Take That is an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams, while the group currently consists of Barlow, Donald and Owen. Over the course of their career, Take That have combined pop, pop rock and dance-pop, building an international reputation through major hit singles, successful tours and one of the most notable stories of rise, breakup and reunion in British popular music.
The group was formed after manager Nigel Martin-Smith set out to create a British male vocal group. He was particularly impressed by Gary Barlow’s songwriting and built the new group around his musical abilities. Following their early performances and singles, Take That released their debut album, Take That & Party, in 1992. They achieved their first major breakthrough with songs including “It Only Takes a Minute”, “A Million Love Songs” and “Could It Be Magic”.
Their 1993 album Everything Changes brought them major success and produced four consecutive UK number-one singles. In 1995, they released Nobody Else, while “Back for Good” became their biggest international hit of that period and their only single to reach the US top ten. During these years, Take That became one of Britain’s biggest pop phenomena, attracting a huge following across Europe and Asia.
Robbie Williams left the group in 1995, while the remaining four members completed their tour before Take That officially disbanded in February 1996. A decade later, the group returned without Williams, and the 2006 album Beautiful World restored them to the top of the British music scene. It was followed by the successful albums The Circus and Progress. Williams rejoined the group in 2010 for Progress, which became the fastest-selling album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom at the time of its release.
After Williams and Orange subsequently left, Take That continued as a trio from 2014 onwards. Throughout their career, the group have won eight BRIT Awards, including Best British Group and Best British Live Act, and in 2012 they received an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. With tens of millions of albums and singles sold and a long catalogue of major hits, Take That remain one of the most successful acts in British pop music.
