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Sugababes are a BRIT Award-winning pop group based in London, UK. The group consists of Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range, and Amelle Berrabah.
The group was formed in 1998 when Buchanan and Mutya Buena met Siobhan Donaghy at a party. Following the departure of Donaghy, after some initial success, the introduction of Range, in 2001, was met with the commercial breakthrough of number-one single "Freak like Me" and parent album Angels with Dirty Faces (2002). The band survived a second line-up change with Berrabah replacing Mutya Buena in 2005.
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Encyclopedia
Sugababes are a BRIT Award-winning pop group based in London, UK. The group consists of Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range, and Amelle Berrabah.
The group was formed in 1998 when Buchanan and Mutya Buena met Siobhan Donaghy at a party. Following the departure of Donaghy, after some initial success, the introduction of Range, in 2001, was met with the commercial breakthrough of number-one single "Freak like Me" and parent album Angels with Dirty Faces (2002). The band survived a second line-up change with Berrabah replacing Mutya Buena in 2005. Chart success continued throughout and, to date, they have released twenty-two singles, six of which have reached number one in the UK, and seven albums that have reached top forty charts worldwide.
With sixteen of their twenty-three single releases achieving top ten chart success, album sales in excess of 5 million and 7 Brit award nominations, the trio have been named the UK's most successful female act of the 21st century. Upon the release of "About You Now" (2007), the Sugababes became the only female act to have topped the single, album and download chart simultaneously twice, having previously achieved the same feat in 2005 with "Push the Button". They have attained at least platinum certification for five of their albums in the UK. They have also gained success around Europe and Asia with number-one singles in 15 countries.
History
One Touch
The group was created when Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena, who had been friends since they were eight, met Siobhán Donaghy at a party in 1998 when they were thirteen, and were introduced by manager, Ron Tom. Buena and Donaghy had been working separately with Tom, and while they were recording tracks for the album that would become the Sugababes' debut album, One Touch, it was suggested that the group might work better with a third member. Buchanan had been invited by Buena to come along to watch, and was asked to join if she could sing.
Their band name originates from Buchanan's school nickname, Sugar baby, although the trio was officially known as The Sugababies during the recording of the album. When the band members were aged fourteen, London Records offered them a record contract and they tweaked their name to the more mature Sugababes.
Their debut single, "Overload", made the top ten on the UK Singles Chart and was nominated for a BRIT Award for Best Single, climbing to number three and number two in Germany and New Zealand, respectively. The group co-wrote most of the tracks on One Touch with the help of All Saints producer Cameron McVey. One Touch produced three more top forty hits in the UK—"New Year", "Run for Cover" and "Soul Sound". During a Japanese promotional tour Siobhán Donaghy left the group stating initially that she wanted to pursue a fashion career, eventually being diagnosed with clinical depression amid reports of in-fighting between the Sugababes members.
Heidi Range, a founding member of Atomic Kitten, was announced as Donaghy's replacement in 2001. The album peaked at number twenty-six on the UK Album Chart and at number seven in Germany. It was certified gold by the BPI and has sold 220,000 copies in the UK, according to Music Week. The sales of One Touch did not meet London Records' expectations, and they dropped the group in 2001.
Angels with Dirty Faces
Having already started work on a second album with new member Range, the trio looked for a new record label, eventually signing to Island Records. Their first single on the new label, "Freak like Me"—a mash-up of "Are Friends Electric?" by Gary Numan's Tubeway Army and Adina Howard's "Freak like Me"—was produced by Richard X and scored the group their first UK number-one entry. Follow-up single "Round Round", produced by Kent-based production group Xenomania, also debuted on top of the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number two in Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Both singles were certified silver by the BPI.
On the back of these singles, the Sugababes' second album, Angels with Dirty Faces, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and was a success across Europe, selling one million copies. In the UK, it was certified three times platinum and has sold 917,000 copies. The third single from the album, a ballad entitled "Stronger", gained the girls their third consecutive top ten hit in their native country. The track was released as a double-A side with "Angels with Dirty Faces" in the UK, the latter song chosen as the theme tune to The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002). A fourth single, the Sting-sampling "Shape", made the top ten in the Netherlands and Ireland in early 2003. The single featured a live version of "Freak like Me" which they performed at the 2003 BRIT Awards, having won the award for Best British Dance Act. Their success led to the recording of a new track, entitled "Party in the Club", for the theme tune to ITV's teenage drama show Girls in Love, based on the book of the same name by Jacqueline Wilson.
