I agree with Jessie: not a big lover of Spinning Around the song but I love what it managed to do for her career!

SDMLAE is one of the best British solo debuts from a pop group member EVER! The song is hooks galore and that chorus is just uhmazing - but the best part has to be the pre-chorus! One of those early 00s hits that really should've become a radio staple over the years but has seemingly been forgotten by the masses, sadly. Campaign for THIS to be the Buzzjack 25th anniversary campaign song.

“Sweet Dreams My LA Ex” is great, and Rachel had a really solid run of singles - more solid dare I say it than her original band’s.

05 Avril Lavigne - Complicated

avg: 8.82

👑 Pop Royalty: 10 (Scene, Mango, Billy., Viper*, Roba., Dobbo, blacksquare, Nina West), 9 (gooddelta, Paddington James, leww, Julian_, Jade, Jack, Chez Wombat, JosephStyles, AllStarBySmashMouth, Brer)

❌ Pop Flop: 6 (Jessie Where), 7 (Padamic_Tension, Chapman)

The participants of this rate also declared "I like you the way you are" and awarded Avril a top 5 placing, with a strong average of 8.82.

Avril Lavigne was originally discovered in 1999 when singing country covers at a bookstore. The subsequent developmental years of her career were a challenge, as she initially struggled to land on a musical identity that her team was happy with, but made a major breakthrough after linking up with a three-piece production team called The Matrix. Lavigne told them she wanted 'punk rock' elements in her music and they soon created 'Complicated' and another track called 'Falling Down' together, the latter a soundtrack song for Reese Witherspoon movie Sweet Home Alabama. This signalled the birth of her signature pop rock meets pop punk style which was sometimes labelled as an 'anti Britney' sound at the time. The team at Arista, her label, were now on board with this sonic vision and 'Complicated' was chosen as the lead single from debut album Let Go, soon to be an enormous success story.

17-year-old Lavigne was inspired to write the lyrics to 'Complicated' after witnessing both friends and boyfriends acting two-faced in front of others. The accompanying music video, which is the most viewed on her YouTube channel, sees Avril and friends causing havoc at a shopping centre and also performing at a skate park. The Malloys, aka brothers Emmett and Brendan Malloy, directed this video as well as other Lavigne music videos 'He Wasn't' and 'Girlfriend'.

'Complicated' originally charted in the U.K. top 75 on import sales but later peaked at #3, behind a static Will Young and Gareth Gates at the top with 'The Long and Winding Road', plus fellow Pop Princesses artist Holly Valance with 'Down Boy', also a new entry at #2. It can now boast an impressive 1.3 billion streams on Spotify, Lavigne's biggest on the platform.

'Complicated' was track #5 on Pop Princesses, so much like P!nk, her position here has matched its placing on the CD!

The likes of Scene, Mango, Billy., Viper*, Roba., Dobbo, blacksquare and Nina West can relax, as they gave 10s to this top 5 rate smash. Meanwhile, Jessie Where may be more frustrated by its position, as he assigned Avril her lowest score in the rate, albeit a still above average 6.

One of my favourite pop(?) debut singles in the 2000's (from my memory at least).

Not my favourite song from Avril, but it is a good one.

On 27/03/2026 at 18:46, Jade said:

06 Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex

avg: 8.48

👑 Pop Royalty: 11 (JosephStyles, HarryGarfield), 10 (Scene, Mango, Billy., Nina West)

❌ Pop Flop: 3 (Roba.), 6 (DaTilt, Chez Wombat)

BuzzJack members have had their say and now it's my turn to deliver the verdict. Rachel Stevens just misses out on a top 5 placing, with an 8.48 average.

Stevens wasted no time getting started on her post-S Club solo career. The group released farewell double-A side 'Say Goodbye' / 'Love Ain't Gonna Wait For You' towards the end of May 2003, with Rachel's launch following less than 4 months later. 'Say Goodbye' was penned by pop genius Cathy Dennis who kept Rachel in mind for her fellow composition 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex'. Dennis was inspired by Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River' when writing the latter and envisioned his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears singing it. However, Spears did not approve of the content and rejected it, instead keeping fellow Cathy Dennis track 'Toxic' for herself. So this opened up a window for Rachel Stevens to kick off her solo career with 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex'.

