the Cheeky Girls
{{Short description|Romanian singing duo}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Cheeky Girls
| background = group_or_band
| image = Nottingham Pride MMB B8 Cheeky Girls.jpg
| birth_date =
| caption = The Cheeky Girls performing at Nottingham Pride 2010
| birth_place = Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania
| genre = {{hlist|Pop|dance|Europop|Eurodance}}
| years_active = 2002–present
| label = Multiply (2002–2004)
XBN (2004–2006)
GMI Music (2006–present)
| current_members = * Gabriela Irimia
- Monica Irimia
| past_members =
}}
The Cheeky Girls are a Romanian singing duo consisting of identical twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia. After appearing as auditionees on Popstars: The Rivals, they achieved success in the UK charts with four top 10 hits between 2002 and 2004. They are best known for their debut single, "Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)", which has sold more than 1.2 million units internationally. The Cheeky Girls released their debut studio album, PartyTime, in 2003 which reached number 14 in the UK Albums Chart.
Biography
File:Nottingham Pride MMB B5 Cheeky Girls.jpg 2010]]
Gabriela and Monica were born to Doru and Margit Irimia. Their early life in Romania consisted of studying gymnastics and ballet and touring with the Hungarian State Opera. Moving to the United Kingdom with their mother in 2002, the girls shot to fame as the Cheeky Girls after auditioning on two British TV shows, Channel 4's Model Behaviour and more importantly Popstars: The Rivals. Following two appearances on the show with their audition, which had judges Pete Waterman and Louis Walsh not knowing what to say – Waterman was later quoted as saying they were the worst act ever – various record companies approached the Granada Press Office. The Press Office contacted Paul Holland at Granada Ventures, who was able to secure them a deal with the Multiply label, part of Telstar Records. "Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)" was swiftly recorded and released in the first week in December. Entering the chart at number two, the single remained in the top five for five consecutive weeks, four of them at number two.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Total%20Eclipse%20Of%20The%20Heart |title="The Cheeky Song" Chart details |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=2 February 2011}}
This was quickly followed up with two more top three hits, "Take Your Shoes Off" and "(Hooray, Hooray!) It's a Cheeky Holiday!". Their style of music is primarily disco-pop, aimed at the pre-teen market.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} Most of their songs are written by their mother, who also acts as their manager.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}
On 4 August 2006, the Evening Standard reported that the Cheeky Girls were "at rock bottom" and facing bankruptcy action in court owing to not having been paid by their now-defunct record label, Telstar Records. The article said that the women owed £4,500 in unpaid taxes, along with other bills, and that Telstar owed them £2.2 million.{{cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/cheeky-girls-at-rock-bottom-7248622.html |title=Cheeky Girls at rock bottom |newspaper=Evening Standard |author=Chris Millar and Richard Edwards |date=3 August 2006 |access-date=2 February 2011}} Later, it was reported that they owed £130,000 in total.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a41451/report-cheeky-girls-in-gbp130k-debt.html |title=Showbiz – News – Report: Cheeky Girls in £130k debt |publisher=Digital Spy |date=7 January 2007 |access-date=2 February 2011}}
In September 2009, the act released their Cheeky Girls make-up range,{{cite web |url=http://www.cheekygirlsbeauty.com/ |title=The Cheeky Girls |publisher=Cheekygirlsbeauty.com |access-date=2 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202151200/http://cheekygirlsbeauty.com/ |archive-date=2 February 2011}} aimed at the young teen market.
On 7 March 2013, the women appeared on the This Week BBC TV programme discussing the subject of Romanian immigration to the UK with host Andrew Neil. This followed a short video report by Monica talking about British fears of an invasion of benefit-seekers from their homeland.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r73z9|title=This Week|publisher=bbc.co.uk |year=2013|access-date=8 March 2013}} They previously appeared on the show on 10 July 2008.{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol8_6Ux5-FE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/ol8_6Ux5-FE| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=The Cheeky Girls - This Week - July 10th, 2008 clip|publisher=youtube.com|date=21 April 2011|access-date=7 March 2013}}{{cbignore}}
Personal lives
In December 2006, it was revealed by the tabloids that former Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Öpik had broken up with long-time fiancée, ITV weather presenter Siân Lloyd, and was now romantically involved with Gabriela.
