1998 - London, UK.
"It sounds bad, but they don't care about your age if you're famous."
- Keisha Buchanan - Vocals
- Mutya Buena - Vocals
- Heidi Range - Vocals
The Sugababes' Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena were childhood friends growing up in London. Buchanan's family are Jamaican, and Buena's family comes from the Philippines. The pair met Siobhan Donaghy at a party in 1998 when they were 13. Shortly after meeting they decided to form a group. London Records decided to sign them to a contract when they turned 14 and brought in Cameron McVey, producer for All Saints, to work on their first album.
The release of the first album One Touch was preceded by the single "Overload." The single landed in the U.K. pop singles top 10 and One Touch, released in October 2000, reached the top 30 on the album chart. 3 more top 40 singles from the album followed, but, unfortunately, London Records was disappointed with the album sales and dropped the group. In another blow, Siobhan Donaghy left the group in the middle of a concert tour in 2001.
Heidi Range speaks with a Liverpudlian (from Liverpool) accent.
With rumors swirling about whether Siobhan Donaghy left the group voluntarily or was forced out, Buchanan and Buena added former Atomic Kitten member Heidi Range to become a trio again. They signed to Island Records and released their next single "Freak Like Me" in May 2002. Featuring lyrics from Adina Howard's version on top of a Gary Numan sample, the record became their first U.K. #1.
With "Freak Like Me" still ringing in their fans' ears, the next single "Round Round" and the album Angels With Dirty Faces appeared in August 2002. "Round Round" became their 2nd U.K. #1 and the album reached #2. Critics lauded the album as one of the best pop releases of the year. 2 more hit singles followed from the album and the trio took home a Brit Award for Best British Dance Act.
Sugababes' third album, appropriately titled Three appeared in October 2003 along with the first single "Hole In the Head." The single became their third U.K. #1 pop single, and it had the distinction of being the group's first single to reach the U.S. pop chart, stopping at #96. However, "Hole In the Head" was a #1 dance hit in the U.S. 3 more top 10 U.K. singles followed and in September 2004 the trio decided to take a break from the music business.
In the spring of 2005, Mutya Buena gave birth to a daughter Tahlia. The group returned to the stage for the first time in a year for the Edinburgh Live 8 concert in July, 2005.
"Push the Button" and "Ugly," two songs from Sugababes' upcoming album were debuted on BBC radio in August. "Push the Button" was finally released as a new single in the first week of October, 2005 and it debuted at #1 on the U.K. pop singles chart becoming the trio's 4th #1. 2 weeks later the album Taller In More Ways debuted at the top as well.
Watch video clip of "Push the Button."
