They may not be well-known in the States, but British girl group the Sugababes have been one of my favorite musical acts for about seven years now. Indeed, they’re a big hit in the U.K. generally, having notched up six No. 1 singles as well as a Brit award (our equivalent of the Grammys). This despite persistent rumors of infighting, and multiple lineup changes that perhaps make them the U.K. equivalent of Destiny’s Child.
They burst on the scene in their first incarnation in 2000:
Baby-faced Keisha Buchanan (left) and feisty Mutya Buena (right) were already friends from school, while the enigmatic-looking redhead Siobhan Donaghy (center) was added by Buena’s manager. Their first big hit single, when they were still in their mid-teens, was “Overload.” It made use of the girls’ sweet, throaty, pop-soul harmonies (reminiscent of the group En Vogue) and their barbed-wire attitude, as well as their multiracial look (Buchanan’s background is Jamaican; Buena’s is Filipina, Irish, Spanish and Chinese; and Donaghy’s is Irish):
While their first album, One Touch, was a minor hit, it wasn’t enough to stop them being dropped from their record label. Meanwhile, Donaghy had walked out of the band, reportedly because she felt that Keisha was bullying her. A new girl, blonde Liverpudlian Heidi Range, was brought in to take her place:
This led to my favorite lineup of the band, as well as my favorite of their albums, Angels With Dirty Faces. It also led to a new level of success for them, as their first single “Freak Like Me” — with a video showing Buena and Buchanan “initiating” Range into the band — went to No. 1:
The album Three followed, with several hits. That didn’t stop continued rumors of i-fighting, though, as well as criticism in the tabloids over the girls’ normal, healthy figures, which led to one article dubbing them the Sugalumps. The girls hit back with the single “Ugly” on their next album, Taller in More Ways (although sadly it wasn’t one of their best songs, being too much like a rip-off of Christina Aguilera‘s “Beautiful”).
The girls were also growing up — which meant an increased level of sexualization and sexual objectification in their videos, which unfortunately most female artists still seem to take as a matter of course. Though I still loved the ‘babes, I couldn’t help sometimes wishing that they’d go for a few more clothes and a bit less makeup.
To me, though, they still had a rough-around-the-edges feel and an independent attitude that set them apart from the more obviously manufactured girl groups — without even mentioning their excellent, individual music. That all seemed to be at risk when Buena, the mouthiest of the band, announced she was leaving (she has since launched a solo career).
Perhaps used to replacing band members at this point, the ‘babes rallied quickly, appointing Amelle Berrabah as Mutya’s replacement. The takeover was so smooth that their new song, “Red Dress,” which had been recorded with Mutya’s vocals for the original album Taller in More Ways, was re-recorded with Amelle’s for the single release, and Amelle featured in the video:
Since then they have launched a greatest hits album, as well as a new album, Change, from which their first single, “About You Now,” went to No. 1 in the U.K. But I have to say something is missing for me. While I didn’t necessarily think of Buena as my favorite band member while she was there, there was something about her looks — piercings, tattoos, ever-changing hairstyles and questionable outfits — as well as her tough outspoknenness in interviews, that seemed to encapsulate the spirit of the band. With her gone, they just seem a bit … well … bland. And their new singles haven’t done much to reassure me.
With Buena gone, will the Sugababes turn into just another glossy, vacant girl group, posing sexily in videos to a background of disposable pop? I hope not … but I’m worried.