The music video for 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex' was directed by Tim Royes who was also behind Holly Valance's 'Kiss Kiss' video earlier in the countdown. Stevens was initially hesitant to carry out this video, most memorable for the choreography with red ribbons, but warmed up to it in the end.

Stevens' solo career was off to a storming start as 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex' peaked at #2 in the U.K., only blocked here by 2003's biggest seller, the also Timberlake-adjacent 'Where Is The Love?' by the Black Eyed Peas. This song bagged Rachel a BRITs nomination for Best Single but lost out to 'White Flag' by Dido, which also settled for #2 in the charts behind the Peas.

This song was the sweetest dream for both JosephStyles and HarryGarfield, who gave Rachel the best possible score of 11. Meanwhile, Roba. was ready to stop playing this record again, scoring it a lowly 3.

Wasn't this RIDICULOUSLY close to being an official number 1? I swear that she was number 1 on cd:UK but by the time Sunday came about BEP's had got back in front?

Did cd:UK go by Wednesdays mids or was it quite accurate for the time?

23 hours ago, 777666jason said:

Sweet dreams my LA ex should absolutely be number 1 so not even being top 5 is a bit of a travesty

It was robbed of an official number 1 too , Rachel should of absolutely got more solo parts in SClub, too many people sleep on natural

Show Me Your Colours is their best album track (a Rachel lead). That really should have been a single.

--

ADORE Avril and like 'Complicated' but I definitely prefer more by her!

9 minutes ago, Tafty said:

Wasn't this RIDICULOUSLY close to being an official number 1? I swear that she was number 1 on cd:UK but by the time Sunday came about BEP's had got back in front?

The OCC had an article about this chart battle and apparently they got to #1 with 79,289 sales vs. her 66,361 copies!

2 minutes ago, Jade said:

The OCC had an article about this chart battle and apparently they got to #1 with 79,289 sales vs. her 66,361 copies!

Ohh so not close at all then! Maybe she was ahead in Wednesdays mids then and that's the one cd:UK run with?

Or is this a mandela effect and I'm completely mis-remembering the cd:UK part? LMAO!

3 minutes ago, Tafty said:

Ohh so not close at all then! Maybe she was ahead in Wednesdays mids then and that's the one cd:UK run with?

Or is this a mandela effect and I'm completely mis-remembering the cd:UK part? LMAO!

Oh I think you're on to something, I've found a 2003 sales thread on PopJustice and the commentary from Gezza mentions "the song spent half the week leading the pack but just couldn’t hold on selling 66,361 to end up the runner up, not a bad start though."!

27 minutes ago, Tafty said:

Show Me Your Colours is their best album track (a Rachel lead). That really should have been a single.

Absolutely another banger hidden on the album, such a shame most of the solos for the rest of the band were album tracks, not saying Jo didnt deserve solos , she didnt have to have nearly all the female ones

Complicated is another bop deserved to of charted higher but alas

I love Avril to bits (went to see her in Manchester a couple of years back), but 'Complicated' isn't a major fave for me. Although I go for it if I hear it on a night out or something!

Avril too low 😭

The song has stood the test of time, lyrically relatable across any generation and a very impactful debut, it’s not talked about enough how much her debut album sold world wide because at the time, she came along at the perfect time to be the alternative to the wonderful pop options available for those that wanted something different.

Such a classic! ❤️

On 28/03/2026 at 05:46, Jade said:

06 Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex

avg: 8.48

👑 Pop Royalty: 11 (JosephStyles, HarryGarfield), 10 (Scene, Mango, Billy., Nina West)

❌ Pop Flop: 3 (Roba.), 6 (DaTilt, Chez Wombat)

BuzzJack members have had their say and now it's my turn to deliver the verdict. Rachel Stevens just misses out on a top 5 placing, with an 8.48 average.

