S Club 8 (originally S Club Juniors) were a spin-off of the British pop group S Club 7. The children were all in their early teens or younger when they were chosen from thousands of hopefuls on the television series S Club Search to appear as a support act for pop band S Club 7.
S Club Juniors were originally intended only as a support act at Wembley Arena for the S Club Carnival Tour but were deemed so successful that they went on to support S Club 7 throughout every British date of the tour. They later released their own debut single, "One Step Closer", followed by other singles "Automatic High", "New Direction" and "Puppy Love/Sleigh Ride". This was followed by their debut album, Together.
After changing the group name to S Club 8, they released the singles "Fool No More", "Sundown" and a remixed version of their album track, "Don't Tell Me You're Sorry". They then released a second album, Sundown.
The group appreared in their own TV Show, I Dream, alongside other young actors including Lorna Want, who had originally auditioned for S Club Juniors herself, as well as Matt Di Angelo. The show also featured Christopher Lloyd of Back to the Future fame. I Dream spawned a soundtrack and a third album for S Club 8, called Welcome to Avalon Heights. It peaked at number 133 in the UK album charts. It did not chart in any other countries.
A documentary series titled S Club Juniors: The Story was produced about the early days of the group.
S Club 8 disbanded in 2005, after almost four years.
Contents
History
2001–2002: Formation and Together
S Club Juniors was formed in 2001 through a CBBC reality television show, S Club Search, and originally was supposed to consist of seven members aged 11–14. S Club Juniors were intended to be a one-time support act to pop group S Club 7, who were the inspiration behind the group. Thousands of children auditioned, and were whittled down in several rounds. Notable people who also auditioned for S Club Search included Rylan Clark, Ferne Mccann, and Lorna Want. The 14 children who made the final round met S Club 7, who helped judge the finalists. As he was unable to make the audition date, eventual member Jay Asforis sent a video tape of himself to the producers, and was immediately put into the final round.
The first seven members chosen were Asforis, Calvin Goldspink, Daisy Evans, Stacey McClean, Rochelle Wiseman, Francesca Sandford and Connor Daley. All were aged 11–12.
The producers of the show and S Club 7 discussed two other candidates who had impressed them: 13-year-old Aaron Renfree and 10-year-old Hannah Richings. It was decided to make S Club Juniors a nine-member group. Shortly after, the group went into rehearsals, taught by choreographer Gary Lloyd and vocal coaches David and Carrie Grant.
In the later stages of rehearsals, three weeks before their support act slot at Wembley Arena, Daley was removed from the group.
S Club Juniors' appearances were considered a success by 19 Entertainment, the management company that had created S Club 7 and auditioned S Club Juniors. Consequently, it was decided they should perform as a support act at all of the venues on the tour. The juniors made their first television appearance on Children in Need on 16 November 2001. By the end of the tour, S Club Juniors had created a following and Polydor Records signed the group. Their first single was called "One Step Closer". It was promoted by the TV series S Club Junior: The Story, and released in the UK on 22 April 2002, staying in the UK chart for eleven weeks.
The group began working on their first album in June 2002. A video for the second single, "Automatic High", was filmed in Spain, while S Club 7 began their fourth TV series. Released on 22 July 2002, the single reached number 2 in the UK charts. The third single, "New Direction", was released on 10 October and also reached number 2. BBC1’s The Saturday Show ran a karaoke competition to find a member of the public to perform “New Direction” alongside The Juniors. The winner, 14-year-old Aidan Salter, later appeared on the junior version of Stars In Their Eyes and went on to compete on The X Factor under the name Aidan Martin.
2003–2023: Sundown, I Dream, split, The Big Reunion, Instagram live series
The group joined the S Club United tour in April 2003, billed as S Club 8, releasing a fifth single, "Fool No More", on 30 June. It reached number 4 in the UK chart. A second single, "Sundown", was released in the UK on 29 September 2003 reaching number 4 in the UK. The album, Sundown, was released on 13 October 2003 and reached number 13. The record company perceived the album as a failure. In a review for BBC Music, Jack Smith stated that some of Sundown's tracks, "come across as brattier, livelier, younger relatives of... S Club('s)", and that "the album only really flags when the '8 attempt to do more grown-up songs". The third single, "Don't Tell Me You're Sorry", was released on 29 December 2003 in the UK where it reached number 11.
