Noughties pop star looks completely unrecognisable 18 years after her iconic number one hit

She soared to instant internet stardom when her stripped back pop rock anthem was one of the first clips ever to go viral on YouTube in 2006.

School pupils were blaring out the track on their polyphonic phones at the secondary school lockers and adults were downloading it onto their MP3 players as it reached number one in the UK and became one of the bestselling songs of the year.

But nearly two decades later, the Scottish hitmaker 43, has slipped beneath the radar, after only briefly shooting to fame in the early noughties.

Just 25-years-old at the time, the songstress struggled to impress the world with her subsequent music and eventually threw in the towel in 2019.

Since then, she has picked up the microphone again and has released new music and began actively posting on social media - but do you recognise the songstress from her days in the spotlight?

Sandi Thom (pictured) soared through the charts when she released I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair) in 2006

Sandi Thom (pictured) soared through the charts when she released I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair) in 2006

Sandi pictured in a post shared to her Instagram account. Two decades later, the Scottish hitmaker 43, has slipped beneath the radar, after only briefly shooting to fame in the early noughties

Sandi pictured in a post shared to her Instagram account. Two decades later, the Scottish hitmaker 43, has slipped beneath the radar, after only briefly shooting to fame in the early noughties

Sandi Thom, 43, soared to fame when I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair) took the UK by storm upon its release.  

Sandi - who's real name is Alexandria Thom - has over 70 million Spotify streams on the song but fell short on making a lengthily career in the industry.

Speaking to the Press Association earlier this year, the singer - who recently moved to Cardiff - reflected on the time when I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker stormed through the charts.

She said the breakthrough moment in her career only 'feels like yesterday', recalling the time as  'chaotic and amazing' time. 

She said: ‘I think because the legacy of the song lives on in perpetuity, it’s always alive for me and for the people that love it.’ 

The Scottish singer, only 25 at the time, came from humble beginnings. 

After moving to London from her home town in Banff, Scotland in her early twenties, Sandi signed a record contract with the record label Viking Legacy, where her mother happened to be a director.

It was at this time that the tune charter first debuted in October 2005, which would later be released again in May the following year along with the rest of her first album. 

Sandi earned notoriety after she was spotted by a record label during a live stream. The Scot came up with the idea to live stream a series of her performances in a 'tour' called 21 Nights from Tooting.

The tour consisted of a succession of performances streamed via MySpace from her basement in Tooting. The idea came to her after her car broke down on two separate occasions.

The Scottish singer, only 25 at the time, came from humble beginnings. Pictured during one of her webcasts in her flat in Tooting where she had moved to pursue music

The Scottish singer, only 25 at the time, came from humble beginnings. Pictured during one of her webcasts in her flat in Tooting where she had moved to pursue music

Sandi pictured in June 2006, shortly after rereleasing I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker. She posed excitedly next to a CD of her chart topping tune

Sandi pictured in June 2006, shortly after rereleasing I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker. She posed excitedly next to a CD of her chart topping tune

Sandi pictured at a book shop in 2006 in Glasgow, Scotland. The song was the released with her debut album, Smile¿ It Confuses People, which came out during the same month and sold more than a million album that month

Sandi pictured at a book shop in 2006 in Glasgow, Scotland. The song was the released with her debut album, Smile… It Confuses People, which came out during the same month and sold more than a million album that month

The live streams led the managing director of RCA Records to sign the Scottish singer, after being 'drawn' to her webcast shows.

Shortly afterwards, the singer rereleased I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair), sending the world into a frenzy.

The UK went wild for the catchy tune and it swept Gnarls Barkley’s hit song Crazy, which had a nine-week run in the UK at number one, off the top spot.

The song even had Sandi nominated for Best British Single at the Brit Awards in the same year. 

The track was even more popular in Australia where it was number one for 10 consecutive weeks and was later crowned the number one hit of 2006.

The song was the released with her debut album, Smile… It Confuses People, which came out during the same month and sold more than a million album that month.

However, the singer's career failed to progress despite her attempts to carry on making music, with only two of her next 12 releases making the charts - peaking at numbers 22 and 58. 

The songstress quickly went on to release two subsequent albums, The Pink & The Lily in 2008, and an independent album Merchants & Thieves in 2010; both failing to draw in the same acclaim.

The Scottish singer has since said that she felt rushed to bring out her second album, The Pink & the Lily, which ended up performing so badly that she was dropped from her label, RCA Records. 

Following years of hard work with little to show for it, Sandi finally cracked in 2015 and took aim at radio stations.

Sandi pictured in a TikTok video. She married songwriter Matt Benson in 2015, shortly after the two announced they were having their first child - whom Sandi was pregnant with during her outburst

Sandi pictured in a TikTok video. She married songwriter Matt Benson in 2015, shortly after the two announced they were having their first child - whom Sandi was pregnant with during her outburst

Sandi sometimes uploads singing videos to her TikTok and Instagram

Sandi sometimes uploads singing videos to her TikTok and Instagram

In a bleary eyed video uploaded to Facebook in 2015, the singer cracked under pressure, complaining that no one was listening to her music because radio stations were refusing to play her track, Earthquake

In a bleary eyed video uploaded to Facebook in 2015, the singer cracked under pressure, complaining that no one was listening to her music because radio stations were refusing to play her track, Earthquake

In a bleary eyed video uploaded to Facebook, the singer complained that no one was listening to her music because radio stations were refusing to play her track, Earthquake. 

