The Cheetah Girls (group)
The Cheetah Girls was an American girl group formed in 2003, consisting of Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan.
The Cheetah Girls
The group was created by Disney, and was made famous by the eponymous Disney Channel original film and its sequels, The Cheetah Girls 2 and The Cheetah Girls: One World. The group has released three studio albums, Cheetah-licious Christmas, In Concert: The Party's Just Begun Tour, and TCG plus several RIAA certified platinum albums including The Cheetah Girls, The Cheetah Girls 2, and The Cheetah Girls: One World. All of their albums and soundtracks reached the Billboard 200. The soundtrack to their first film sold over 2 million copies. The group has launched a clothing line, several perfume collections, doll lines, room decor, a book series and video games. The group has had three North American tours, Cheetah-licious Christmas Tour, The Party's Just Begun Tour and One World Tour. The Cheetah Girls grossed over US$43 million from their second tour.[1][2] They have sold over 11 million records worldwide.[3]
Legacy[edit]
The Cheetah Girls were the first multi-ethnic girl music group to come out of the Disney Channel. The group not only featured young women of various races, backgrounds, and sizes, but it also showcased music from various cultures around the world. When the second movie took the group to Spain, they released “Amigas Cheetahs” and “Fuego” that featured Spanish lyrics and utilized costumes that are typical of Spanish culture.[20]
The group was largely popular at the same time as a more “grown-up” multi-ethnic girl group, The Pussycat Dolls. This parallel is visible in their names, in their upbeat dance tracks, and even in their choreography. The largest difference is in the PG nature of The Cheetah Girls, they keep their choreography rather clean and they are always in layers that are not very revealing.[21] This all helped the group gain popularity with tweens and parents alike.
The message in The Cheetah Girls films is that stardom is attainable as long as you remember that your close personal relationships are more important.[22] The group staying together was always the main goal of the series. This female support shown in the movies communicated an idea of feminism to young girls watching.[23] The music of the group speaks about “friends for life” and “sisters, we stand together” which gave young girls a foundation in feminism and an appreciation for other ethnicities.
The Cheetah Girls have inspired many artists that came after them. Popular celebrities such as Fifth Harmony[24] (mainly Camila Cabello and Ally Brooke), The McClain Sisters,[25] Zendaya,[26] Olivia Holt[27] and Brittany O'Grady[28] have mentioned The Cheetah Girls as idols or an inspiration. Kehlani and rapper Cardi B[29] have also paid homage to The Cheetah Girls by singing their songs.