Sugababes
Appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2008
In these boom and bust days of pop groups launching, exploding and disappearing in the night sky like fireworks on a wet Wednesday, the SUGABABES are a rare exception. Certainly, if pop’s supposed to be suffering from lean times, someone forgot to KEISHA BUCHANAN, HEIDI RANGE and AMELLE BERRABAH, as they prepare to unveil their fifth studio album. It’s the first full set in which AMELLE, having now been a SUGABABE for over a year and a half, joins KEISHA and HEIDI on vocals, adding an exciting new slant to the band’s trademark harmonies. The new, invigorated sound coupled with some unexpected changes in musical direction to open a brand new chapter for the country’s favourite girlgroup.
Energised by the success of their ‘OVERLOADED’ singles collection, SUGABABES will be everywhere this autumn with some of their strongest material to date. Following a greatest hits is never an easy task and the SUGABABES now find themselves in a position where their biggest rival is their own back catalogue. How exactly do you top an album of 14 hit singles, including four Number Ones?
Well, things are off to a cracking start with new single ‘ABOUT YOU NOW’, which marks an exciting change in style for the band while staying true to all the qualities which made the group what they are today. The track sits comfortably up there with the band’s best. “To keep the band fresh, and to have a reason to make this album we needed to ask ourselves, ‘what haven’t we done before? What can we improve on?’,” Keisha says. “Heidi and I weren’t interested in covering old ground, and it’s also important that we reflected the fact that, with Amelle now in the band, the SUGABABES weren’t just sticking to a formula.”
Recorded with DR LUKE (Kelis, Pink, Missy Elliot), the single is fizzing with synths, guitars and perky beats. It’s not just bells and whistles, either: ‘About You Now’ is melodically captivating with, at its centre, an utterly hypnotic chorus of “Can we bring yesterday back around, ‘cos I know how I feel about you now”. ‘ABOUT YOU NOW’ is an anthem for anyone who’s ever chucked everything away then immediately regretted it – or anyone who’s ever wanted to hear those words from someone else’s lips. The song’s well-reasoned admission, “I know everything changes, all the settings and faces” typifies a new depth and maturity to this album’s lyrical content.
As well being the result of experimentation with new producers and co-writers, the new album also sees Amelle, Heidi and Keisha teaming up with producers who’ve already provided the band with four of their Number One singles: DALLAS AUSTIN (‘Push The Button’, ‘Walk This Way’) in Atlanta and XENOMANIA (‘Round Round’, ‘Hole In The Head’) in a spooky Midsomer Murders-style village in Kent. Combined with other songs on the album the results of these collaborations provide a continuity to the SUGABABES sound while still firing on all cylinders to come up with something fresh and exciting.
Standout tracks include ‘NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN’, another relationship breakdown anthem set, as many dramas tend to be, on a dancefloor -a sober reflection on the carefree first dances and final careless whispers of a failed relationship. (The song’s closing, wounded cry of “it’s over… It’s over” could melt the stoniest of hearts.) ‘CHANGE’, all gurgling electronic synths and William Orbit-esque production is a trademark SUGABABES ballad worthy of a place alongside ‘Too Lost In You’ and ‘Caught In A Moment’ while ‘DENIAL’ revels in the SUGABABES’ raw, rockier edge, with a nod to ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ coupled with the trio’s unmistakeable harmonies. ‘GOODBYE’, meanwhile, has some of the catchiest vocal hooks you’ll hear all year. ‘NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN’, another relationship breakdown anthem set, as many dramas tend to be, on a dancefloor -a sober reflection on the carefree first dances and final careless whispers of a failed relationship. (The song’s closing, wounded cry of “it’s over… It’s over” could melt the stoniest of hearts.) ‘CHANGE’, all gurgling electronic synths and William Orbit-esque production is a trademark SUGABABES ballad worthy of a place alongside ‘Too Lost In You’ and ‘Caught In A Moment’ while ‘DENIAL’ revels in the SUGABABES’ raw, rockier edge, with a nod to ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ coupled with the trio’s unmistakeable harmonies. ‘GOODBYE’, meanwhile, has some of the catchiest vocal hooks you’ll hear all year.
Amelle, particularly, found making the album a breeze. “Joining a band so far into their career was daunting and to start with I felt there was a lot of pressure on me, but recording the album has been a surprisingly easy experience – we got in the studio and it just clicked.” Amelle’s vocal performance on the album proves that she’s not just a Mutya replacement at all, with her unique tones pulling the SUGABABES sweet vocal harmonies in a new direction. “It’s been a thrill to record this album,” Heidi adds. “I think when some bands release their greatest hits they’re like ‘thank God that’s over, we can relax now’. We’ve done the opposite – really going for it to make our best album yet. I can’t wait to get out and perform these new songs.”
Despite a maturing sound this is very much a pop album, and one which will certainly add to the band’s already impressive CV. To date SUGABABES have sold over 2 million singles, hitting Number One four times. They’ve sold more than five million albums (including 3 triple-platinum discs in the UK) and have amassed more Top 10 singles than the Spice Girls, All Saints, Destiny’s Child or Bananarama, and more Top 10 hits with original songs than any girl group since The Supremes. They’re also the first girl group since the 1980s to release more than three hit albums – trouncing Destiny’s Child and the Spice Girls.
During this time the band have become synonymous with imaginative, cutting edge, daring and effervescent pop music, turning in several defining moments in the modern pop era along the way and picking up plaudits including: a Brit award (along with various nominations), a Q award, a Smash Hits award, two TMF awards, 2 Capital Radio awards, two Elle Style awards and a Glamour gong.
The SUGABABES have come a long way since founding members Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena met at a party when they were both 13, but while they look slightly different these days they remain a band you can trust to deliver the goods. Principally because, as ever, the three SUGABABES remain fans of their own music. “None of us would get on stage and perform songs we weren’t proud of,” Keisha concludes. “And this time round, we’re more proud than ever.”
August 2007.
Sugababes 2008