1999–2003: S Club

The group rose to fame by starring in their own BBC television series, Miami 7, in 1999. Over the five years they were together, S Club 7 had four UK No.1 singles, one UK No.1 album, a string of hits throughout Europe, including a top-ten single in the United States, Asia, Latin America and Africa. They recorded a total of four studio albums, released eleven singles and went on to sell over fourteen million albums worldwide. Their first album, S Club, had a strong 1990s pop sound, similar to many artists of their time. However, through the course of their career, their musical approach changed to a more dance and R&B sound which is heard mostly in their final album, Seeing Double.

The concept and brand of the group was created by Simon Fuller, also their manager through 19 Entertainment; they were signed to Polydor Records. Their television series went on to last four series, seeing the group travel across the United States and eventually ending up in Barcelona, Spain. It became popular in 100 different countries where the show was watched by over 90 million viewers.^[7] The show, which was a children's sitcom, often mirrored real life events which had occurred in S Club, including the relationship of Hannah Spearritt and Paul Cattermole, as well as the eventual departure from the group of the latter. As well as the popularity of their television series, S Club 7 won two Brit Awards—in 2000 for British breakthrough act and in 2002, for best British single. In 2001, the group earned the Record of year. S Club's second to last single reached number-five in the UK charts and their final studio album failed to make the top ten. However, on 21 April 2003, during a live onstage performance, S Club announced that they were to disband.^[8]

2003–2004: Funky Dory

Stevens performing "Funky Dory".

In 2003, after S Club disbanded, Stevens signed a £1.5 million solo four-album deal with Polydor Records and re-signed with Fuller.^[9] She said that breaking out on her own after success with S Club was difficult: "I think we [S Club] ended up conforming to what people's perceptions were. This one was the ditzy one, this one was the singer, this one was the dancer. And to come out of that and be a whole person has been a real challenge for me. I didn't have my say, really, in the group. None of us did". Her first solo single, written by Cathy Dennis and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, "Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex", was released in September 2003.^[10] Taking inspiration from R&B and adult-style pop music, Stevens's debut solo album, Funky Dory, was released later that month. The album was a hit, reaching number 9 on the UK albums chart and was certified gold.^[11] The album also gained praise from pop critics; Jamie Gill, in a review for Yahoo! Launch, said that Stevens "eschews the cheap and cheerful approach of her old band for a slinky adult confidence and musical eclecticism."^[12] That December the album's title track "Funky Dory", featuring a sample of the David Bowie song "Andy Warhol" from his album Hunky Dory, was released as its second single and failed to match the success of "Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex", peaking at number twenty-four.^[13]

MusicOMH called it "musically better than "Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex" with a hybrid of pop, Latin and even a hint of jazz infusion" but not a good single choice as a single as it lacked anything special and different. In July 2004, Stevens released the BBC Sport Relief charity single, "Some Girls", which was produced by Richard X. It became a hit across Europe, and reached number two in the UK. HMV.co.uk called the song Stevens's "finest song to date", and Yahoo! Launch commented that "she came to save her career. She ended up saving pop." Stevens then signed a deal with Matalan reportedly worth £1 million and had her hit song "More More More" as the title song for Matalan's advertising campaign. Following the success of "Some Girls", Funky Dory was re-released to include "Some Girls" and another new track, a cover of Andrea True Connection's "More More More". "More More More" was issued as a single and peaked at number 3 in the UK, giving Stevens her third top ten solo single in the UK.^[14] At this point, Stevens and her management stepped up promotion, earning her a Guinness World Record for "Most Public Appearances by a Pop Star in 24 Hours in Different Cities" (seven on 8–9 September 2004).^[15]

2005–2007: Come and Get It and films

Stevens performing in 2004.

In March 2005, Stevens released her new single, "Negotiate with Love", that was a top ten hit in the UK.^[16] "So Good" was released in July 2005 and also peaked at number 10,^[17] being hailed as "tastily produced and sassily delivered."^[18] In mid-2005, Channel 4 broadcast a documentary which followed Stevens through the summer as she promoted "So Good". Her second album, Come and Get It, produced by Richard X and Xenomania, was released in October 2005 and peaked at number 28 in the UK.^[17] The album was included on The Guardian list "1,000 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".^[19] The third and final single was "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)", which peaked at number 12 in the UK^[17] and was commended by HMV.co.uk for its "astonishingly flawless vocal performance" and as Stevens's "most commercially accessible and quirky single since "Some Girls"."

