Rachel Stevens (born April 9, 1978) is a British singer and an occasional actress. Formerly with the successful pop group S Club 7, she has now launched a solo recording career.
After a successful audition Stevens became a member of the British pop group S Club 7, selling sixteen million records worldwide and achieving four number hit singles in the United Kingdom. The band broke-up in 2003 due to undisclosed reasons. Stevens' became the first member of the band to sign a multi-million dollar recording contract and released her first solo single, "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex", in late 2003, reaching number two on the UK singles chart. Her first album did not fare so well, peaking at disappointing number nine on the UK albums chart and quickly disappearing. Stevens' follow-up single also failed to gain much attention. Critics began to write her off as a one-hit wonder until she came back with the song "Some Girls" (2004) which became an instant hit in the UK, peaking at number two. In late 2005 Stevens released her second solo album, which failed to perform on the charts, becoming a commercial failure even though it was praised by the pop music press and other outlets, such as The New York Times.
