Charli XCX v Take That Pop Slam!

Get ready, because two of the biggest pop stars

in the universe are about to go into battle.

The feisty Charli XCX...

versus pop legends Take That.

There can only be one winner, so stay right here.

I'm Amberley Lobo and this is Pop Slam!

Going head to head, we've got...

# I don't wanna go to school I just wanna break the rules... #

..Charli XCX.

She's rebellious, edgy

and definitely knows how to write a great song.

# I don't wanna go to school I just wanna break the rules... #

She's super talented but how will she fare against

the pop phenomenon that is...

# Let in the sun

# Let in the sun... #

..Take That!

They're the chart-conquering boy band who became a man band.

This is going to be a monumental "Pop Slam!",

but whose team are YOU on?

Team Charli or Team Take That?

If you can't decide between these two then listen up

because I'm going to be delving into the lives of these megastars

to see who has what it takes to win the most coveted prize in pop,

the Ambo!

There's only one way to win the Ambo,

and that's by gaining as many of MY Ambo points as possible.

I'll be dishing them out over three slamming rounds of pop-ocity,

where I meet the people who knew the stars back in the day...

then I check out how hard they've been working

and finally, I scrutinise their style.

All before the big moment.

The winner of the Ambo is...

You may not agree with me and that's fine.

Head on over to the CBBC website and tell me whose team you're on.

I'm on Team Charli XCX because my name is Charli

and I love all of her songs.

She writes her own music, she sings with loads of other stars,

like Rita Ora and Iggy Azalea.

I like her voice and her songs and she is a really cool person.

I'm on Team Take That

because I love them and I'm going to see them in a bit

and they are just amazing.

They produce good music and I like their songs.

It's a tough one to call.

I mean, Charli is so effortlessly cool and talented.

But then there's Take That who are industry legends.

Who do you think is going to win?

Ooh, there's only one way to sort this. It's time for Pop Slam!

Round One - Pop Potential.

This is all about how our stars made it big.

First up, Miss XCX.

# Boom! Clap! The sound of my heart

# The beat goes on and on and on and on

# Boom! Clap! You make me feel good

# Come on to me Come on to me now... #

These days Charli XCX has megastars queuing up to work with her,

but before that, she was known as Charlotte Aitchison

and grew up right here in Bishop's Stortford!

Bishop's Stortford, seriously?

You guys have weird town names.

# Boom! Clap! You make me feel good

# Come on to me, come on to me now. #

This is the street that Charlotte grew up on.

Back then she used to absolutely love listening to Britney Spears

and the Spice Girls, and it's those guys who made her want to be

a pop star, but she wasn't going to be any old pop princess.

No, no, she'd go on to become the worldwide songwriting phenomenon

that is Charli XCX.

# You, you lied

# Ha ha ha ha, I was right... #

Charlotte started playing music as young as eight years old

and by the time she was 14, she had enough songs to make an album!

So she persuaded her parents to lend her some money

to go to a recording studio.

# Ha ha ha ha! #

Check this out,

I've tracked down the man who helped Charli produce that very album,

and when I say tracked down, I mean I found him on the internet.

Supersleuth.

# Wanna fall into your super love

# Yeah, my heart never wants it to stop... #

That producer is Darren Bazzoni.

He's worked in the music industry for over 20 years.

Whassup?!

-Hey!

-How are you?

-Are you well?

-So good. Is this seat taken?

No, you can sit there, my dear.

I'm going to get comfy. Let's talk Charli.

What did a 14-year-old Charli sound like?

Originally, she brought an acoustic guitar in but I could sense

she wasn't all that comfortable with an acoustic guitar,

so we had a chat and she was into very similar stuff to me -

electro bass, hip-hop and stuff like that

and we sort of hit it off

and we started putting all these ideas together

and she knew exactly what she wanted.

The album Charli recorded back then was called 14 and this...

was one of the tracks from it.

# They love your skin They want your hair... #

The wonderful thing about it is that she was right in the middle...

I believe it was her GCSEs.

She was taking 'em very early

and in the middle of it, making her first album,

so she was, like, exam after exam after exam.

Album, exam, album, exam.

Just worked, absolutely worked herself.

And it was brilliant.

# In the nuclear season... #

That's some serious hard work -

writing your debut album whilst studying hard for your exams...

