Girls Aloud Will Tribute Sarah Harding With Charity Single ‘I’ll Stand by You (Sarah’s Version)’

BBC’s Children in Need charity has brought Girls Aloud back together in a musical capacity for the first time in over a decade. On Nov. 15, the British girl group will release the charity single “I’ll Stand by You (Sarah’s Version),” a tribute to original member Sarah Harding, who died in 2021.

“It really is a special celebration of Sarah, and also Girls Aloud’s involvement with Children In Need over the years,” singer Nadine Coyle shared, per BBC.

Coyle, along with Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh, put a spotlight on Harding in the updated version of the song, which was initially released by the Pretenders in 1994. Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde, who wrote the record, shared: “How wonderful to hear ‘I’ll Stand by You’ with the lovely vocals of Sarah Harding leading the way for BBC Children in Need.”

The Nov. 15 release date for “I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version)” will coincide with the 20-year anniversary of “I’ll Stand by You,” which was initially released as a single on the Girls Aloud album What Will the Neighbours Say? in 2004. The record topped the U.K. singles chart for two weeks after debuting at Number One.

“I’ll Stand by You (Sarah’s Version)” marks the first posthumous musical appearance by Harding since her death from complications related to breast cancer. It’s also the first proper release from Girls Aloud in 12 years. Their last project, the compilation album Ten, arrived in 2012.
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Girls Aloud formed on the television series Popstars: The Rivals in November 2002. The group performed their final concert as a five-piece in March 2013, effectively disbanding until earlier this year when their four remaining members embarked on a reunion tour through the U.K. and Ireland. When Girls Aloud performed “I’ll Stand by You” on the tour, video footage and images of Harding were projected onto the stage screen.

An updated music video for “I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version)” will premiere during the BBC Children in Need concert special on BBC on the same day as the single release.