After this, the band turned to acting and were cast in the show, I Dream which portrayed S Club 8 as members of a larger ensemble cast. Despite the show being tailored around them, every member of S Club 8 still had to audition. I Dream revolved around the summer school Avalon Heights, run by Professor Toone (played by Christopher Lloyd of Back to the Future fame), where the characters tried to improve their talents in the performing arts. On 15 November 2004, the show's theme tune "Dreaming" was released as a single, sung by members Sandford and Goldspink. The single charted at number 19. On 29 November 2004 an album titled Welcome to Avalon Heights was released, containing songs from the show performed by S Club 8 members and the rest of the cast. The album debuted at number 133. The group disbanded in 2005.
In 2012, member McClean revealed that the band had been “so close to being part of” ITV’s The Big Reunion. Member Renfree also spoke about the show on an Instagram live, citing that once member Goldspink had later decided to not take part, that the band were dropped from the potential lineup.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, member Asforis (now Perry) held an Instagram live series, interviewing the other seven members in turn over the course of seven weeks.
In 2023, when S Club reunited for The Good Times tour, many fans asked if S Club 8 would also be reuniting. Members McClean and Renfree held an Instagram Live Q&A to confirm that S Club 8 had not been asked to reunite for the tour. Both McClean and Renfree encouraged fans to “make some noise” in support, to encourage a paid opportunity for a professional reunion. A petition was started shortly after, aiming for an initial 500 signatures. As of 2025, it has garnered 324 signatures.
Members
Jay Asforis (born 30 October 1989, 36 years old) did not appear at the S Club Juniors initial auditions, instead sending a video tape of himself to S Club 7 who allowed him through to the final auditions. He trained at The Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and attended Roding Valley High School. From March 2018, Asforis starred as the leading role of Berry Gordy in the West End production of Motown: The Musical in Shaftesbury Theatre, London. As of November 2019, Asforis can be seen as understudy for the roles of Alexander Hamilton and Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre. In 2023, Asforis joined the cast of Back to the Future: The Musical as Mayor Goldie Wilson. Asforis is gay, and has talked about struggling with his sexuality while in S Club 8. Since leaving the band, Asforis now goes by the name Jay Perry professionally; Perry is his middle name.
Connor Daley (born c.1989) was one of the original members of S Club Juniors who was chosen. He appears in the first two episodes of the show S Club Search as well as some of the earlier television interviews of S Club Juniors. A few weeks into rehearsals, Connor was removed from the band. In 2003, he appeared in the kids’ version of Stars in Their Eyes portraying Usher, but did not win.
Daisy Evans (born 30 November 1989, 36 years old): From early 2007, Evans was a member of five-piece female group, From Above. After touring the UK and a series of line-up changes, in September 2008 they were signed by Beyoncé's father Mathew Knowles and Music World Records. The group moved to America to work on their debut album, documented on the MTV reality show, Breaking From Above. A music video for debut "Not The Same Girl" was released on 2 December 2011. The single and the album, Breaking From Above was released on 12 December. They then arrived for the "Boot camp" stages for The X Factor, but were rejected. In 2013 Evans became engaged to footballer Jonjo Shelvey. They went on to marry in June 2015. The couple's first daughter arrived on 4 March 2014. Evans gave birth to the couple's second daughter, on 31 May 2016. In July 2020 during an Instagram live with bandmate Asforis, Evans announced she was expecting her third child, a boy later that year. Her son was born on 4 November 2020. Evans now works as a make-up artist, under her married name, Daisy Shelvey.
Calvin Goldspink (born 24 January 1989, 37 years old). After S Club 8 ended, Goldspink went on to appear in the only season of Life is Wild for the CW network in 2007. He also appeared in shows Lifetimes, William & Kate and FOX's X-Men Origins. His song 'Don't Fail Me' has featured on various adverts for shows such as Jersey Shore and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, and it also featured on Love Is Blind season 1 episode 9 as part of their soundtrack. Goldspink worked at The Peppermint Club, Los Angeles as a talent booker. He also founded Breaking Sound, a music company helping support emerging artists internationally. In 2020, he released a song called "The Cold". Goldspink married designer Melissa Callabero in 2015. They have two daughters. He is of German descent through his mothers side.
Discography
Studio albums
Together (2002) (as S Club Juniors)
Sundown (2003)
Soundtrack albums
Welcome to Avalon Heights (2004) (for I Dream)
Concert tours
Co-headlining
S Club United (2003) (with S Club)
Opening act
S Club 7: Carnival Tour (2002) (S Club 7)