Stevens wasted no time getting started on her post-S Club solo career. The group released farewell double-A side 'Say Goodbye' / 'Love Ain't Gonna Wait For You' towards the end of May 2003, with Rachel's launch following less than 4 months later. 'Say Goodbye' was penned by pop genius Cathy Dennis who kept Rachel in mind for her fellow composition 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex'. Dennis was inspired by Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River' when writing the latter and envisioned his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears singing it. However, Spears did not approve of the content and rejected it, instead keeping fellow Cathy Dennis track 'Toxic' for herself. So this opened up a window for Rachel Stevens to kick off her solo career with 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex'.

The music video for 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex' was directed by Tim Royes who was also behind Holly Valance's 'Kiss Kiss' video earlier in the countdown. Stevens was initially hesitant to carry out this video, most memorable for the choreography with red ribbons, but warmed up to it in the end.

Stevens' solo career was off to a storming start as 'Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex' peaked at #2 in the U.K., only blocked here by 2003's biggest seller, the also Timberlake-adjacent 'Where Is The Love?' by the Black Eyed Peas. This song bagged Rachel a BRITs nomination for Best Single but lost out to 'White Flag' by Dido, which also settled for #2 in the charts behind the Peas.

This song was the sweetest dream for both JosephStyles and HarryGarfield, who gave Rachel the best possible score of 11. Meanwhile, Roba. was ready to stop playing this record again, scoring it a lowly 3.

Whilst I really do like this I prefer Some Girls. Saying that it is still a well crafted pop song.

Can certainly tell it was written with the intention of giving it to Britney Spears.

9 hours ago, Jade said:

05 Avril Lavigne - Complicated

avg: 8.82

👑 Pop Royalty: 10 (Scene, Mango, Billy., Viper*, Roba., Dobbo, blacksquare, Nina West), 9 (gooddelta, Paddington James, leww, Julian_, Jade, Jack, Chez Wombat, JosephStyles, AllStarBySmashMouth, Brer)

❌ Pop Flop: 6 (Jessie Where), 7 (Padamic_Tension, Chapman)

The participants of this rate also declared "I like you the way you are" and awarded Avril a top 5 placing, with a strong average of 8.82.

Avril Lavigne was originally discovered in 1999 when singing country covers at a bookstore. The subsequent developmental years of her career were a challenge, as she initially struggled to land on a musical identity that her team was happy with, but made a major breakthrough after linking up with a three-piece production team called The Matrix. Lavigne told them she wanted 'punk rock' elements in her music and they soon created 'Complicated' and another track called 'Falling Down' together, the latter a soundtrack song for Reese Witherspoon movie Sweet Home Alabama. This signalled the birth of her signature pop rock meets pop punk style which was sometimes labelled as an 'anti Britney' sound at the time. The team at Arista, her label, were now on board with this sonic vision and 'Complicated' was chosen as the lead single from debut album Let Go, soon to be an enormous success story.

17-year-old Lavigne was inspired to write the lyrics to 'Complicated' after witnessing both friends and boyfriends acting two-faced in front of others. The accompanying music video, which is the most viewed on her YouTube channel, sees Avril and friends causing havoc at a shopping centre and also performing at a skate park. The Malloys, aka brothers Emmett and Brendan Malloy, directed this video as well as other Lavigne music videos 'He Wasn't' and 'Girlfriend'.

'Complicated' originally charted in the U.K. top 75 on import sales but later peaked at #3, behind a static Will Young and Gareth Gates at the top with 'The Long and Winding Road', plus fellow Pop Princesses artist Holly Valance with 'Down Boy', also a new entry at #2. It can now boast an impressive 1.3 billion streams on Spotify, Lavigne's biggest on the platform.

'Complicated' was track #5 on Pop Princesses, so much like P!nk, her position here has matched its placing on the CD!

The likes of Scene, Mango, Billy., Viper*, Roba., Dobbo, blacksquare and Nina West can relax, as they gave 10s to this top 5 rate smash. Meanwhile, Jessie Where may be more frustrated by its position, as he assigned Avril her lowest score in the rate, albeit a still above average 6.

I don't mind a bit of Avril, but I have gone off this over the years. Still a very good pop song though.

