Photo courtesy of Girls Aloud Media.

A shot from Sarah Harding‘s photo spread for the January 2010 issue of UK Cosmopolitan, captured by Mark Liddell.

Damn.

This here is Radio Ink, an up-and-coming electro foursome hailing from Sydney, Australia. For fans of Sneaky Sound System, The Presets, and all the other electro-pop sensations stemming from down under, rejoice: You’ve got a new name to add to your playlists.

The bands first single, “Wish U Were Here,” supplies all the right moves for a note-worthy lead track, mashing trancey, disco vibes with twinkling, sweetly sung vocals delivered by the band’s Sarah Harding doppelganger, Miss S. Yeah, I said it–that “S” isn’t fooling anyone, ma’am!

Pair the track with a choreography-heavy video, a pair of Rachel Stevens‘ much coveted half-gloves, and lots of bright lights, and you’ve got yourself a proper debut single.

Someone phone the Minogues….looks like someone’s gearing up to give the Aussie pop princesses a run for their money!

I kid. I kid.

To enter to win one of FIVE signed singles of “Wish U Were Here,” send a blank e-mail to radioink@muumuse.com. A winner will be chosen at random and notified on Friday, November 13 at 9 p.m. EST.

DL: Radio Ink – Wish U Were Here (Dic Money Remix)

Purchase “Wish U Were Here” on iTunes | MySpace | Official Website

This evening, Cheryl Cole performed her debut single, “Fight For This Love,” for the VERY first time on live television.

Though she’s already been on tour with Girls Aloud for over seven years, performing live for hundreds of TV shows and arena concerts, there was just something about the fact that it was only Cheryl that made the moments leading up to her entrance as nerve-inducing as her very first performance on Popstars.

As we should have known, Cole handled it like the pro that she already is. Stepping off the stage as a judge and into the spotlight as a performer, the singer unleashed a stellar performance of “Fight For This Love,” suited in a slightly modified version of the military jacket from her video, a mesh top, and a pair of double-slitted black slacks.

Though her voice may have threatened to crack at times (whether it be result of the dance moves or that whole national audience viewing thing) she held on throughout, moving her way across the stage with a flank of soldier-dancers in tow.

However, it wasn’t until the song began to fade (and Simon began to stand) that the real “WOW!” moment began: As the music broke into a militant strut a la Rhythm Nation, Cole strutted it out for a brilliant, all-too-brief dance breakdown. The legs! The shimmying! That licky-hand-slap dance move! It was all she needed to do and then some; almost certain to secure her place at #1 this week.

Big love to the fact that Nicola, Kimberley, and Sarah were in the audience. I’m assuming Nuh-deen’s busy recording her own debut single right now out in L.A. or something. (Note: This is more of a dream than an assumption.)

And as for the main attraction, Miss Whitney Houston, who performed immediately after? Err, well…I’d rather not get into it out of respect.

With the recent news of Cheryl Cole‘s plan to record a solo album following the closure of the Aloud‘s Out Of Control Tour, I thought I’d put together my thoughts regarding the possibility for each Aloud’s individual successes if they were ever to go solo.

(Let’s face it, we have to do something to pass the time until the debut of Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s video for “Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer.”)

Cheryl Cole
Probable Title: My Tyme
Sounds like: Victoria Beckham‘s original solo album; Top 40 “urban” pop
Actual Listenability: 6/10
Public Success: 7/10

Nicola Roberts
Probable Title: Teardrops
Sounds like: Astonishing, breathy quirk-pop; Lykke Li meets Bats For Lashes
Actual Listenability: 10/10
Public Success: 5/10

Sarah Harding
Probable Title: Take It 2 The Top
Sounds like: Cascada; Hi-NRG covers of Girls Aloud favorites
Actual Listenability: 4/10
Public Success: 6/10

Nadine Coyle
Probable Title: Nadine Coyle
Sounds like: Geri Halliwell‘s first solo album; crunchy pop confections, dance tracks, and torch songs.
Actual Listenability: 9/10
Public Success: 8/10

Kimberley Walsh
Probable Title: Wishing and Wishing
Sounds like: Kimberley Locke‘s musical career; covers of musicals and tired jazz standards
Actual Listenabiliy: 6/10
Public Success: 3/10

That sounds about right.

+ Combine the concepts of the Spice Girls‘ “Spice Up Your Life” and the 1997 film, Contact.

+ Cheapen the budget to “Something Kinda Oooh” proportions.

+ Take the costumes from “Sexy! No, No, No” and run them through a shredder.

+ Add fire.

+ Kill Girls Aloud.

And there you have it…The video for “Untouchable,” a single that could quite possibly be their first to miss the Top 10 in their entire career.

You just know that it’s Sarah Harding‘s fault.

SIT YOUR INTERGALACTIC, GAGALICIOUS ARSE DOWN, WOMAN. CAN’T YOU SEE YOU’RE CRASHING INTO EARTH’S HEMISPHERE?

Honestly, I’m getting a bit tired of these low-budget videos featuring the Girls lined up in a row of five. Sure, “The Loving Kind” was somewhat fitting, but this should have been their seven minute Pop Epic; a journey across the extremes of the Earth, searching high on the open seas, or simply killing the Sugababes. I mean, Nadine should have at least been holding a harpoon at some point.

They do look gorgeous as usual if it’s any consolation.

I’m off to replay the “Merry Christmas” shout out from Britney a few times to erase these images from my mind.

What I’ve been told is that this the new Pussycat Dolls album cover for their upcoming album, Doll Domination, but my eyes are simply telling me otherwise.

In order of appearance on the sleeve, is this or is this not: Sarah Harding, Dannii Minogue, Tila Tequila, Kimberley Walsh, and Carrie Underwood?! And look, Dannii even stole Kylie‘s body. She’s always been so impossibly jealous.

…That would make for a killer girl group, now that I think of it. Nevertheless, there is no trace of Pussycat Doll ‘flava’ happening on this sleeve! Except for the logo. Have the airbrushers no mercy anymore?