That gets you three Ambo points, Charli.

With the help of Darren, Charlotte recorded her first ever album,

but she needed a catchy name, so it was time for a rebrand.

Online, Charlotte called herself Charli XCX, which meant

"Kiss Charli Kiss", so she went with that and it's stuck ever since!

The year was 2008.

Charli had the name and the album, it was time to get it out there.

So she created her own record label

and, well, it didn't really do much, but it did get her

recognised by a local promoter who gave her her first ever gigs!

This was an amazing experience for a young Charli

and little did she know it,

but she was catching the attention of a record label.

The label loved what she was doing and in 2010 gave her a record deal.

Charli, have four Ambo points for getting signed.

Charli had made it, but she didn't release anything for over year.

She needed to find a sound she was truly happy with,

so she hooked up with a co-writer and in 2012 released

You're The One, which got put on the Radio One playlist.

You go, girl!

# You're the one who can make me stay

# You're the only one who makes me feel this way

# You're the one who's been stealing stars

# Your golden arrow went through my heart... #

She's everything a pop star should be.

She's a little bit rebellious, she is mega cute

and, most importantly, she writes her own music.

And that is so impressive. And everything she writes I just love.

Charli had announced her arrival on the pop scene

but this track was just the start

and soon she would be going stratospheric.

Take a seat Miss XCX,

it's time to see what those Take That boys have got for us.

# Tonight We're gonna live for

# We're gonna live for these days... #

THESE DAYS they are the ultimate UK man band,

who've been topping the charts for decades.

But before that, they were just five northern lads right here

in Manchester!

Welcome to Manchester, and in 1990,

this place was the heart of the UK music scene.

It was more known for its indie bands than pop,

but five lads were about to make history

and become the biggest boy band the country had ever known.

Here's how it happened.

# Sometimes I see your face

# Looking at me

# All your love and grace... #

To find out how Take That became pop legends

we need to rewind nearly 30 years and head back to the 1980s.

The story starts with a young singer by the name of Gary Barlow.

# And bells call high and low... #

From a very young age,

Gary was determined to be a pop star, and in 1986

when he was just 15, he reached the semifinals of a BBC song competition

with this festive little number...

# We are told... #

Gazza, you can have two Ambo points

for getting on the telly at just 15.

But how did Gary hook up

with the other lads in Take That?

# Relight my fire

# Your love is my only desire... #

To find out I've arranged to meet

the man who put the legendary band together. Excited!

Nigel!

-Hello!

-How's it going?

-I wasn't ready for that!

-'Maybe a bit too excited.

'This is Nigel Martin-Smith

'and back in 1990 he had a dream to create a world famous boy band.

'Spoiler - it totally came true.'

We are standing in the very place

where the boys first auditioned and you put them together.

How did it all go and what was it like?

Gary was the first member of the band, really.

Gary came in to see me, and he gave me this tape,

and after he left I put this cassette tape on,

and this song came on called A Million Love Songs.

So I rang him up. So I said,

"There's a track called A Million Love Songs. You didn't write that."

And he went, "Yeah, yeah, I wrote that in my bedroom."

I said, "Can you come back straight away?"

You know, "You've got to come back now."

I'm thinking, "This lad is so talented."

And so he came back and that was the start of it.

# A million love songs later... #

'Pop fact - A Million Love Songs would later become

'a Top Ten hit for Take That.'

# A million love songs later... #

'Gazza, have another two Ambo points for getting that massive

'talent of yours noticed.'

# Here I am... #

If Gary was this great, what gave you the idea, then,

to put him with a whole bunch of other guys?

Well, Gary was great, but he was like...he was 19 going on 50.

Before he went on stage, he would be in his dressing room

shuffling around in his little slippers...

-Having a cup of tea.

-..with his cardigan on, literally.

He was really sweet but he was like someone's uncle, so I wanted

to put some young lads round him who'd make him look a bit more hip.

'Those lads ended up being

'double glazing salesman Robbie Williams,

'vehicle painter Howard Donald,

'decorator Jason Orange,

'and bank worker Mark Owen.'

'Take That had arrived,

'but things didn't start well.

'Their debut single was released in 1991

'and was a massive flop.'

We were all round at my house on the Sunday to listen to the charts,

and when it didn't go in the charts, I can remember them all going,

"Oh, we're looking stupid now, shall we just call it a day?"

