Hear’Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single, "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding the ITV programme, the first of its kind in the UK. The group split just 18 months after their formation, following poor record sales of subsequent releases, as well as negative public reaction in the UK and a line-up change. They also failed to match their UK success overseas. During their short time together, Hear'Say sold nearly 3 million records worldwide.