Sugababes Biography



Sugababes
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Sugababes
Sugababes: Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah
Background information
Origin London, England
Genre(s) Pop, dance-pop, R&B, pop rock, electronic
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 2000-present
Label(s) London, Island
Website Sugababes.com
Members
Keisha Buchanan
Heidi Range
Amelle Berrabah
Former members
Siobhán Donaghy (1998 - 2001)
Mutya Buena (1998 - 2005)

Sugababes are a BRIT Award-winning pop group from London, England. 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 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.1

With sixteen of their twenty-two single releases achieving top ten chart success and album sales in excess of six million, the trio have been named the UK's most successful female act of the 21st century.12 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 with "Push the Button" (2005).3 They have attained at least platinum certification for five of their albums in the UK.4 They have also gained success around Europe and Asia with number-one singles in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Austria, New Zealand, Japan, Slovenia, Estonia, Georgia, Czech Republic, the Philippines, Croatia, Hungary and the Republic of Macedonia.

Contents

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.5 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.5

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.6 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,5 eventually being diagnosed with clinical depression amid reports of in-fighting between the Sugababes members.7

Heidi Range, a founding member of Atomic Kitten, was announced as Donaghy's replacement in 2001.8 The album peaked at number twenty-six on the UK Album Chart and at number seven in Germany. The sales of One Touch did not meet London Records' expectations,9 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 X10 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.

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, eventually being certified triple platinum in the UK, selling one million copies in Europe.11 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,12 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. 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.13 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.14 Their daughter, named Tahlia Maya, was born in March 2005.15 The group later gave their first performance for over a year at the Edinburgh Live 8 concert.16

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. It sold over 300,000 copies in the UK alone and 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.17 In addition to Austin, Taller in More Ways saw the trio continue work with Guy Sigsworth and Xenomania, as well as Cameron McVey, who they had not worked with since One Touch.18

Following an apparent illness19 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".7

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."20 Before joining the Sugababes, Berrabah had featured in the band 'Boo2' with her sister, Samiya.21 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.

In early 2006, Taller in More Ways earned a Platinum Award from the IFPI in recognition of over one million copies sold in Europe.22 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.23 "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 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.24

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 200725 and peaked at number thirteen in the UK. The third and final single from Change was "Denial", which reached number fifteen.

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.262728 Orson's lead singer Jason Pebworth, who worked with the group in the studio, described the album as having a "funkier" sound.29 Rumours arose that producer Timbaland approached Sugababes to work on their sixth album, but because of time schedules a collaboration did not occur.30 British artist Taio Cruz, who worked with the group on the album,31 released a remix of his single "She's Like a Star" featuring additional vocals from Sugababes and Busta Rhymes.

The lead single from Catfights and Spotlights was "Girls", and was released in October 2008.32 The album reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart, selling over 23,000 copies in its first week. "No Can Do", the second single, was released in December. The Sugababes 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.

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.

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.33 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”.34 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.35

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,36 Live 8 Edinburgh,37 and performing in countries around the world including Portugal,38 Germany,39 Japan, Romania, Australia and South Africa among others. They performed to over 1 million people in 2005 alone.28

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.40

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. 41.

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.

Aswell as performing at the MOBO Awards 2008 with Taio Cruz performing "She's Like A Star" and their recent single "Girls".

On November the 13th 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 Novemeber the 14th 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 Novemeber the 23rd the Sugababes opened ITV's Divas 2. They performed 'Girls' live infront 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 the 11th December 2008.

Throughout the Christmas period Boots the Chemist uses the Sugababes hit "Girls" as its main theme tune.