She said despite specifically tailoring the song to the liking of commercial broadcaster Bauer Media and their audience, they refused to play it on the radio.

'That is basically 22 million people across the country who will not get to hear this song because of one person's decision,' she ranted.

'Honest to God I'm f**king sick to death of the bulls**t this industry pulls on people like me and I've had it. Enough. I'm done.

'F**k you Radio 2. F**k you Bauer network and f**k the lot of you.'

The emotional rant concluded with the line 'See you later. Radio 2, shove it up your a*** because I really don't care any more.'

The singer deleted the clip shortly afterwards but the damage had already been done, and she was mercilessly criticised by fans and the media for the outburst. 

Sandi later explained that the video was not pre-planned, nor was it a publicity stunt, but just a 'knee-jerk reaction' to the news.

She told The Telegraph in 2015: 'There was no real process behind it. It was just me in my living room, receiving really disappointing news and coupled with the fact I'm six months pregnant.'

'I was heavily pregnant at the time. So when we are pregnant women, we tend to be a little bit more vulnerable in those moments,' she told The Irish News of the outburst. 

While music might not have been on the horizon, the singer was luckier in love.

Sandi got into fitness after the birth of her first born son, Logan. She eventually decided she would take a break from making music in 2019, after making six studio albums

Sandi got into fitness after the birth of her first born son, Logan. She eventually decided she would take a break from making music in 2019, after making six studio albums

Taking a break from music, she filled her time with other pursuits, raising her son, focusing on her health, and working with animals

Taking a break from music, she filled her time with other pursuits, raising her son, focusing on her health, and working with animals

She married songwriter Matt Benson in 2015, shortly after the two announced they were having their first child - with whom Sandi was pregnant during her outburst.

The couple wed in America in September and shortly after, Sandi gave birth to her son, Logan, in 2016.

Sandi eventually decided she would take a break from making music in 2019, after making six studio albums.

During that period, she filled her time with other pursuits, raising her son, focusing on her health, and working with animals.

Sandi's Instagram page is filled with pictures of her snuggling up to her dogs, and enjoying yoga, running and swimming. 

In one post, she penned 'Never stop #fitness #fitnessjourney', while other see the songstress showing off her toned figure while posing in the mirror.

She also campaigns for animals, increasing awareness about abandoned pets. She spent several years living in Bahrain, where she worked at a dog rescue centre.

In 2019, she began building a new pet shelter in Saar, Bahrain, in memory of Tony Waters  'Tony the Dog Father', a British expat who had dedicated his life to saving strays in the area.

She spent several years working to rehome abandoned cats and dogs in the area, sending some of them back to the UK.

Following a musical hiatus, Sandi made the decision to pick up the mic again and ended up releasing a new track in 2013.

The mother-of-one released Silence, as part of her EP Warpaint, which she said was a reflection of her search to 'hope in desperation… a song of searching for answers within turbulence.'

'It captures a moment in my darkest times, within what seemed to be an endless ‘desert’ of despair… a time when pain seemed unbearable, and my senses were numbed,' she told Wonderland Magazine.

The singer spent several years living in the Arab nation of Bahrain, where she worked at a dog rescue centre

The singer spent several years living in the Arab nation of Bahrain, where she worked at a dog rescue centre

Sandi's Instagram page is filled with pictures of her snuggling up to her dogs, and enjoying yoga, running in swimming

Sandi's Instagram page is filled with pictures of her snuggling up to her dogs, and enjoying yoga, running in swimming

Sandi in 2006. Every so often, Sandi uploads a singing video to her Instagram, where fans listen to covers and teasers of her new music

Sandi in 2006. Every so often, Sandi uploads a singing video to her Instagram, where fans listen to covers and teasers of her new music

The Scot pictured in her Tooting flat in the noughties. The 43-year-old has a number of performances planned, including shows in the UK and internationally

The Scot pictured in her Tooting flat in the noughties. The 43-year-old has a number of performances planned, including shows in the UK and internationally

The noughties chart topper pictured at the beginning of her career. More recently, the singer released her new single, Revolution Anthem (Festival Of The Oppressed) in March earlier this year

The noughties chart topper pictured at the beginning of her career. More recently, the singer released her new single, Revolution Anthem (Festival Of The Oppressed) in March earlier this year

More recently, the singer released her new single, Revolution Anthem (Festival Of The Oppressed) in March earlier this year. 

The folk-rock tune is a world away from the song that first made her famous, drawing on geopolitical issues to lament about political turmoil and unrest in the world. 

The song, which boldly speaks directly to political leaders including Liz Truss and Donald Trump, is Sandi's answer to people's need for an 'anthem'.

She told The Irish News: 'We want to be a mouthpiece for the people. And I think, more than ever, that feeling is bubbling within society, so much frustration over the way that the country is run, not just in the UK, but so many global situations.'

Sandi added that she didn't just saw herself as a musician, but as a voice to those who want to be 'seen and heard'.

The political anthem includes lines about world change - such as 'So, it’s time for a change, raise your voice to the air, time for a change, revolution is here.' 

She regularly campaigns via her X account, sharing posts relating to political issues.

Her description on the app reads: 'Singer-Songwriter. Humanitarian. Mum. Animal Rescuer. New single Revolution Anthem is out now Link in bio #freepalestine.'