arabian Spice Girls?" And the answer is yes, there were. Formed in 1998 by composer Ghassan Rahbani, The 4 Cats broke ground as the very first modern all-female pop band in the Middle East. Their debut album Tick Tick remained at number one on Arabic charts for over four months and sold more than one million copies. 4 Cats released six successful studio albums over their active run and starred in the 2007 feature film 4 Cats and a Lion. Its rotational line-up served as a launchpad for celebrities that would later launch successful solo careers, such as Nicole Saba and Maya Diab. The group lasted until circa 2011. BARDOT - AUSTRALIA'S SPICE GIRLS Bardot was only the second girl group of the Popstars franchise and showcased most of what we'd come to expect from a typical Popstars winner trajectory: instant success, #1 hit single, massive debut album sales, quick downfall with second album. The group barely lasted two years, although they're still well-remembered by Australians and girl group aficionados. After decades apart, they finally reunited as a four-piece in 2026 for festival appearances. No new music in sight yet, but it must be just a matter of time. Bardot was the sole group of the 12th slot initially, but their discography is abysmal (as in, it has few songs) and manages to be smaller than Blackpink's, so we'll only be rating their biggest hit. YEGNA/ENDEGNA - ETHIOPIA'S SPICE GIRLS Endegna is a very political group at its core. The five-piece was formed in April 2013 as part of the Girl Hub initiative - an international development program backed by the UK government and Nike Foundation - with the aim of uplifting girls and young women across African countries. Their music addressed issues such as forced marriage, gender inequality, migration issues and teen pregnancy. Endegna had a multimedia approach, which included radio drama, talk show, film and a TV show. Their impact goes beyond charts: studies tracked by UNICEF Ethiopia and Girl Effect showed that 84% of girl listeners reported increased confidence, 76% were inspired to stay in school. They were quickly dubbed "Ethiopia's Spice Girls"... by the British right-wing press. It was not meant as a compliment, but we'll take it. K3 - BELGIUM'S SPICE GIRLS CDs, dolls, film and even an anime project. At one point, it felt like the Spice Girls brand would keep growing forever, leading many to ask: "where will this stop?". We never really got the answer, but maybe Belgium's K3 can show what could have been at a local level. You'll hardly see another pop act having such a hold on a country. Multiple films, TV programs, sitcoms, cartoons, stage musicals, licensed products... K3 is not merely a pop act anymore, but a bonafide multimedia franchise. Created in 1999 as Belgium's answer to the Spice Girls, the group would drop hit after hit and, despite a few line-up changes (not as many as you'd expect from a 26-year-old group though), their popularity never seemed to fade away. With all these achievements and their music easily available on streaming, K3 felt like a certainty on this Rate and actually had Serebro's spot as the fourth European group at one point. There was only one problem: K3's music is aimed at a very, very young audience and it wouldn't make sense to force ATRL to sit through eight songs of it nor the pages of Kidz Bops jokes that would ensue. Still, their success and longevity are too big to ignore and I decided to place them here. KIRUBA - ECUADOR'S SPICE GIRLS Yet ANOTHER girl group formed on Popstars, Kiruba became a phenomenon in Ecuador and received numerous accolades, including triple-platinum certification, several brand deals and multiple #1 hits. Their time together was brief, disbanding after two albums. Member Gabriela Villalba would achieve international success as lead singer of Chilean band Kudai. The group reunited (sans Gabriela) as Hada 4 in 2008, and then again (with Gabriela) in 2017 under their original name. With two South American girl groups in the Rate already, I hesitated adding a third. It didn't help matters that most of their music is either unavailable or available in a shady quality. But since they're still one of the most successful pop acts in Ecuadorian history, it felt wrong to leave them out. L5 - FRANCE'S SPICE GIRLS L5 was formed in 2001 through the French edition of Popstars. Immediate success followed, with debut single "Toutes les femmes de ta vie" hitting #1 and their self-titled debut album moving over 1.2 million copies. Popularity declined quite quickly tbh and they disbanded soon after their third album. They have reunited on a few occasions with different line-ups, but are finally back to the original 5 since this year. L5 is a group that could've easily been a part of the main line-up IF THEIR MUSIC HADN'T BEEN WIPED FROM STREAMING. At least their biggest hit managed to survive the blip and that's the song we'll be rating. S.H.E. - TAIWAN'S SPICE GIRLS Named after the English names of members Selina Jen, Hebe Tien and Ella Chen, girl group S.H.E. was extremely popular across the Chinese-speaking world since their debut on September 11, 2001. S.H.E has recorded 13 albums with sales totaling more than 10 million. The group has also embarked on record-breaking tours and expanded their media presence through drama series and variety shows. Although they have been on hiatus since 2014, following the end of their 2gether 4ever World Tour, the members have reunited on numerous occasions. This means they're the longest-running group in this rate to have never faced a line-up change. Mandopop is a bit of an acquired taste imo, so I picked one of their upbeat hits that might be more palatable to our ATLR ears. TRUEBLISS - NEW ZELAND'S SPICE GIRLS The Popstars franchise is such a presence on this rate that it feels wrong to keep its very first creation absent. TrueBliss were the first winners of the first Popstars in New Zealand and had an immediate hit single, "Tonight". The group seemed destined to be the next big thing, but their popularity was very short-lived and they disbanded soon later. Still, their legacy lived on as their reality show became the template to multiple pop acts around the world. These are the songs that we're going to rate from these groups: The 4 Cats - Ya Naseny Bardot - Poison Endegna - Leman Biye K3 - 10.000 Luchtballonmen Kiruba - Quisiera L5 - Toutes las femmes de ta vie S.H.E - Super Star TrueBliss - Tonight

Now it's only one group left... or is it?

