Girls Aloud's I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version): Listen to BBC Children in Need 2024 song

Nadine, Nicola, Kimberley and Cheryl honour their late bandmate Sarah with 2024's Official BBC Children in Need single

Girls Aloud I'll Stand By You Sarah Harding version

Girls Aloud release brand-new single I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version) today.

First performed at Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts and Cheryl's The Girls Aloud Show tour earlier this year, I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version) marks their first single release since 2012, and serves as the official 2024 BBC Children in Need track.

A chart-topping single for Girls Aloud back in 2004, the brand-new cut of Pretenders cover I'll Stand By You now includes Sarah Harding exclusively on lead vocals in tribute to the late star, who tragically died in 2021.

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Announcing the track last week, Girls Aloud said:

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of our BBC Children in Need single I’ll Stand By You. To celebrate and honour our amazing Sarah, we’re releasing a brand-new studio version of the track once again in support of BBC Children in Need."

They added: "I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version) features Sarah on lead vocal throughout using vocals we discovered in the vault from the original recording sessions.

"The track played a key part in our The Girls Aloud Show arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all."

Girls Aloud's I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version): Listen below

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On the new version, Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, who wrote the song alongside Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, said:

"How wonderful to hear I’ll Stand By You with the lovely vocals of Sarah Harding leading the way for BBC Children in Need. Happy Christmas all!"

This weekend, ITV will air The Girls Aloud Show: Live at The O2 on what would've been Sarah's 43rd birthday.

Recorded across two nights at the band's reunion tour earlier this year, the hour-long special will include a selection of their biggest hits, with an extended cut then available to stream on ITVX.