UPDATE: Below is what I wrote about Kerry back in the summer of 2000. since then Kerry has left AK (at the end of January 2001, same time as I left virtuetv.com), seeing as she felt she would rather look after her babv's health rather than anything else. That's something for which I have the utmost admiration for. Since then she's given birth to a lovely daughter called Molly, and is enjoying her time with Brian McFadden, her fiance, and member of Westlife. She's also been doing some presenting (which was always really what she was into) on various pop shows and a stint filling Judy Finnegan's shoes, on Britain's leading mid-morning show, ITV's This Morning. doubtlessly we'll se more of her in the future, and I wish her the best.

"Kerry is the blonde one. She seems to run Liz close in the most fancied stakes. She also is the one I would not want to pick a fight with or fall out with. You get the impression that she could handle a good old fashioned cat fight no problem. I'm totally smitten by Kerry at the moment, even though Lil is still my favourite. Kerry is the one who really gets me, even if I am just a little intimidated by her, because she so know what she wants. Now I know she is the the top kitten for me. However give her now definitely, tabloid-reported-so-it-must-be-true relationship with Bryan from Westlife, I don't think it'll do me much good telling her. Add to that the fact that she is "Kooky Krazee Kerry" and it may be a risk to my sanity. Rich Whymark (virtuetv.com music producer) is slightly obsessed as well I think, and keeps on asking when Kerry's topless shots will appear on this site. The simple answer is that I'm not that desperate for traffic yet, and hope I never will be.

Seems to be really energetic and the leader of the gang. You'd want her as your best friend on a night out 'coz she'd never let you down. Probably should be "Party Kitten" (if they were silly enough to go with that sort of thing). Can almost certainly out party anyone silly enough to try. But having seen her and listened to her for nearly 2 hours at the webcast interview, I've become rather taken with her. She seemed sharp as a knife and bright as a button, as they all do, and had us all in stitches with the stories she was telling. She is becoming my favourite on the grounds that she seems totally up for it, and not afraid of fooling around, be it on stage, on SM:TV, or FBi.

She seems to have developed a very cheeky smile that she uses to good effect and which is quite captivating. There's also that laugh, which is best described as somewhere between naughty and flirty, and usually accompanied by a knowing wink. Gets my vote, simply for making Tara-Palmer-Useless look genuinely useless on SM:TV. "

Liz McClarnon

UPDATE: This was my original feelings about Liz when I first wrote this profile. Since then she has broken my heart once by revealing she had a boyfriend, and then a second time with her shatteringly beautiful rendition of "Strangers", my favourite track from the whole "Right Now" album, at the Shepherds Bush Empire in the summer of 2001. Liz was going out with her childhood sweetheart Tommy for ages, but unfortunately they have split up sighting the fact that they spend so much time apart now. (This was the case as of mid-October 2001).

Universally known, to those who love her, as Lil, she even has her own "posse", who are a downright fanatical bunch who have followed her everywhere. Every time I see a pic of her she just gets sexier and sexier. Not much like the fresh faced young lass on the left there is she now?

"The lovely Liz, star of my desktop wallpaper. Even if she does look a bit lost in that pic (I'm not going to put it up here because it wouldn't be fair on her. I'd be doing a tabloid snapper's job!). There's something about here eyes that gets me. She did have her hair in a lovely bob, but has gone for curly extensions recently which look well cool, but not as sassy as the bob. However it does make her look incredibly grown up. In fact she looks almost as good as she does in the video for "I want your love". Look for the bit where she gives a little glance to the camera (near the beginning, blink and you'll miss it) which is absolutely movie star perfect, and proves what I'm saying about her eyes.

I kind of wonder why she gave up on wanting to be a lawyer. But then again would you prefer to study law or be a pop star? You can always go back to studying if you get fed up, you can't go back to being famous once the moment has passed.

You get the impression that she's got a little more perspective on life than the others. Never seems to look flustered by anything, even when she forgets what she is meant to be doing, she just gives a little smirk and gets on with it. I really should have said hello when I filmed them in Oxford. Instead I just did my usual trick when I see someone I think is really attractive: went all sheepish and looked for any excuse to avoid talking to them. DOH!

However Liz was nice enough to give me a tap on the shoulder and say thanks after the webcast interview, which made me go all starstruck and gibber like a fool (I really must grow up and stop being such a pop tart!). Since then she's had not much luck with staying healthy, having been unwell in Asia and breaking a rib (giving rise to a new nickname for her: "Lil Busta Rib". If only she was in a gangsta outfit!!!)."

