Hey ya’ll! Please help Girlicious get ‘Maniac’ played everywhere in Canada. Below is a list of radio stations and their request lines!

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American Idol dictates the taste of pop music and culture itself, the stigma of being a reality show winner is surely a thing of the past. With the advent of the internet and shows like Making the Band, we, the viewing audience, were treated to a peak behind the curtain of the pop machine. What we found was, to muted surprise, that there is no difference between the mechanics of a pop juggernaut like Justin Bieber and the fan-voted wholesomeness of a Kelly Clarkson. In fact, public opinion usually dictates that fan-voted pop stars often seem more justified in their chart success; exploiting the vested interest the voting public has in their champion’s continued prosperity.

In Canada, crossover success has proved harder for some of our own Canadian Idol talents. While past winners like Kalan Porter have faded into the pop abyss, we have, rather tellingly, chosen to embrace a group of American chart cast-offs as our own pop princess.

Formed in 2008 by Pussycat Dolls svengali Robin Antin on the second season of reality TV series Pussycat Dolls Present, Girlicious emerged as a prefab foursome of R&B influenced, scantily clad women that were the natural heirs to the Pussycat Dolls American pop chart dominance.

Originally conceived a trio — the decision to add a fourth member was revelled by Antin on the program’s series finale– Nichole Cordova, Natalie Mejia, Tiffanie Anderson and Chrystina Sayers seemed destined for stardom. Pop tides, however, change and, despite plum opening slots for tours with Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, Girlicious’ debut album failed to make an impact on a scale similar to their forbearers.

But just as one door shut, a window from up north opened. The group’s eponymous debut album caught on with Canadian audiences. Reaching No. 2 on the Canadian Album Chart and eventually reaching platinum certification.
“Canadians are so ahead in music trends,” Cordova says two years on. “Everytime we’re in Canada, I hear something that hasn’t broke here yet. People there are just a head of the curve.”

Speaking over the phone from her adopted home state of California, Cordova marvels at her band’s unorthodox origins.

“Sometimes I forget I was even on a reality TV show,” she exclaims. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I would enjoy doing another reality TV show, just because it’s such an important part of our generation. I watch all of them.”

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