Wonderland (band)

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. 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." 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. 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." ==History==

In October 2008, it was reported that Wonderland had signed a six figure record deal with Mercury Records. The band made their first live television appearance on The Late Late Show in December 2008. The band were also invited to play at the 2010 Isle of Wight Festival. Walsh announced that he would launch Wonderland with a reality television programme, entitled ''Louis Walsh & Kian Egan's Next Big Thing (previously The Management'') in October 2010. The programme followed the band for two years as they prepared to release their debut single and album. It began airing on ITV2 on 30 October 2010 in the UK and was later broadcast on TV3 in Ireland. Albert described the song as "fun and cheeky". She added that it has a "rocky edge", but with a bit of country in it too. The band recorded their self-titled debut album in 2010. In a November 2010 interview, Durran said that nine tracks had been recorded, with a few more to finish. The band also performed at several schools around the country. Durran said that the experience was "one of the best things we've ever done" and that the band had had a "brilliant reaction and have been bombarded with positive comments on facebook from the students." "Nothing Moves Me Anymore" was released as the third single from the album. In September 2011, Melanie Finn of the Evening Herald reported Wonderland had been dropped by Mercury Records. Of the news, Walsh told Finn "They had some great songs, they could all sing and they worked really hard. They tried to do something different and it's just a shame it didn't work out. But people haven't heard the last of them." Caitriona Giblin of the Irish Daily Star reported Wonderland's future remained uncertain as no one had confirmed any plans for them to continue. The singer opined the group cannot continue as they do not have the dancers or the production to succeed. The band posted a message on their Facebook page saying: ==Discography==

Studio albums Extended plays Singles ==Filmography==

• 2010: ''Louis Walsh and Kian Egan's Next Big Thing'' ==Awards and nominations==