Natasha Hamilton

UPDATE 2001: Since i wrote that profile, Natasha has very much come out of her shell, revealing that she's in possession of a fine pair of lungs and a lovely voice. Very much the star of the show now and a genuinely classy lass in every way. On the man front, well there wasn't until recently when it turned out she's been going out with a bouncer, formerly of Red Cube Bar, now with Westlife's security mob. Her powerful voice has become one of the driving forces behing the band's continued success. And she has grown up too! God it makes me laugh looking at the slightly shy teenager in that picture there. She has really become a proper lady with sass, style and exceptional sex appeal.

"Now 'Tash is meant to be glamorous, and indeed she is, but being a partisan spectator, still not as glam as Liz. Lovely girl, who seems to be quite happy to leave most of the mayhem making to Liz and Kerry. But when you are the youngest you got leave it to your elders to show the way to the party. Then again you get the impression she can hold her own against anyone in the party stakes.

Looks absolutely incredible in the video for "I want your love", which makes it hard to remember that she's meant to be the baby of the group, only 18 years old. But I guess that's why she's a pop star, because she's got that little something that sets her apart from the rest of us. Seems like she's still amazed to be where she is now. But seems to be relishing it all even more than before

Has the cutest smile and is the one you'd want to take home and wrap in a big fluffy towel. Also the only one who boys can legitimately lust after as there doesn't seem to be any evidence as yet of a boyfriend or partner (update: well there wasn't until recently when it turned out she's been going out with a bouncer, formerly of Red Cube Bar, now with Westlife's ssecurity mob). But then she'd probably just to busy wanting to go out and party all night to worry about mundane things like boys."

Jenny Frost

You can't fault Jen for her timing can you? Great voice, Great looks, gets to replace a friend in a girl group, after her previous band fell apart, and wah-bang, a number one hit!

So how did Jen get here? She started out in Precious, a five piece who were picked to do a Eurovision entry ("Say it again") and then slid gradually from view before going out with a wimper (I think I saw one of their last ever performances at the mykindaplace.com party. Their backing tape kept on jumping and they couldn't keep the dance routines together). so a life of hanging out with Prince Andrew on yachts and spending time with her boyfriend beckoned. Then came the call from Kitten HQ, and she's in at the deep end, with live performances, interviews and all as the single crashes into the chart at number and she has to replace Kerry. Of course she was honest to admit you can't replace Kerry, and despite the slings and arrows of a few outraged fans on the messageboards, she has won us all over.

She has slotted easily into the mad lifestyle of Atomic Kitten, and dare I say it seems to have been a calming influence on the other two. Well what else would you expect from a Manchester lass? She's a little older than the other two, and no doubt plenty worldly-wise, so I'm glad to welcome her to the clan. Just have to see her perform live now.

It's weird in that her joining the Kittens co-incided with me losing my job as music editor at virtuetv.com so I'm kinda missing out on my fix of Kitten action on a regular basis.

Behind The Kittens- The Backroom boys, Andy Macluskey and co
OK lets be honest here, the girls could be construed as manufactured, in the same way as Bananarama. That is, not particularly in terms of who and what they are, but more in terms of the fact that they've got a team of songwriters to back them up and ensure that they hit the mark. In this case, it includes Andy MacCluskey from OMD and various other talented songwriters from round that way.

So what if they've got backing like that? I don't remember anyone complaining that The Supremes were groomed from head to toe in everything they did, or that they had their songs tuned to perfection by some of the greatest names in songwriting at Motown.

Andy's got 20 years of experience and has been dealing with the music industry for longer than the girls have been alive. OMD were pretty cool in their time and pushed music on. But in every musician there is this burning urge to write songs so achingly, and unashamedly, pop. It gets the better of them eventually and either they reinvent their band as a pop act or they channel it into another band. The less ridiculous is the latter, and good on ya Andy for giving us such a top result. He's also a fellow Liverpudlian who knows the score, and like everyone round that way probably doesn't believe in doing the dirty on people who trust you.

Is he getting a good deal out of them? Damn right. Are they getting the songs out of him? Of course. It's a two way street: Andy gets his recognition for his song writing skills, the girls get the recognition as the performers. I think that's pretty fair don't you?