BINI - THE PHILIPPINES' SPICE GIRLS The youngest group in this rate is BINI from the Philippines. Although clearly modelled after K-pop groups such as Twice and SNSD, BINI has received the Filipino Spice Girls title on a few occasions and they sure have the stats to earn it. The group was formed from a talent show with the aim of promoting Pilipino music on a global scale. They blend highly addictive, vibrant bubblegum pop with flawless choreography, strong vocals, massive charisma, and deep cultural pride. After enduring the pandemic as well as possible closing of their company, they were finally able to debut with "Born To Win" a song that champions persevering all challenges to win. Near the tail end of 2024, BINI's popularity would EXPLODE to massive proportions. The group's viral Tiktoks as well as their previous livestreams would go viral on all social media platforms. That paired with a tropical song that strongly represents their country as well as a fanbase that was extremely active in promoting them was a perfect storm that would propel them to stardom nearly overnight. The girls have brought massive pride to the country with awards such as Billboard Women in Music - Global Force and MTV Europe Music Awards - Best Asia Act, as well as making history as the first-ever all-Filipino group to perform at the Coachella. Capitalizing on their new found success, the group strives to expand their sound to continue their initial goal of bringing Filipino music on a global scale. They're seemingly bound to be MPGs, but will ATRL embrace them? These are the BINI songs that we're going to rate: Born To Win Na Na Na Pantropiko Salamin, Salamin Lagi Huwag Muna Tayong Unmuwi Cherry on Top Blush

As we approach the final slots, it's time to finally know our youngest girl group in the Rate, the one who @Indie Go Mind has been waiting for.

SPEED - JAPAN'S SPICE GIRLS Choosing the Japanese Spice Girls was never going to be an easy task. They're known for their love of girl groups, but as popular as AKB48 and Morning Musume are, they follow a very different template from Spice Girls' tightly-knit unit. However, there's a group that tickles all the boxes: 90s juggernaut SPEED. Speed is another group that debuted prior to the Spice Girls and was initially inspired by TLC. They smashed right out of the gate with "Body & Soul", a song that sold 638,000 copies and refused to leave the charts for 31 weeks. Debut album Starting Over followed suit, topping the Oricon charts for three consecutive weeks. Numbers would only get more impressive from there with singles such as "White Love" becoming instant million-sellers and second album Rise selling 2.09 million copies. By 1998, Speed already had enough hits to release their compilation album Moment, which remains the best selling girl group album in Japan to this day! Things slowed down in 1999 as each member moved on to solo projects. In October 1999, Speed announced that they would disband the following year - more specifically, March 31, 2000. Their third and "final" album was released in December, 1999. The group reunited temporarily in 2003, but it wasn't until 2008 that they came back full-time, marked with the release of "Ashita no Sora". Despite never reaching again the jaw-dropping level of popularity from their heyday, Speed would continue to tour and release new music until 2012 when they disbanded once again. These are the Speed songs that we're going to rate: Body & Soul Steady White Love All My True Love Long Way Home Need Your Hands,Tonight あしたの空 (Ashita no Sora) S.P.D.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the next girl group. I know @Suilen is, and I'm eager to see what he'll think of my song selection.

VIVA - INDIA'S SPICE GIRLS Yet another Popstars creation, Viva is considered India's first mainstream, all-female pop group. Formed through the reality show Coke [V] Popstars in 2002, Viva (Neha Bhasin, Anushka Manchanda, Pratichee Mohapatra, Mahua Kamat, and Seema Ramchandani) became a sensation. Their very first live concert in Mumbai drew an audience of 50,000 people and their self-titled debut album sold nearly 500,000 copies, an impressive feat in a market dominated by Bollywood film soundtracks. Seema Ramchandani left the group just a few months later, but the remaining four members released their second album, Viva! Reloaded, in 2003. Around this time they went on to sing in a few film soundtracks, including "Rozana", a collaboration with superstar producer A. R. Rahman for the movie Lakeer. They quietly disbanded some time in 2005, as each member started to focus on solo projects. Viva is the only group in this rate to have never really attempted a comeback since its 2000s disbandment, but they have reunited on a few occasions: first virtually in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and once again this year to promote the release of their catalog on streaming platforms. One can hope new music is on its way. These are the Viva songs that we're going to rate: Jahan Ho Pyar Ka Mausam Jaago Zara Hum Naye Geet Chori Chori Zindagi Mera Saath Quiero Rozana Chillake Chillake

After a round of groups that are relatively well-known internationally, it's time to go to Asia to meet a lesser-known act. I only learned of them recently myself, but I think they'll leave a good impression!

I actually kept Serebro out of the Rate initially for that reason, but they're way too popular to leave them out, and since we have multiple Spanish and English speaking groups I concluded it wouldn't be an issue.