What happened to Girls Aloud rival group One True Voice? Where are the boy band members now?

Girls Aloud fans who remember the girl group being put together on ITV talent show "Popstars: The Rivals" back in 2002 may also remember that they were not the only band to be created on the show.

The programme, which aired during the latter half of the year, was created after the success of "Popstars" the year before. The show saw amateur singers from across the UK audition for their chance to be chosen as a member of a newly formed pop group, as chosen by music industry heavyweights Nigel Lythgoe, Nicki Chapman and Paul Adam. It led to the creation of pop group Hear'say, who were at the time a hugely popular band.

So, the show was brought back the following year - but with a twist. This time, judges Pete Waterman, Geri Halliwell and Louis Walsh were in charge of choosing auditonees to be a part of two bands; a girl band and a boy band. And, once a final 10 had been reached for the boys and girls respectively, the public got involved. Each of the contestants performed in a live show every Saturday night, and each week one boy and one girl were voted out until five of each remained.

The five remaining boys and girls were then put together to create two new bands; Girls Aloud and One True Voice. They then went head-to-head in a battle to win the coveted Christmas number one spot. We know that Girls Aloud, who have just announced a 2024 tour, won that battle with their single "Sound of the Underground" and went on to have one of the most successful careers of any girl group worldwide.

But, who were the memebrs of One True Voice? And where are they now? Read on to find out all you need to know.

Who were One True Voice?

At the same time as Girls Aloud were formed, a boy band called One True Voice was also created. The band was made up of members Anton Gordon, Matt Johnson, Daniel Pearce, Keith Semple and Jamie Shaw. The two groups began competing against each other for the Christmas number one spot on the UK Singles Chart.

One True Voice's debut single was double A-side "Sacred Trust/After You're Gone". "Sacred Trust" is a cover version of a song originally written and produced by the Bee Gees from the 2001 album This Is Where I Came In. It reached number two in the UK charts. It sold 147,000 copies compared to first week sales of 213,000 for "Sound of the Underground" by Girls Aloud. In Ireland it only managed to chart at number 9 and it remained in both charts for six weeks. Girls Aloud later released their own version of "Sacred Trust" on the rarities disc of their 2006 greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud.

In June 2003, Pearce left the group to pursue a solo career. The band released a further single called "Shakespeare's (Way with) Words" in 2003 which got to number ten in the UK charts. After cancelling a tour due to poor ticket sales, the group fully disbanded without releasing an album in August 2003.

One True Voice - where are the members now?

Waterman told One True Voice that they could be the next big thing, but it wasn't to be as they split less than one year after their formation. Despite disappearing from the limelight as a group, however, the five men have enjoyed successful careers individually - including finding fame in America and taking part in other reality TV talent contests. Here's what each of them have all been up to in the last 20 years.

Anton Gordon

Gordon wasn't ready to give up on his musical career when One True Voice fell apart and auditioned for another ITV singing competition The X Factor in 2006. He did not make it through the preliminary screening, however. He continues with musical projects under the name of Anton Romero, including a joint single with musician Winta called "Hot Romance (Rok With You)". He also often shares videos of him singing on social media.

Matt Johnson

Johnson tried his hand at a solo career when One True Voice decided to split and signed a contract with Jive Records. However, he left the label after being unhappy with the music direction and is currently signed to his own record label Tristar Records which has a distribution deal with Believe Digital since 2013 and and gets more than a million monthly streams on Spotify. He released a single called "Get Over You" in 2016 and also appeared on Celebrity Fear Factor UK.

Daniel Pearce

Pearce pursued his career as both an actor and a singer and played a lead role in the musical Jailhouse Rock on London's famous West End stage. Pearce also auditioned for the The X Factor, but he was part of the 2009 intake. He made it through the auditions, and the boot camp stage, and even made it to judges' houses - the final stage before the live shows. His mentor Simon Cowell did not choose him for the live shows, however. But he didn't let that put him off and he was a backing singer for Dizzee Rascal when he performed on Jools Hollands 2009/2010 Hootenanny and also on the Top of the Pops 2009 show. He continues to be a backing singer for Dizzee Rascal and appeared on his No.1 hit "Dirtee Disco". He's also funk in the band Shuffler, which he formed with ex members of Jamiroquai.

Keith Semple

Semple initially reformed his band, the Keith Semple Band, and then fronted the band Alibi. After moving to Chicago, he performed with the band 7th Heaven between 2006 and 2012. In 2010, he successfully auditioned for reality TV singing show American Idol, but he lost his place due to immigration status problems. In 2013, he launched his own new band SEMPLE and, in 2015, he also appeared in the American series The Voice. He continues to make music with SEMPLE.

Jamie Shaw

Shaw continued to produce music after One True Voice parted ways. In April 2006, he released his solo single "Different" through Rockin' Nation Music. In the UK, he supported the Backstreet Boys for some of their live dates. In May 2006, he was on tour in Germany and Austria with boyband US5 for 18 shows. He then moved from music into television and has worked for the BBC since 2014. He currently works as Executive Publicity Assistant on works in Cardiff on the BBC programmes Doctor Who and its spin-off Class. He works for IJPR, a PR agency who are responsible for shows on BBC ITV Netflix and more.