Both great songs. That was quite some debut from Rachel and she did well to score such a huge hit when S Club had been on the fade for at least a year prior to their split.

Another masterclass in songwriting from Cathy Dennis and it deserved to go to the top but then maybe we wouldn't have got the immortal Some Girls line 'dreams of No.1 last forever, it's the only way to make you feel better'.

Complicated was a moment in time, commercial radio absolutely rinsed this back in the day, it just reminds me of my journey to school in Year 11. I loved her phrasing and emphasis in this song - 'Laugh out when you strike your pohze'.

I always wonder what it is about late 2002 that meant we were READY for pop with guitars, what with Avril and Busted suddenly smashing after a diet of Will and Gareth and Atomic Kitten all year. And with that in mind, why did Michelle Branch not hit bigger? A few months too early?

Edited Sunday at 09:332 days by gooddelta

Oh yes the POHZE pronunciation is truly iconic and something me and my stepsisters used to sing OTT all the time.

04 Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle

avg: 8.95

👑 Pop Royalty: 11 (Mango, leww, DaTilt, ...ready for it, Jade), 10 (gooddelta, Scene, Julian_, Roba., Jessie Where, Jack, Nina West)

❌ Pop Flop: -1 (Viper*), 6 (Billy.)

'Genie In A Bottle' made a big impression on BuzzJack as it has finished in fourth place, with an average of 8.95.

Christina Aguilera was of course an alumnus of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club along with other future pop A-Listers, such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Aguilera was driven and felt determined to release a studio album sooner rather than later, with her time on the show coming to an end. Her next notable opportunity arose when she got the chance to record 'Reflection' for Disney classic Mulan. This paved the way for record deal offers and she ended up signing with RCA in the end.

'Genie In A Bottle' was chosen to lead her debut studio album Christina Aguilera. This song was written and produced by frequent collaborators David Frank and Steve Kipner, with additional writing input from Pamela Sheyne. The majority of the song was written in a session that was described as "really fast". The trio explicitly stated that their intention was to create a hit single. In addition to Christina, the girl-group Innosense and Paula Abdul were also interested in 'Genie In A Bottle', so the latter ended up missing out on another Pop Princesses smash, in addition to the aforementioned 'Spinning Around'. The writing team had "no doubt" that Aguilera was the right choice for the record after hearing her vocals on it, which were a little more restrained than what she'd come to be known for.

This song was a poptastic start to Aguilera's career with RCA and proved to be the massive hit the writers hoped for, reaching #1 in several territories during 1999, including here on the U.K. singles chart. It had originally got to #50 on import sales but later reached the top for two consecutive weeks, blocking Ann Lee's '2 Times' quite literally two times. 18-year-old Aguilera was off to a flying start with this playful lead single, although not everyone was impressed, with fellow pop star Debbie Gibson commenting that she felt the suggestive lyrics were inappropriate for her age.

The Malibu beach music video for 'Genie In A Bottle' was directed by by Diane Martel, who has also directed for fellow Pop Princesses Anastacia, Avril Lavigne and Stacie Orrico. She even has a directorial credit for Mariah Carey's iconic 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'.

'Genie In A Bottle' remains a beloved part of Aguilera's catalogue with over 700 million streams to date. It has popped up in media over the years and been sampled by the next generation of pop acts, including a notable interpolation in Camila Cabello's 'Crying In The Club'.

This song was the oldest inclusion on Pop Princesses as the only pre-2000s hit. It lead the way as track 1.

Several of us really liked what she did with this song as Mango, leww, DaTilt, ...ready for it and some poster called Jade gave it their 11, the second biggest haul of them in this rate. However, Viper*'s heart was saying no with a harsh -1. I can exclusively reveal that if this -1 was deleted from the spreadsheet then Xtina still would not have won, although she was out in front early on.

@Viper* being ridiculous as per xoxo

Viper having the gall to call Lewis a troll and then does that lol

Genie! One of the best Pop debuts ever! Christina Aguilera was just the perfect pop star in the early 00s. Can’t remember off the top of my head but I hope we get some Stripped representation in the Pop Princesses 2 rate.