The first girl band to be managed by boy band supremo Louis Walsh, four-piece Bellefire were briefly one of the biggest pop acts in their native Ireland. Kelly Kilfeather and sisters Ciara and Cathy Newell met backstage at an audition for a new boy/girl band put together by Boyzone/Westlife manager Walsh. Unimpressed by the male entrants, Walsh instead decided to form his first girl band, and after introducing a singer he already knew, Tara Lee to the trio, Bellefire were formed. Originally known as "Chit Chat", the girls signed with Virgin Records after a support slot on Boyzone's European tour. Their first two releases, "Perfect Bliss" and a cover of U2's "All I Want Is You" both reached the Top 20 in the U.K. and the Top Three in Ireland. However, just weeks before their debut album After the Rain was due to be released, the band were dropped by their label and Lee left to pursue a career in television. In 2004, they signed with WEA Records and moved to London to record their second album. Comeback single "Say Something Anyway" continued their run of successive Top Five singles and the band embarked on a tour of the Far East, where their traditional Irish ballad versions of Japanese punk songs had gained them a loyal following. But after "Spin the Wheel" charted disappointingly in both the U.K. and Ireland, the band parted company with their label and their album of the same name was shelved.. Since the split, Ciara has provided backing vocals for Lee Ryan's debut album, Cathy has been a judge on the hit TV show Star Stream Final, and Kelly is working on solo material. ~ Jon O'Brien