And I'm like, "What?!" I couldn't believe it.

# We are not just friends because I love you... #

'Nigel and the boys were determined to make it,

'but getting heard in the early '90s wasn't so easy.

'So Nigel had a plan involving some good old-fashioned hard work.'

Don't forget - there was no internet then.

25 years ago it wasn't that easy to get a band off the ground.

All the doors closed to them,

no-one took them seriously at the beginning,

and the radio stations wouldn't play them.

I mean, I had them doing everything.

I was taking the band round schools,

I was taking them into under-18s clubs.

They had to go everywhere.

I always knew, if I could just get people to hear the band

and to see them, it would work.

# Your promises have never been

# Anything you've made them seem

# So what you going to promise me this time? #

'All the work paid off when their second single, Promises,

'smashed its way into the charts in November 1991.

'And when I say smashed, I mean it gently nudged its way to number 38.

'But...'

This kicked off a chain of singles

that would see the boys climb the charts,

and it was with this song...

-SHE SINGS OFF-KEY

-# It only takes a minute, girl! #

..that the boys cracked the Top Ten.

The cheeky Manc lads were here to stay.

# It only takes a minute, girl

# It only takes a minute, girl

# To fall in love

-# To fall in love

-To fall in love... #

'All my friends loved Take That.'

Everyone had posters, they had the calendar,

we were all swapping the tapes, listening to the tunes...

We were crazy for them.

-# That's one minute for ya

-To fall in love... #

'Take That, take four Ambo points for some serious pop perseverance.'

-# Just one minute for ya

-To fall in love... #

'And that brings us to the end of Round One.

'Let's have a look at the scores.'

'Both Take That and Miss XCX have shown some great pop potential,

'but it's the boys who take an early lead in this battle.'

We've seen how our stars got famous

but how hard have they been working?

Who's ready for Round Two?

'Round Two - Pop Success.

'This is all about what our stars have been up to to make sure

'they stay at the top of the charts.

'First up, Charli XCX.'

Charli has some massive pop tunes to her name, but did you know

she's actually co-written every track she's ever released?

And, not only that, she's also written hits for other people too.

-SHE SINGS

-# I love it! #

# I don't care... #

'Charli co-wrote the 2013 monster hit I Love It

'for Swedish duo Icona Pop,

'and it hit the top spot in the UK charts.'

# I'm so fancy

# You already know... #

'Charli also wrote and performed the chorus on Iggy Azalea's Fancy,

'which was a mega global smash too.'

# Can't you taste this gold? #

'And it doesn't stop there -

'she's written tunes for Gwen Stefani, James Blunt, Neon Jungle,

'and her childhood hero, Britney Spears.'

# I'm in the fast lane

# From LA to Tokyo... #

'Miss XCX, have two Ambo points

'for sharing the love with your fellow artists.

'And, of course, Charli keeps some of the gold for herself.'

# Boom! Clap! The sound of my heart

# The beat goes on and on and on and on and... #

'Boom Clap was Charli's first UK Top Ten hit in 2014,

'and it didn't stop there -

'the track rocketed to the top of the charts in the US of A

'and went platinum worldwide.'

# Come on to me, come on to me now. #

'Charli, have three Ambo points for writing a killer global tune.'

# No silver or no gold... #

'Boom Clap was huge everywhere, and Charli even recorded

'a Japanese version where she actually sings in Japanese.'

JAPANESE VERSION OF "BOOM CLAP" PLAYS

'You can have two multi-language

'Ambo points for that one, Charli.'

JAPANESE VERSION CONTINUES

'Beat that, Take That!'

# Although no-one understood

# We were holding back the flood

# Learning how to dance the rain... #

'When it comes to number one hits, not many can match Take That.

'Between 1993 and 1995,

'the boys had seven of them.'

Don't think I can name them?

-Puh-lease!

-SHE TAKES A DEEP BREATH

'Pray, Babe, Sure, Relight My Fire,

'Everything Changes, Back For Good and Never Forget.'

Boom, gimme some!

# Whatever I said, whatever I did

# I didn't mean it

# I just want you back for good... #

'Boys, you can have four Ambo points

'for being one huge hit-making machine.'

In the early '90s, Take That were doing unbelievably well,

so nothing could stop them, right? Wrong!

