Girls Aloud by Louis Walsh until 2005 when Hilary Shaw replaced him. The new group competed with the boys' winning group, One True Voice to have 2002's Christmas number one single. Girls Aloud won the battle with their single "Sound of the Underground", produced by Brian Higgins and Xenomania. The song spent four consecutive weeks at number one and was certified platinum in March 2003. The song received critical acclaim; Alexis Petridis of "The Guardian" stated that "it proved a first: it was a reality pop record that didn't make you want to do physical harm to everyone involved in its manufacture".
The Promise (Girls Aloud song) the planet". As soon as Girls Aloud heard the song, they decided it should be the first single from "Out of Control". The day before the song was due to be delivered to Fascination Records, the entire backing track was ditched and replayed. Described by the band's website as a "stormer of a track", "The Promise" premièred on Switch on BBC Radio 1 on 14 September 2008. During promotion, Girls Aloud announced dates for 2009's Out of Control Tour. The song was released as a physical CD single in Ireland on 15 October 2008, followed by a digital release in