British tabloids

In Britain, the members of the group do not get much media coverage as individuals, but the group's perceived 'moodiness',42 alleged backstage catfights,43 and press junket tantrums43 have hit the headlines. They are well-known for being surrounded by continuous rumours of in-fighting within the group and constant split reports4445 - 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;4647 Buena later admitted that she "just didn't talk to her" when she first joined.43 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".43 The girls have also hit headlines, following their tour with Take That, attacking the lead singer Gary Barlow for his rudeness.48

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.49

Discography

Main article: Sugababes discography

Tours

  • 2000 - One Touch Promo Tour Aussie/New Zealand/Japan
  • 2004 - Three Tour
  • 2006 - Taller In More Ways Tour
  • 2007 - Overloaded: The Singles Tour
  • 2008 - Change Tour

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ^ a b "BBC - Sugababes - more hits than any female act". Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
  2. ^ gm.tv
  3. ^ "BBC - Sugababes -Colourful past of pop's Sugababes". Retrieved on 2008-11-13.
  4. ^ "Sugababes - POP - I Like Music". ilikemusic. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  5. ^ a b c "Sugababes biography". Celebrity Link. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
  6. ^ "Album Credits - One Touch". Artist Direct.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  7. ^ a b "Sugababes history". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.
  8. ^ "Artists". Surge.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
  9. ^ "Sugababes bio". 7digital.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved on 2008-10-07.
  10. ^ "The Hitmakers: Richard X". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  11. ^ "Platinum Europe Awards 2003". ifpi.org. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  12. ^ "The BRIT Awards 2003". BRIT Awards. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  13. ^ "Band Aid". bobgeldof.info. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
  14. ^ "MTV Uncut". MTV. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
  15. ^ "Top of the Pops". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
  16. ^ "Sugababe sadden by live 8 images". DigitialSpy.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.
  17. ^ "Sugababes tickets". World Ticket Shop.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
  18. ^ "Album Credits - Taller In More Ways". Artist Direct. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  19. ^ "Sugababe mum wants out". The Sun Online. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  20. ^ "Sugababes unveil new band member". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
  21. ^ "60 second interview". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
  22. ^ "The UK music scene is booming". NME.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.
  23. ^ "Sugababes chat to I Like Music". I Like Music. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  24. ^ The BRIT Awards: "About You Now"
  25. ^ "HMV.com singles: Change (2007)". HMV.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
  26. ^ "'We're the biggest ... '". The Guardian (2008-03-17). Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
  27. ^ http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2932&Itemid=206. Popjustice.com. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
  28. ^ a b "Myspace". Sugababes Official MySpace. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  29. ^ Music - News - Sugababes working on "funky" album - Digital Spy
  30. ^ Sugababes Team With Timbaland | MTV UK
  31. ^ I'll make Britney Spears a hit again, vows British producer Taio Cruz - The Sunday Mail
  32. ^ http://www.sugababes.com/site/news/381/new-single-girls
  33. ^ "Sugababes cooperate with Deichman".
  34. ^ "Sugababes TV Spot".
  35. ^ "Deichman TV Spot".
  36. ^ "Sugababes performance". Prince of Wales - PT 30th Birthday Party. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  37. ^ "Sugababes- stronger- live 8 Edinburgh". YouTube. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  38. ^ "Sugababes-Rock in Lisboa-02 Overload". YouTube. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  39. ^ "Sugababes - Interview Live @ Viva Germany 30 January.1.2006". YouTube. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  40. ^ "Swarovski Fashion Rocks". Sugababes Swarovski. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
  41. ^ http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/t4/microsites/O/onthebeach/artists08/sugababes.html
  42. ^ "Sugababes". AskMen.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  43. ^ a b c d "Mean Girls". Guardian Unlimited Arts. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  44. ^ "SUGABABES BLAST SPLIT RUMOURS".
  45. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2005/dec/11/popandrock1
  46. ^ "Artists - Sugababes". BBC. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  47. ^ "Communication: William Day". Spec Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
  48. ^ "Furious girlband attack 'rude' Take That singer". Now magazine. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  49. ^ Sugababes | Suga n' spite | Relations not that sweet in the girl band camp | The Sun |Showbiz|Bizarre
  50. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/entertainment/newsid_7712000/7712635.stm

External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sugababes


v • d • e
Sugababes
Keisha Buchanan · Heidi Range · Amelle Berrabah
Mutya Buena · Siobhán Donaghy
Studio albums
Compilations
Singles
Other songs
Tours
Related topics
v • d • e
Sugababes singles
One Touch
Angels with Dirty Faces
Three
Taller in More Ways
Overloaded: The Singles Collection
Change
Catfights and Spotlights
Other songs
Related Articles
CelebrityTidbits - Celebrity Biographies, Pictures, Videos, Gossip and News.