Sarah Harding participating in weekly Saturday night live performances (alternating weekly between the girls and boys). Each week the contestant polling the fewest phone votes was eliminated, until the final line-ups of the groups emerged. Harding joined Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh to comprise the new girl group Girls Aloud, formed through the show by a public vote on 30 November 2002. The group's debut single "Sound of the Underground" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 2002 Christmas number one. Girls Aloud hold the record for the shortest time between formation and reaching
The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits on the UK Singles Chart. "The Sound of Girls Aloud" received positive reviews from critics, who praised it as a reflection of the group's success. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, making it Girls Aloud's first album to do so. It also peaked at number nine on the Irish Albums Chart. In 2009, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) recognised "The Sound of Girls Aloud" as one of the nine albums that year to sell at least 1 million units in Europe. On 6 October 2006, Girls Aloud announced that they would release their