Three
The group's third album, Three, was released in late 2003 and reached number three on the UK Album Chart, earning the group a BRIT Award nomination for Best Album. Certified two times platinum, it has sold 855,000 copies. The album was preceded by Xenomania-produced lead single "Hole in the Head", which became the groups's third UK number-one single and their first chart-topper in Denmark. It also reached number two in Ireland, Netherlands and Norway, and became the Sugababes' first single to chart on the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching number ninety-six on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
The second single, the Diane Warren-penned "Too Lost in You", appeared on the soundtrack to the film Love Actually (2003) and went top ten in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. The album's third single, "In the Middle", was released in 2004 and garnered the group another BRIT Award nomination for Best Single; like its successor, the ballad "Caught in a Moment", it went to number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
In 2004, the trio joined acts such as Coldplay's Chris Martin, Dido and Robbie Williams on a 2004 version of the 1984 Band Aid's original "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which went to number one in the UK in December and sold over 200,000 copies in its first week. The money raised by this charity single went towards famine relief in the Darfur region of Sudan. After a break from the music industry, during the recording of their fourth album, band member Mutya Buena announced she and her boyfriend, Jay, were expecting a child. Their daughter, named Tahlia Maya, was born in March 2005. The group later gave their first performance for over a year at the Edinburgh Live 8 concert.
Taller in More Ways
After a hiatus, the Sugababes released the Dallas Austin-produced "Push the Button" in October 2005. It debuted at number one in the UK, giving the group their fourth number-one single and first Irish number-one single. Certified silver in the UK, it was later nominated at the BRIT Awards for Best Single. It also went to number one in Austria and New Zealand, and is their biggest Australian hit to date, peaking at number three and going platinum. "Push the Button" became their most popular song in the United States, becoming another hit on the Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts. In October 2005, Taller in More Ways became the group's first UK number-one album. The same week, the group celebrated being number one on the singles, album, airplay, and download charts simultaneously. In addition to Austin, Taller in More Ways saw the trio continue work with Guy Sigsworth and Xenomania, as well as Cameron McVey, with whom they had not worked since One Touch.
Following an apparent illness that prevented Buena from promoting the follow-up single "Ugly", it was announced on 21 December 2005 that Buena had left Sugababes. According to an announcement on their site, "[Buena]'s decision was based purely on personal reasons and she will continue to remain the best of friends with both [Buchanan] and [Range]". It was found that Buchanan wanted to stay friends with Buena but found it hard as she never sees her. The last remaining original member, Buchanan, said upon Buena's departure, "...we will all miss Mutya, but we also knew there was still a place for bringing in somebody new who could help us carry on taking the Sugababes brand of music forward".
Amelle Berrabah joined the group in late December. Berrabah was chosen by the group's management and "[Buchanan and Range] instantly knew she was the only person to share the rest of the journey with us." Before joining the Sugababes, Berrabah had featured in the band 'Boo2' with her sister, Samiya. The third single from Taller in More Ways was a re-recorded version of "Red Dress", which was released in early 2006, and gave the group a third consecutive top five hit from the album, entering the UK singles chart at number four. Berrabah re-recorded three tracks and co-wrote a brand new track with Buchanan and Range, and these tracks appeared on a re-release of Taller in More Ways that reached number eighteen in the UK chart.
Taller in More Ways was certified two times platinum in the UK, selling 886,000 copies. In early 2006, the album earned a Platinum Award from the IFPI in recognition of over one million copies sold in Europe. The final single from Taller in More Ways was "Follow Me Home", released only in the UK in June, where it charted at number thirty-two.
Overloaded: The Singles Collection
Sugababes returned to the recording studio to start work on their fifth album, in mid-2006, recording two tracks for their contractual greatest hits collection, entitled Overloaded: The Singles Collection. The lead single from the compilation, "Easy", was co-written by George Astario and Jason Pebworth from Californian band Orson, who share management with Sugababes. "Easy" was released before the hits compilation album, and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The singles compilation was released in November 2006, peaking at number three on the albums chart in the UK. The album, certified platinum by the BPI, has sold 598,000 copies.
The compilation contains tracks from One Touch to Taller in More Ways, excluding "New Year", "Soul Sound", "Angels with Dirty Faces", and "Follow Me Home", most of which were not released outside the UK. A separate DVD—featuring fourteen of their music videos and karaoke versions— was released, as well as a special deluxe digital download version featuring live performances, a special digital download remix collection (entitled Overloaded: The Remix Collection), and a Napster Live Session featuring acoustic versions of four of their hits and their cover of Primal Scream's single "Rocks". On 6 November 2006, Sugababes joined Feeder on stage for the encore of Feeder's WAR Child gig at 'The Roundhouse' in Camden, London. They performed a cover of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" and "Freak like Me".
