Wonderland (band)

Wonderland
Four members of Wonderland
Background information
Origin	Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Pop, country, folk, pop rock, teen pop, dance
Years active	2008–2011
Labels	Universal, Mercury (2008–10)
Past members	Jodi Albert Sharon Condon Corrina Durran Leigh Learmont Kasey Smith

Wonderland were an Irish girlband, formed by Louis Walsh and Westlife band-member Kian Egan. The band were put together after auditions were held for five females in July 2008. Its five members were Jodi Albert, Sharon Condon, Corrina Durran, Leigh Learmont, and Kasey Smith. Wonderland's debut single "Not a Love Song" was released on 25 February 2011 in Ireland and on 6 March 2011 in the United Kingdom. Their eponymous debut album was released on 6 June 2011, the same day as their second single, "Starlight". Wonderland released their third single, "Nothing Moves Me Anymore", in August 2011. The following month, it was announced the band had been dropped by their record label. The group later decided to split up.

In July 2008, it was announced that Louis Walsh and Westlife singer Kian Egan were to hold open auditions for a new girl group that they would co-manage. Auditions for five females between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five were held in Dublin that month. On 26 July 2008, seven hundred girls auditioned for the girl group in front of Walsh, Egan and A&R scout, Sheila Burgess. Walsh said "We're looking for talent. Undiscovered talent, young with a good attitude and who will look good. We don't want good -- we want great." Over three thousand hopefuls auditioned. In December 2008, it was revealed that the band had been put together, but had not been named. Sharon Condon, Corrina Durran, Leigh Learmont, Kasey Smith, and Jodi Albert were picked to form the new band. Albert told Hello Magazine in February 2011 that around three thousand girls turned up to the auditions. She said that over three months, there were eight rounds where the numbers got smaller and eventually the girls were whittled down to the five who formed the band. Albert added that the girls had "gravitated towards each other" and become friends during the process.

The girls decided to name the band Wonderland and Learmont revealed that it took the band a year and a half to come up with the name. Condon told Maria Duffy of Hello Magazine that the band thought of names such as "Daisy Chains and Wildflowers but nothing seemed right." Egan eventually came up with the name Wonderland after he noticed a poster for the 2010 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland on the side of a bus. Condon explained, "It just clicked with him straight away and when he put it to us and to the record company, we just all knew it was right. Now I couldn't imagine any other name."