In '95, disaster struck when Robbie left the band.

NO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!

'It was devastating to Take That fans,

'and the bad news didn't stop there

'because, in 1996, this happened.'

We've decided that the time is right.

We've done all we can do as Take That.

And from today...

it's no more.

Take That were over -

and that was that.

JOKES!

In 2006, a decade after the lads had broken up,

they were back together,

and the boy band had become a man band!

# Cos I

# Need time... #

'Take That were back, and so were the number one singles, albums,

'and the record breaking stadium tours.

'In fact, they were bigger than ever.'

# And have a little patience, yeah... #

'Chaps, have five Ambo points for the comeback of all comebacks.'

# When you dream of a dream

# And you live in the world... #

'Take That have enjoyed three decades of constant pop success,

'but one thing that has seen plenty of change

'is the group's line-up.

'They've been a five-piece...

'..a four-piece...

'..a five-piece again...

'..back to a four-piece...

'..and are now down to just three.

'Take That might be as popular as ever

'but can their fans call them whenever they want?

'Surely no pop star would agree to that?'

# You say you love me

# I say what

# You say you love me

# OK, let's rock... #

Charli has some big hits,

and with big hits come big fans.

She calls them her "Angels,"

as in Charlie's Angels.

Genius.

And she has what she calls an "Angel Phone," and she gave

the number out to her fans so they could call and text her.

How awesome is that?

Thanks for calling my Angel Phone.

Hi, is this Mark?

'Yeah.'

Hey, this is Charli XCX.

I think it's great that Charli's got the Angel Phone.

I think it's really nice to see that she's not afraid of her fans,

cos, you know, sometimes pop stars can get to a level

where they're just like,

"OK, you've made me, but now I don't need to talk to you."

But she's not like that.

Thanks, dude. What's your name?

She may regret giving out that phone number, cos I'm sure that's

going to be a lot of voicemails that she's got to get back to.

This phone is just, like, continuously going right now.

'Charli, have three Ambo points for working hard to keep in touch

'with your fans.'

'Loads of people love Charli, and some of them are big-time VIPs.'

Let me tell you this - Charli has some pretty famous fans.

She got invited by the First Lady herself, Michelle Obama,

for a tour of the White House.

Now, I wasn't there at the time... Or was I?

No, definitely wasn't!

But I imagine it went a little something like this.

Urgh! Just put that there. OK, just...

-AS MICHELLE OBAMA:

-Right this way, Charli.

OK, this right here is the Oval Office,

where my husband, the President of the United States, works.

No biggie. OK, let's keep this thing moving, we don't have all day.

-AS CHARLI:

-Oh, I'm so hungry. If I could...

Oh, no way, there's an apple!

No, Charli, come on, think of your manners.

This is not you. You're not that person.

-AS CHARLI:

-Who am I kidding? I'm Charli XCX,

I don't wanna go to school, I wanna break the rules.

Gimme that apple! No-one will know, just a little bite...

-AS MICHELLE OBAMA:

-Charli?

-AS CHARLI:

-Oh, no, she's coming! Um-um-um-um-um!

Mmm! What were you saying about the Oval Office?

-AS MICHELLE OBAMA:

-Did you...? Come this way, Charli.

Come on, we're running late.

That's right, apparently while Charli was on tour,

she got a little bit hungry and might have stolen an apple.

Tut-tut.

'Miss XCX,

'have three Ambo points for having the First Lady of America as a BFF.'

'And I know you like to break the rules,

'but I'm afraid I'm taking one back for pinching presidential fruit.

'Tut-tut!'

'But when it comes to mega powerful fans,

'Take That have Charli beat.'

# Sing it louder, sing it clearer

# Knowing everyone will hear you

# Make some noise Find your voice... #

'In 2012, Gary Barlow was asked to plan a party for none other than

'Her Majesty the Queen.'

'Gary organised the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert,

'putting together a star-studded line-up that included

'the likes of will.i.am, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran.

'And not only that, 10,000 tickets were given away for free.

'Gazza, have three Ambo points for working your socks off

'and putting on the ultimate royal party.

'And that brings us to the end of Round Two.'

'Both Charli and Take That are no strangers to some serious success,

'but the decades of hits have edged the boys into the lead.

'If you don't agree, you know what to do.

'Hit the CBBC website and have your say.'

