Parade (group)
English girl group who disbanded in 2013 after one member left.
Parade were an English girl group with five members: Emily Biggs, Lauren Deegan, Bianca Claxton, Jessica Agombar, and Sian Charlesworth. They were originally signed to Asylum Records. The group split on 11 February 2013, after Claxton left, as announced on their Twitter account.
Before forming Parade, Biggs had been in the girl group Hope, and Charlesworth had been part of City Girls. Agombar appeared in the film *St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold*.
Their first single, "Louder," peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Perfume," reached number 38. Their self-titled debut album, *Parade*, came out in November 2011. Despite having a top-ten hit, the album sold poorly and only reached number 171, missing the UK top 100. As a result, Asylum Records dropped the group. Parade later became ambassadors for women's football, Clean and Clear, and St. Tropez self-tan.
During 2012, the group worked on a second album. They collaborated with producer Tim Powell, known for working with Girls Aloud and Sugababes, on tracks like "Light Me Up." Other collaborators included Ed Drewett, Fred Ball, MNEK, K-Gee, Jamal Hadaway, and Tre Jean-Marie. On 11 July 2012, they announced "Light Me Up" via their blog, releasing it as a free download on 1 August. The group was unsigned throughout 2012 and 2013, having been dropped by their label in 2011.
After Claxton left in February 2013, the remaining members decided not to continue as a group. They released a statement thanking fans and noting that without all five members, Parade would not be the same. In February 2013, a SoundCloud account leaked a previously unreleased track called "Lose It," intended for their debut album and produced by RedOne, which samples Reel 2 Real's "I Like To Move It." The same account later released four more tracks from their unfinished second album: "Chaos," "(Come) On The Double," "Puppet Master (Dance For Me)," and "Throw It Up In The Air."
Parade supported several major acts, including Shakira, Alexandra Burke, Shayne Ward, The Wanted, the Black Eyed Peas, Westlife, and Boyzone. They also performed at the Isle of Wight Festival 2011 and Isle of MTV 2011 in Malta.
After the split, Agombar and Claxton pursued solo careers. Agombar released tracks "Bam Bam" and "Bam Bam Pt.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Pop, dance-pop
- Years Active
- 2009–2013
- Label
- Asylum (2010–2011)
- Past Members
- Emily Biggs / Lauren Deegan / Bianca Claxton / Jessica Agombar / Sian Charlesworth
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Before joining Parade, Emily Biggs was a member of the girl group Hope, and Sian Charlesworth was a member of City Girls. Jessica Agombar had a role in the film St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold. Parade's debut single "Louder" reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, followed by "Perfume" which peaked at number 38. Their self-titled debut album, Parade, was released in November 2011 but underperformed, missing the UK top 100 and charting at number 171. Due to poor sales, the group was dropped from Asylum Records. They became ambassadors for women's football, Clean and Clear, and St. Tropez self-tan.
The group spent 2012 working on a second studio album, collaborating with producer Tim Powell on tracks including "Light Me Up". They also worked with Ed Drewett, Fred Ball, MNEK, K-Gee, Jamal Hadaway and Tre Jean-Marie. On 11 July 2012, they announced "Light Me Up" as the first song from the new album, released as a free download on 1 August 2012. On 11 February 2013, the group announced via Twitter that Bianca Claxton had left and the remaining members decided not to continue. They stated they had been unsigned throughout 2012 to 2013 after being dropped in 2011. In February 2013, a SoundCloud account leaked a previously unreleased track called "Lose It", reportedly produced by RedOne and sampling Reel 2 Real's "I Like To Move It". Later, four more tracks from the unreleased second album were debuted: "Chaos", "(Come) On The Double", "Puppet Master (Dance For Me)", and "Throw It Up In The Air".
Reader's Guide
Parade were a short-lived English girl group who achieved a top-ten single with "Louder" but failed to sustain commercial success. Their debut album underperformed, leading to their departure from Asylum Records. Despite working on a second album with notable producers, the group disbanded in 2013 after one member left. Their significance lies partly in the later careers of two members: Jessica Agombar became a successful songwriter, co-writing hits for Hailee Steinfeld, Jonas Brothers, and BTS's number-one single "Dynamite". Bianca Claxton pursued a solo career and became a session singer and backup vocalist for major artists. The group's brief trajectory illustrates the challenges faced by pop acts in the early 2010s UK music industry, where a single hit did not guarantee album sales or label support. Their unreleased material, leaked after disbandment, has gained some interest among fans.
Did You Know?
- Parade supported acts including Shakira, Alexandra Burke, The Wanted, Westlife, and the Black Eyed Peas.
- After disbandment, Jessica Agombar co-wrote BTS's number-one single 'Dynamite'.
More in English pop girl groups 1-24
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