{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6188147.stm |publisher=BBC News | title=Opik and presenter Lloyd separate | date=17 December 2006 | access-date=25 May 2010}} Öpik "passed documentation on to the singers' constituency MP and spoke to a Home Office minister," when the Irimias were facing deportation to Romania.{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6196675.stm |publisher=BBC News | title=MP intervened in Cheeky Girl case | date=20 December 2006 | access-date=25 May 2010}} The couple announced their engagement in April 2008 after Öpik proposed in Rome,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7359889.stm |title=Opik to wed Cheeky Girl Gabriela |publisher=BBC News |date=21 April 2008 |access-date=2 February 2011}} but the engagement was short-lived and a break-up was announced three months later.{{Cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2401815/Lembit-Opik-dumped-by-his-Cheeky-Girl-fiancee-Gabriela-Irimia.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London|title=Lembit Opik 'dumped by his Cheeky Girl fiancée Gabriela Irimia'|date=13 July 2008}}
In 2016, Monica married her fiancé of four years, Shaun Taylor, who works as a building contractor.{{Cite news| url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/cheeky-girls-now-incredible-comeback-23201440.html | work=The Daily Mirror | location=London|title=Cheeky Girls now - incredible comeback from health crisis, bankruptcy and botched surgery|date=28 Dec 2020}}
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:307px;"| Title !| Peak chart positions ! rowspan=2| Certifications ! rowspan=2| Sales |
|---|
| style="width:3em;"|UK{{cite book
| first= David Keith | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 102}} |
| 2003
{{smalldiv|
}} | style="text-align:center;"|14 | align=left|
| align=left|
|
| 2007
| In My Mind (Is a Different World – A Cheeky One) {{smalldiv|
}} | style="text-align:center;"| — | align=left| | align=left| |
=Singles=
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Title !colspan="9"| Peak chart positions !rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| style=font-size:smaller
!width="40"|UK !width="40"|IRE !width="40"|AUS !width="40"|FRA !width="40"|GER !width="40"|JPN !width="40"|HUN !width="40"|TUR !width="40"|CHN |
| style="text-align:center;"|2002
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | style="text-align:center;"|12 | style="text-align:center;"|59 | style="text-align:center;"|19 | style="text-align:center;"|52 | style="text-align:center;"|6 | style="text-align:center;"|12 | style="text-align:center;"|15 | style="text-align:center;"|6 | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| PartyTime |
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|2003
| style="text-align:center;"|3 | style="text-align:center;"|13 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|4 | style="text-align:center;"|7 | style="text-align:center;"|13 | style="text-align:center;"|3 |
| "(Hooray, Hooray!) It's a Cheeky Holiday!"
| style="text-align:center;"|3 | style="text-align:center;"|5 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;"|11
| style="text-align:center;"|7 | style="text-align:center;"|31 | style="text-align:center;"|10 |
| "Have a Cheeky Christmas"
| style="text-align:center;"|10 | style="text-align:center;"|46 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;"|27
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|37 | style="text-align:center;"|15 |
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|2004
|"Cheeky Flamenco" | style="text-align:center;"|29 | style="text-align:center;"|31 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|85 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|70 | style="text-align:center;"|50 | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|In My Mind (Is a Different World – A Cheeky One) |
| "Boys and Girls (Xmas Time Love)"
| style="text-align:center;"|50 | style="text-align:center;"|80 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|118 | style="text-align:center;"|107 |
| style="text-align:center;"|2005
|"Farmyard Hokey" | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|56 | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|2022
|"Lets Have Fun" | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3”| Non-Album Single |
| "I’m In Touch With Heaven"
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| "Run Your Engine Baby"
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
See also
References
{{Reflist|35em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000072151}}
- {{discogs artist}}
- {{IMDb name|id=4288835}}
- [https://myspace.com/xcheekygirlsx The Cheeky Girls] on Myspace
{{The Cheeky Girls}}
{{Popstars}}
{{Britain's Got Talent}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheeky Girls, The}}
Category:Romanian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Category:Identical twin females
Category:Musical groups established in 2002
Category:Musicians from Cluj-Napoca
Category:Romanian pop music groups
Category:Romanian dance musical groups
Category:Romanian all-female bands
Category:British pop girl groups
Category:British dance girl groups
Category:British Eurodance groups
Category:Romanian Eurodance groups
Category:Britain's Got Talent contestants
Category:2002 establishments in Romania
Category:British people of Romanian descent
Category:21st-century British women singers