A1 (stylised as a1) is a British-Norwegian boy group formed in 1998. The original line-up consisted of Paul Marazzi, Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read and Ben Adams. Ingebrigtsen is originally from Oslo, Norway, while the other members originate from London.

Their debut single, "Be the First to Believe", entered the UK Singles Chart at number six in mid-1999. They achieved chart success in the UK and other parts of the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s, particularly Southeast Asia. In the UK, they scored two number ones and six other top 10 hits, seven of which were written by the band. Adding to this, they also won a BRIT Award for "British Breakthrough Act" in 2001. They were managed by band manager Tim Byrne, who also formed Steps.

Marazzi left the band in 2002, citing personal reasons. The three remaining members subsequently decided to split due to exhaustion from being on the road for the best part of four years straight.

In December 2009, Ingebrigtsen, Read and Adams reformed a1, without Marazzi, in Norway for a series of concerts at the Christiania Theatre in Oslo.[1] Since their comeback, they have released new singles as well as their fourth and fifth studio albums, Waiting for Daylight, in 2010, and Rediscovered, in 2012.

In 2014, A1 appeared on the ITV2 documentary The Big Reunion along with other bands such as Eternal, Damage, Girl Thing, 3T and a new band called 5th Story, made up of Dane Bowers (from Another Level), Gareth Gates, Kenzie (from Blazin' Squad), Kavana and Adam Rickitt.

In 2017, Marazzi met his former bandmates in Newcastle after his 15-year absence, and he will appear on their 20th anniversary tour.

History
1998: Formation
Paul Marazzi, who had missed the cut for Steps, met Tim Byrne in 1998 to talk about forming a second group. Auditions were held where Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read, and Ben Adams were recruited and the band was formed by the management team of Byrne and Vicky Blood.[2]

1999: Here We Come
A1 signed with Columbia Records in February 1999 and released "Be the First to Believe" in Summer 1999.[3] In November they released Here We Come, which reached number 4 in Norway and had four top ten singles in the UK.

2000–2001: The A List
In 2000, they achieved two number ones with "Take On Me" and "Same Old Brand New You". The video for their seventh single, "No More", was filmed in Singapore while they were on tour there. In 2001, the band began a massive arena tour of Asia, where they were very well received. During a mall signing in Indonesia, four teenage girls were killed in a stampede.[2] In 2001, Sony Music launched a paid subscription service for a1 called 'Access All Areas', the first for an artist signed to the company. This was an early version of a social network allowing fans to meet and chat online.

2002: Make It Good, Marazzi's departure and split
Their third album, Make It Good saw a change in direction but was to be their last studio project. On 8 October 2002, Marazzi left the group, citing personal reasons,[4] and a1 subsequently decided to split.[5]

2002–2009: Post A1 and solo careers
In January 2004 a Best of A1 album was released in Asia; a compilation featuring all of their singles, two previously unreleased concert recordings, and three exclusive B-Sides. In 2009, following Adams' appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, the band released its Greatest Hits in the UK.[6]

In 2005, Adams went on to release his first solo single, "Sorry", which peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Adams was also due to record an album but parted with his record label. In 2009, he appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother, eventually placing fifth.[7] He attracted much attention later that same year when he posed naked for the cover of Attitude.[8]

In 2003, Ingebrigtsen also began a solo career, with his first solo single, "In Love With an Angel", being released in 2004. The single stayed in the Top 10 of the Norway Singles Chart for nearly three months. The song was swiftly followed by "Things Are Gonna Change", which became Ingebrigsten's final solo single before he moved into other areas of showbusiness.

In 2002, Read focused on becoming a songwriter for other artists, after signing a deal with Metrophonic. Read has written for artists such as Charlotte Church, Boyzone, Michael Bolton, Robin Gibb, and The Hollies. Read released his debut solo single, "Greatest Lady in My Life", on 2 March 2009.[9] His debut solo album, Peace at Last was released in June 2009.

Months after he left the band, Marazzi hosted the Andy Cole Children's Foundation (now All Star Kids) on 26 April 2003 together with Jo Good.[10] He turned down the offer to appear in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2004.[11] In late 2005 he formed a soul/rock band in Sunderland, Northeast England called Snagsby. He left the band in early 2009. Marazzi then went to work in The George Hotel in Whitby as a club DJ.[11]