The group Blue, not to be confused with the hit band from the 1970s, came onto the scene in the early 2000s and took their native Europe by storm. The lineup is made up of Duncan James, Anthony Costa, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe. Their first hit was "All Rise" in 2001, which reached number four on the UK charts , followed by number one hits "Too Close" and "If You Come Back." The releases pushed their debut album of the same name to number one on the UK charts. They weren't just famous in their home country of England, however.

Their good looks and well-crafted songs got them instantly billed as another boy band, but their sheer musicality soon had fans and critics taking a second look. They won the BRIT award for Best Newcomer as well as released the single "Fly By II," also from All Rise and another number top ten hit. Blue embarked on a worldwide tour to promote their album and then released their sophomore album, One Love, in November of 2002. It debuted in the number one spot on the charts, helped by the title track being released as a single. Showing how far they had come, they teamed up with superstar Sir Elton John to release a version of his song "Sorry Sees to be the Hardest Word." Not surprisingly, the single got the group to the number one spot on the UK charts again.

They won the BRIT award for Best Pop Act in 2003 as well as started touring and recording again. Blue again found success in late 2003 and early 2004 with the release of the single "Guilty" followed by an album of the same name. The album had a number of hits that all saw massive airplay and climbed the charts. The band seemed to be riding high but surprised fans by breaking up in 2005.