Hear'Say and Liberty X have confirmed a joint 13-date arena tour, marking the first time the two groups will perform together since competing on ITV's Popstars 25 years ago. The tour is scheduled to begin in Dublin on April 17, 2027, and conclude in Liverpool on May 9, 2027.
Line-up confirmed for the reunion tour
All five members of Liberty X—Michelle Heaton, Kelli Young, Jessica Taylor, Kevin Simm, and Tony Lundon—have signed on for the tour. For Hear'Say, Suzanne Shaw, Noel Sullivan, Kym Marsh, and Danny Foster are returning. Myleene Klass has reportedly turned down the offer so far, having moved into presenting after a solo classical career.
The nine participants have been sworn to secrecy during the planning phase, travelling separately to avoid revealing the reunion. Tony told The Sun that the group spent considerable time on Zoom discussing how the plan would come together.
'We only got together to shoot the promo a few weeks ago,' he said. 'That was the first time we were kind of on set together again, just in each other's company. It's been amazing.'
Members acknowledge they're not as young
The group members admitted they are not as young as they once were, with Kym noting that the dance routines might not be as 'energetic' as when they were fresh from Popstars.
'Introducing… Popstars: The originals!' they posted on Instagram. 'We're all coming together for the first time ever. Hear'Say and Liberty X joining forces with our joint arena tour. We're so excited for this.'
Danny shared: 'We are the originals. So many other shows came along, like Pop Idol and The X Factor, Popstars gets a little bit forgotten. But that's the beauty of this project — it was nine kids with a dream, and we've just come full circle to be back together.'
Past controversies and splits recalled
Over the years, various members have discussed their experiences on Popstars, though not all were positive. In 2016, Kym revealed how comments about her weight made by Nigel Lythgoe, her former Hear'Say manager, had impacted her.
'You need to lose some weight,' Nigel was filmed telling her as she auditioned. 'Christmas is over and the goose has gotten fat.'
'I'd always been quite body confident until that moment but when he said that it really affected me, I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror,' Kym revealed to the Daily Mail. 'I started to look at myself differently and question whether I was overweight. I started becoming far too critical of myself. My body had changed an awful lot after having children, and I simply didn't have time to exercise.'
Kym left Hear'Say in 2002 after rumours of a feud with bandmates Myleene and Noel. The group officially split on October 1, 2002, citing 'abuse from the public' as a major reason, with their popularity eclipsed by Liberty X.
Tour dates and legacy
The tour will visit Dublin, Belfast, Bournemouth, Nottingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Liverpool.
Liberty X, who initially signed to Richard Branson's V2 label, continued to see chart success until their split in 2007. 'All of us have separate projects we're working on and are excited about,' the announcement said. 'We're still the best of friends and we'll still be doing all the dates on the current club tour. Also, we still intend to come together sometimes as Liberty X, for one-off events.'
They reunited for a pride event the following year and returned for 2012's Big Reunion with a few concerts following. In 2013 they called it quits again, with Kevin appearing on The Voice and making it clear he felt the group were over. Four years later, Michelle, Kelli, and Jessica started touring as a three-piece, then in 2023 they headlined Mighty Hoola and other festivals.
Between them, Hear'Say and Liberty X have 12 Top 10 singles and three UK number ones.