Sugababes recorded the 2007 Comic Relief single, a duet with fellow UK girl group Girls Aloud, a cover of the hit "Walk This Way". Credited as 'Sugababes Vs Girls Aloud', the single was released in March 2007 in the UK and became the band's fifth UK number-one single (and the first with Berrabah). Mattel teamed up with Sugababes to create a new themed Barbie doll collection, which hit stores in May 2007.
Change
Following their Greatest Hits Tour, the Sugababes returned to the recording studio in mid 2007 to work on a new album, Change, the first to feature Berrabah on all tracks. Producers who worked on the album included William Orbit, Dr. Luke, JC Chasez, Dallas Austin, Novel and Xenomania. With the release of the Dr. Luke-produced single "About You Now", the Sugababes were the first girl band to top the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone. The song also broke the record for the biggest jump to number one from inside the top forty, and remained at number one for four weeks. "About You Now" was nominated for a 2008 BRIT Award for Best British Single.
In October 2007, Change became the group's second UK number-one album, debuting in that position and giving the band the top positions on the singles, album and download charts simultaneously. The next single, "Change", was released in December 2007 and peaked at number thirteen in the UK. The third and final single from Change was "Denial", which reached number fifteen. The album sold 494,000 copies in the UK, and was certified platinum.
During this period, Sugababes appeared on the compilation Radio 1: Established 1967 with a Lucas Secon-produced cover of The Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly Wow!", and were part of a choir of twenty-two female acts on Annie Lennox's song "Sing". In late 2007, the song "3 Spoons of Suga" appeared on the soundtrack to the film St Trinian's. From March to May 2008, the Sugababes travelled the UK on the thirty-date Change Tour.
Catfights and Spotlights
Sugababes went back into the studio after their Change Tour to write and work on their sixth studio album, Catfights and Spotlights.
The lead single from Catfights and Spotlights was "Girls", and was released in October 2008. The album reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart and was named the sixth best pop album of 2008 by the website Popjustice; it sold 91,000 copies in its first three months of release. Also the album was voted as the 3rd must have pop album by Amazon UK "No Can Do", the second and final single, was released in December and peaked at number twenty-three in the UK. In January 2009, the Publishing Right Society named Sugababes the fourth hardest-working band of 2008 due to the number of arena concerts performed during 2008. The group have stated that there will be no 2009 tour in support of the album so that they may focus on writing material for their next album.
In March 2009, the track "Nothing's as Good as You" from Catfights and Spotlights was featured in an advert on the Disney Channel promoting Disney Channel Original Movies such as High School Musical, The Cheetah Girls and Camp Rock.
Non-musical aspects
Sugababes: Uncovered
Sugababes recorded a one-off documentary for ITV2 entitled Sugababes: Uncovered, which ran on 19 December 2006. The documentary was filmed during the "Overloaded: The Singles Collection" era, and focused on the band's promotional activities, including behind the scenes footage of the girls preparing for a show and interviews with the girls themselves.
Autobiography
The Sugababes hit the headlines when they stated that they would not write an autobiography unlike other girl bands such as Girls Aloud. The Babes claimed that it would be impossible to write as the band has experienced so many line up changes in the past and therefore it would be too hard to incorporate former members Siobhan Donaghy and Mutya Buena. Keisha Buchanan told the press "With the history of us, a book wouldn't necessarily be the best thing." However the Babes have since told reporters that they hope to branch out into other areas such as a make up range. Although the Sugababes are not planning on writing an autobiography many journalists wrote books about them. In 2007 Journalist Emily Sheridan wrote a 294 page book about the babes. She states "The Sugababes are undoubtedly the most popular girl band in the world today. With their unique brand of pop and their amazing sense of style, they have rightfully carved their niche in the world of modern music."
Deichmann Shoes
Sugababes have launched their own shoe collection in association with the German shoe retailer "Deichmann" available from February 2008 in 16 countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK. The girls chose the range of items in the Star collection themselves with Amelle stating “We do not copy anyone" and “We hope that the styles, which we also like to wear in private, will also meet with the taste of our fans”. The style is said to be "chic and trendy but also affordable" with prices ranging from £9.99 to £19.99. An advert was filmed in London and takes place on the Thames where the Sugababes attend a boat party and have a great time. The advert was first shown in Germany on 3 March 2008 and is also available to watch online.
Notable television appearances
Sugababes have appeared on many music shows such as CD:UK, TOTP, MTV, Popworld, VIVA, awards shows such as the MOBO Awards, NME Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, BRIT Awards and TV shows such as The Paul O'Grady Show, BBC 1, T4, The Charlotte Church Show, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and others. Live performances include Glastonbury festival, Prince's Trust, Live 8 Edinburgh, and performing in countries around the world including Portugal, Germany, Japan, Romania, Australia and South Africa among others. They performed to over 1 million people in 2005 alone.
