Girl group borrows UK hits

Girl group borrows UK hits

Whole Again was at number one for a month in the UK for Atomic Kitten

A girl group is launching a chart assault in the United States using some of the biggest recent hits by UK groups.

The group, Play, is taking the song Whole Again to the US instead of Atomic Kitten, who had a major hit with it in the UK in 2001.

Play, four Swedish women, have also borrowed Liberty X's number one song Just A Little and Billie Piper's 1999 hit Honey To The Bee.

The move is seen as a boost for UK songwriters, but means the groups who originally had hits with them will not be able to repeat their success in the US.

Atomic Kitten were at number one for a month with Whole Again, although the lyrics are reported to have been slightly changed for the US version.

The line "you still turn me on" has become "you can do no wrong", Music Week magazine said.

Play's version is already being played on US radio, and the group are one of this year's priorities for record label Sony.

Liberty X: "It doesn't damage anything in the US for us"

The label's head of A&R, David Massey, told Music Week: "These songs are great and have never been aired in the US, so there is no connection to be made with the UK hits."

A version of Liberty X's Just A Little - which won the Brit Award for best British single of 2002 - will be on Play's album, which is coming out in April.

A spokeswoman for Liberty X told BBC News Online that the band still planned to break the US market, but not until the end of the year.

By then, they would have more hits to export, she said.

"No matter how well they perform the song, they ain't going to do it better than Liberty X," she said.

"I don't think anyone sees it as a particular problem or threat.

"Just A Little was a great huge hit for us and it's a great track, but it's certainly not going to be the biggest track from Liberty X. It doesn't damage anything in the US for us."