We've found out how our pop royalty made it big,

and how successful they've been.

It's now time to see how glam they've become in Round Three.

'Round Three - Pop Style.

'This is all about our celebrities' lives, clothes, cars, pets,

'or whatever else they choose to splash their cash on.

'First up, it's Charli.'

# Bored on Friday night

# Spinning round just like I'm hypnotised

# Oh... #

'Charli has style -

'I mean, this girl looks seriously cool without even trying.

'But how does she do it?

'No, seriously, I need to know.

'So, I'm catching up with fashion expert

'and stylist to the stars, Frank Strachan.'

Now, Frank, you're a top stylist. Let's talk Charli XCX.

I think she looks like she has such a good time,

it just looks so much fun.

She dresses up, but not in like a Lady Gaga way where everything

feels like it's pre-planned.

It feels a little bit like Charli's just decided to throw that on

that day because she just feels like it.

They don't look like crazy expensive fashion pieces.

They're more like things that she's kind of... Picked something up

from a thrift shop or from a fancy dress store.

I love it, I think it creates this really nice sort of energy

and vibe around the music.

# Just like we're famous... #

'Charli, your super-cool fashion sense gets you four Ambo points.

'But the XCX isn't the only one who's 100% on it

'when it comes to her style.'

# Get ready for it

# Oh-whoa

-# Oh-whoa

-Get ready for it... #

'The Take That three know how to wear a tailored suit

'better than anyone.'

# Whoa-oh

# Get ready for it

# Whoa-oh... #

'Fellas, have three Ambo points for your super-classy style.'

'Take That may be a smart bunch offstage,

'but their live shows aren't quite so serious.'

# Come on, come on, come on, come on

# Take that and party

# Come on, come on, come on, come on

# Take that... #

'Yep, the TT chaps love to brighten up live performances

'with a spot of fancy dress,

'as they showed on their ridiculously popular Circus Tour

'in 2009.'

-# Oh-whoa

-Come on, come on, come on, come on

# Take that and party

# Come on, come on, come on, come on Take that... #

'Take That, take another two Ambo points for clowning around

'and not taking yourselves too seriously.'

# We're staying all night

# We never slow down

# I think we better do it like we're doing it

# Do it like we're doing it now... #

Charli has so much style that she actually sees colours

when she hears music.

I'm not even joking.

# Do it like we're doing it

# Waited so long just to be here

# Now we're bringing this back to life... #

'There's a condition called synaesthesia.

'People that have it can hear music and associate it with a colour.

'Pretty cool, huh?

'Charli sees music that she loves as either pink, purple or red.

'But music that she hates appears as green.'

Hey, Charli, what colour's this?

-SHE SINGS

-# Oh-a-a-a-a-a-ah! #

# We're staying all night... #

'That was probably a green, eh, Charli?'

# I think we'd better do it like we're doing it now... #

'Miss XCX, take one Ambo point

'for your colourful way of seeing the world.'

# So, come on, let's keep doing it like we're doing it

# Doing it like we're doing it now. #

'When Take That aren't topping the charts,

'they love to show some caring style.'

'In Gary's spare time he likes to surprise Take That mega-fans

'by rocking up at their weddings and singing them a song!'

# A million love songs later

# And here I am trying to tell you... #

'I'm awarding you two Ambo points for adding some showbiz style

'to your fans' special day.

'And that brings us to the end of Round Three.'

This "Pop Slam!" has been epic but it's time to get serious.

Pipe down, Mark.

We're about to find out who has won the Ambo.

But after we take a look back at what we've learned.

'Pop Slams don't get closer than this.

'Charli XCX is a stylish girl with mega superstar songwriting skills.

'But those Take That boys have been at the top for decades,

'and when it comes to performing live,

'they bring the house down every time.

'This "Pop Slam!" is just too close!'

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the moment we've all been waiting for.

The Ambo points have been counted and independently verified...

by me.

And the winner of the Ambo is...

Oh, no way! It's Take That!

Charli, get out of here!

Take That, take THIS.

You guys must be stoked! Let's take a look at you in action.

# Let in the sun

# Let in the sun... #

'How good was THAT?! Oh!

'There's plenty more where that came from.

'Make double sure you guys tune in next time to see

'more of your favourite pop stars battle it out to win the Ambo!'

# Let in the sun. #