In 2005 Stevens also appeared in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and Spider-Plant Man. She also appeared in comedy film Suzie Gold. From November 27 to December 17, 2005, she toured in UK with the Come and Get It Tour.^[20] In the following years, Stevens planned to release a third album, but dropped.^[21]

2008–present: Business and other projects

Stevens performing "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex" in 2015.

Since 2008, Stevens has been working as a businesswoman, co-creating clothing and makeup lines with british brands, in addition to philanthropic work – she worked for 5 years in the Make Poverty History.^[22] In August 2008 she was announced as contestant of Strictly Come Dancing as partner with professional dancer Vincent Simone.^[23] She finished in second place.^[24] Stevens and Simone also took part in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Specials to 2008 from 2014. In July 2011 a demo track entitled "Nothing in Common", which was recorded for Come and Get It, was uploaded online.^[25] In 2011 she released a charity children's compilation Tasty Tunes in a project with toddlers food company Ella's Kitchen.^[26]

In 2013 Stevens was mentor assistant on the New Zealand version of The X-Factor helping Melanie Blatt with the groups category. On 6 October 2014, Irish state broadcaster RTÉ confirmed that Stevens would be taking on one of the red chairs on The Voice of Ireland as the fourth coach.^[27] In December 2014, Stevens attended the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special and Strictly Tour, a dance show in UK.^[28] In May 2015 all seven of the original members of S Club 7 reunited in an arena tour, entitled Bring It All Back 2015.^[29] On 12 March 2015, Stevens appeared on BBC Radio 1's Innuendo Bingo.^[30] In 2017 she appeared on the cast of Celebrity Masterchef.^[31] In December 2017, Stevens appeared on an episode of Celebrity Mastermind.^[32] In 2019 Stevens joined the Rip It Up The 70s theatre show with Louis Smith, Melody Thornton and Lee Ryan.^[33] In 2022, she competed in the fourteenth series of Dancing on Ice and was third to be eliminated.^[34]

On 9 November 2022, Stevens announced that she would be performing at Mighty Hoopla 2023, marking her first solo performance since 2005, but after the passing of S Club member Paul Cattermole, she pulled out of the show.^[35][36] Rachel is set to go on tour with the remaining s club stars from October to November 2023. In April 2024, she will be releasing her first autobiography titled ‘I’ve found my voice”.

Philanthropy

In 2005 Stevens fronted the Everyman Testicular Cancer Awareness campaign. Stevens's role was notable as she was the first woman to represent this campaign. Her television commercial raised eyebrows with its suggestive content that included her telling men to "put one hand down their trousers and give their testicles a good feel". On the commercial, Stevens commented, "Sometimes men need a little encouragement to think about their health. This is a funny way of raising awareness about a serious subject."

In 2005 Stevens also took part in the Make Poverty History campaign, which aims to eliminate poverty in developing countries by cancelling old debts, improving the way aid is given and removing barriers, so these countries can trade more effectively with the rest of the world. Stevens donated an undisclosed amount of money to the campaign, and also starred in television and magazine advertisements supporting the cause. Her official website also displayed the campaign's official online banner.

On 15 November 2011 it was reported that Stevens had recorded a collection of songs about fruit and vegetables as a way of helping to encourage children to eat five portions of fruit and veg per day. The songs were for an album titled Tasty Tunes and were made available as free downloads from the website of children's food firm Ella's Kitchen. Stevens launched the songs with a one-off performance at a nursery in Streatham, south London. The songs include food-themed versions of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "The Hokey-Cokey", and Stevens said of the project; "As a new mum, I'm always looking for exciting ways to encourage my daughter to try new foods, especially greens. I hope tasty tunes help lots of parents sing about fruit and vegetables as part of their little one's everyday playtime."^[37]

Stevens is also an ambassador to WaterAid, an organisation that promotes clean water in developing countries all over the world. During a 2012 trip to Ethiopia, Stevens remarked, "It was such a great feeling to see the women laughing and chatting while they were washing their clothes and drinking clean water. Everyone looked healthier and a lot happier and the village felt full of life."^[38]

Endorsement deals

Whilst in S Club 7 Stevens fronted the World Wide Fund for Nature. More recently, she has been the front woman for Pretty Polly,^[39] Sky Sports, Marks & Spencer,^[40] and Focus Dailies.^[41] In 2009, Stevens became the new ambassador for Schwarzkopf Herod Gliss hair products.^[42] In October 2011 Stevens fronted the launch of Seven Seas Health Oils.^[43]

Film

Television