Ch!pz

Dutch pop group Ch!pz were a Europop sensation during the mid-2000s, especially among children, as each of their first eight singles were Top Three hits in the Netherlands, many of them also charting well in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Comprised of Rach-L (born Rachel van Hoogen), C!lla (Cilla Niekoop), Peter (Peter Rost), and Kev!n (Kevin Hellenbrand), the group was formed in 2003 and was promoted on Fox Kids, a Disney-owned television channel for children, later rebranded as Jetix. Ch!pz made their recording debut in 2003 with "Ch!pz in Black (Who You Gonna Call?)," a number one hit in the Netherlands that also charted well in German (number two), Switzerland (two), Austria (two), Sweden (three), Norway (19), and Belgium (40). The group's other 2003 single release, "Cowboy," was similarly successful, charting at number one in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. In 2004 Ch!pz released their debut album, The Adventures of Ch!pz, which included the two aforementioned chart-topping singles along with "Captain Hook," a number three hit; the album itself topped the album chart in the Netherlands and was a Top Ten hit in Germany and Austria, also charting in Switzerland and Sweden. The second Ch!pz album, The World of Ch!pz (2005), matched the success of its predecessor, charting similarly and spawning a trio of smash hits ("1001 Arabian Nights," "One, Two, Three!," "Carnaval"). In 2006 Universal released a pair of mini-albums, Past: Present: Future, Pt. 1 and Past: Present: Future, Pt. 2, that spawned two hits each. It was around this time that the popularity of Ch!pz began to wane, and so Universal prepared a best-of compilation, The H!tz Collection (2007); it included a new single, "Studio 54," that charted only in the Netherlands, where it was a Top Ten hit (charting at only number seven, it was the group's least successful single to date). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide