'Hear'Say' were a short-lived British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of
Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single, "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding the ITV programme, the first of its kind in the UK. The group split just 18 months after their formation, following poor record sales of subsequent releases, as well as negative public reaction in the UK and a line-up change. They also failed to match their UK success overseas. During their short time together, Hear'Say sold nearly 3 million records worldwide.
The downfall of Hear'Say raised doubts about the longevity of reality-TV singers; however, it has failed to damage the success of the programmes themselves, as
The X Factor and the various
Idol series feature high in the ratings in the UK and abroad.
From Wikipedia