Hear’Say split on 1 October 2002, twenty months after ITV’s Popstars created them, blaming abuse from the public. Four of the five original members reunited in October 2026 and will headline a 13-date arena tour across the UK and Ireland in 2027. Myleene Klass is not taking part.
Who Were Hear’Say?
Hear’Say were a five-piece British pop group assembled on screen by ITV’s talent show Popstars in late 2000 and presented to the public in February 2001.
The line-up was Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan. None of them had been famous before the series; the show’s premise was that viewers would watch strangers become a chart act, and the group existed for the whole of its short life as a product of that format.
What Hear’Say Achieved in Twenty Months
They scored two number-one singles and a number-one album, and all four of their singles reached the Top 10.
- Pure and Simple, March 2001: Straight to number one, where it stayed three weeks, selling close to 550,000 copies in its first week and setting the record for a debut single at the time.
- The Way to Your Love, 2001: A second consecutive number one on the Official Singles Chart.
- Popstars, the debut album: Two weeks at number one on the Official Albums Chart.
- Everybody, December 2001: The single peaked at number four. The album of the same name, released on 3 December 2001, stalled at number 24.
- Lovin’ Is Easy, August 2002: Number six, their lowest-charting single and their last.
Why Did Hear’Say Break Up?
The group gave abuse from the public as the main reason, and said they had been a fad that passed.
The decline is easier to follow as a sequence than as a single cause. Kym Marsh announced in January 2002 that she was leaving, later saying she had clashed repeatedly with Klass and Sullivan. Johnny Shentall, formerly of the group Boom!, won televised auditions and joined the following month.
By the summer of 2002 the group were being harassed by members of the public during a promotional tour. Their one single with Shentall, released that August, charted lower than anything that came before it. They announced the end on 1 October 2002.
Who Is in the 2026 Reunion, and Who Is Not?
The reunion is a four-piece: Danny Foster, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan. Myleene Klass declined.
The group teased the comeback on 1 October 2026, exactly 24 years after the split, with a mock group-chat post that ended with Sullivan asking whether the others fancied getting the band back together.
Klass addressed her absence on ITV’s Loose Women, where she is a panellist, on 5 October 2026. She said she had been part of early conversations but that “it’s not something I can commit to at the moment”, that “there’s nothing set in stone”, and that she loves her former bandmates dearly while not really agreeing about revisiting the past. She also said she would “never say never about anything”, and called herself “a walking contradiction” given her own return to I’m A Celebrity in South Africa in 2023.
Shentall, who replaced Marsh and sang on the group’s final single, is not involved either. The touring four are all original members, but they are not the line-up that recorded the last Hear’Say release.
Popstars: The Originals Tour Dates for 2027
Hear’Say announced the 13-date tour on 8 October 2026, sharing the bill with Liberty X, who are reuniting with all five of their original members: Michelle Heaton, Jessica Taylor, Kelli Young, Tony Lundon and Kevin Simm.
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 17 April 2027 | Dublin | 3Arena |
| 18 April 2027 | Belfast | SSE Arena |
| 20 April 2027 | Bournemouth | BIC |
| 21 April 2027 | Nottingham | Motorpoint Arena |
| 25 April 2027 | Brighton | Brighton Centre |
| 28 April 2027 | Cardiff | Utilita Arena |
| 1 May 2027 | Birmingham | BP Pulse Arena |
| 2 May 2027 | Leeds | First Direct Arena |
| 4 May 2027 | Newcastle | Utilita Arena |
| 5 May 2027 | Glasgow | Hydro |
| 7 May 2027 | London | The O2 |
| 8 May 2027 | Manchester | AO Arena |
| 9 May 2027 | Liverpool | M&S Bank Arena |
The registered-fan pre-sale is set for 9am BST on Wednesday 14 October 2026, with general sale from 9am BST on Friday 16 October 2026. Reports name different ticket sellers, so the official tour site is the safer starting point.
Is the Reunion 24 Years Late or 25?
Both numbers appear in coverage because they measure different things, and at least one outlet has used a third.
The split was 1 October 2002, so the October 2026 tease landed exactly 24 years after the end. The 25 refers to the anniversary of the band’s chart arrival in 2001, which is how promoters and several outlets have framed the comeback. One report put the gap at 27 years. The shows themselves, in April and May 2027, will fall just over 26 years after “Pure and Simple” reached number one.
Where Are the Hear’Say Members Now?
As of 14 October 2026, all five are working in entertainment, four of them heading into the 2027 tour.
- Kym Marsh: Moved into acting after solo music, with roles in Coronation Street and The Imposter.
- Suzanne Shaw: Has acted in Emmerdale and runs a health and fitness brand, having spoken publicly about anxiety and depression after the band’s sudden fame and about giving up alcohol.
- Danny Foster: Fronts the soul act Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation alongside his wife, Victoria.
- Noel Sullivan: Works as a theatre actor, singer, coach and director, and runs his own company.
- Myleene Klass: A presenter and author, a panellist on Loose Women and a radio host, who won I’m A Celebrity: South Africa in 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Did Hear’Say Split Up?
On 1 October 2002. The group had been together for twenty months, having been introduced in February 2001.
Why Is Myleene Klass Not in the Hear’Say Reunion?
She says she cannot commit to it right now and is not keen on revisiting the past, though she has stopped short of ruling out any future involvement.
How Many Number Ones Did Hear’Say Have?
Three in total: two number-one singles, “Pure and Simple” and “The Way to Your Love”, plus a number-one debut album.
Is Johnny Shentall Part of the Reunion?
No. The member who joined in February 2002 is not in the touring line-up, which is made up of four of the five original members.
When Do Hear’Say Play Live Again?
The tour opens in Dublin on 17 April 2027 and closes in Liverpool on 9 May 2027, with thirteen shows in all across Ireland and the UK.
