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In memory of former girlgroup member Sarah Harding, Girls Aloud will be releasing a rendition of their 2004 single “I’ll Stand By You”. This move comes as the world is still trying to come to terms with Liam Payne’s death in October 2024, once former partner of Cheryl, who used to lead the girlgroup to fame. Perhaps, it’s one way for Cheryl to cope and find comfort in what has been a period of intense grief, compounded by what social media has afforded its users, considering that the couple also share a son, who will no longer see his father in-person.

The girlgroup was formed as a result of a reality TV competition show in Britain in 2002, consisting of the late Sarah Harding, Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, and Kimberly Walsh – though two of the members were replacements when an earlier lineup just didn’t work out.

Cheryl led the girlgroup to fame from 2002-2013, until they disbanded for good. In between, Cheryl was also quite active in her solo career. The remaining members reunited in 2023 and 2024, in honour of Sarah Harding. As a girlgroup, their hits included a cover version of “Jump” and “No Good Advice”. As a soloist, Cheryl’s songs include “Fight for this Love”. Cheryl also acted as a judge on the X Factor previously around 2008-2010.

Girls Aloud was named the UK’s biggest-selling girlgroup in 2012.

The cover song “I’ll Stand By You” was originally used for a charity drive called Children in Need. The 20th anniversary version would be a re-release, titled “I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version)”, with funds once again going to the same organisation.  The song can be traced back to the original group members “The Pretenders”, the British-American rock band.

Harding passed on in September 2021, following further complications from breast cancer. Since then, the remaining members have been putting in effort to raise awareness about the disease and its complexities.

Harding’s isolated vocals were found once again, as the remaining group members were pulling out older material for their sold-out tour The Girls Aloud Show earlier in 2024.

A new version of the music video, along with the single, will be released on 15 November 2024 on BBC One, during a special Children In Need appeal segment.