On 11 December 2005, Sugababes performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in honor of peace price winners The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Mohamed ElBaradei. Mutya Buena did not show up for this performance and Heidi Range and Keisha Buchanan had to appear as Sugababes performing as a duo. This was the first time and one of the rare times where Sugababes has performed as a duo. They sang the songs "Hole in the head" and "Ugly".
In 2006 they performed "Hole in the Head" at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Coliseum.
On 18 October 2007, the Sugababes performed at Swarovski Fashion Rocks 2007, for the Princes Trust concert. The girls sang a unique rendition of "Lady Marmalade" alongside Patti LaBelle for the finale of the concert, receiving a standing ovation from the audience in the Royal Albert Hall.
On 27 January 2008, the Sugababes took part in Big Brother Celebrity Hijack and were the last celebrities to take part on the show.
On 24 May 2008, Heidi Range and her partner, Dave Berry took part on Allstar Mr and Mrs, which they won.
On 1 June 2008, the Sugababes performed for T4's Vodafone TBA in Edinburgh along with The Feeling and The Hoosiers. They performed their hits, Overload , Freak Like Me, Round Round, Hole In The Head, Red Dress , Denial, Change , About You Now and En Vogue's Don't Let Go (Love).
On 20 July 2008, the Sugababes performed as the Headlining act on the 4Music Stage at T4 on the Beach in Weston-super-Mare. The set performed included: Hole In The Head, Red Dress , En Vogue's Don't Let Go (Love), Push the Button and About You Now.
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On 16 August 2008, the group performed at Virgin Mobile V Festival where they performed Freak Like Me, Push the Button, About You Now, Red Dress, Round Round, Ugly and Hole In The Head.
As well as performing at the MOBO Awards 2008 with Taio Cruz performing "She's Like A Star" and their recent single "Girls".
On 13 November 2008, the Sugababes performed Push the button, About you now and Girls before switching on the Oxford Street Christmas Lights infront of a crowd of 50,000 screaming fans.
On 14 November 2008, the group performed "Girls" on BBC Children in Need in order to help raise money for children across Britain. Keisha also performed with James Morrison on the show.
On 23 November 2008, the Sugababes opened ITV's Divas 2. They performed 'Girls' live in front of a large audience.
Recently the Babes performed their new single "No Can Do" on the Paul O'Grady Show and also on This Morning on 11 December 2008.
Throughout the Christmas period Boots the Chemist used the Sugababes hit "Girls" as its main theme tune.
The Sugababes will perform at the Ramses Gala in Hamburg, Germany on 19th February 2009.
British tabloids
In Britain, the members of the group do not get much media coverage as individuals, but the group's perceived 'moodiness', alleged backstage catfights, and press junket tantrums have hit the headlines. They are well-known for being surrounded by continuous rumours of in-fighting within the group and constant split reports - most notably the alleged bullying of Siobhán Donaghy who quit the group in 2001. Further rumours suggested that the two remaining members Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena had bullied replacement Heidi Range, although Range has repeatedly denied such allegations; Buena later admitted that she "just didn't talk to her" when she first joined. Buchanan claimed that there has been only one serious fallout between herself and Range during a 2004 gig in Dublin, regarding the Britney Spears music video, "Toxic". The girls have also hit headlines, following their tour with Take That, attacking the lead singer Gary Barlow for his rudeness.
In April 2007, Amelle Berrabah, was detained over allegations she assaulted an 18-year-old woman on the dance floor in the Bar Med club located in Bridge Street, Guildford, Surrey. The Daily Mirror and The Sun newspaper reported the singer spent the night in a cell, before being released without charge.
In March 2008 rumours once again surfaced about a fall-out between the three girls. The Sun claimed that at the after-show party, following a performance at the Royal Albert Hall on 20 March 2008, the girls "didn't speak a single word (to each other)."
The Sun added that Heidi shunned the VIP lounge at the London nightclub 20, staying at the main bar and being absent from Keisha and Amelle, after a bust-up with Keisha.
On 22 February 2009, the Sugababes received media attention for performing at Jade Goody and Jack Tweed's wedding reception.
Discography
Tours
- 2000 - One Touch Promo Tour Australia/New Zealand/Japan
- 2004 - Three Tour
- 2006 - Taller In More Ways Tour
- 2007 - Overloaded: The Singles Tour
- 2008 - Change Tour
Awards and recognition
| List of awards and nominations |
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External links
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