Official Group Biography Sugababes are Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range; three music-loving young girls - Mutya and Keisha being from London, and Heidi from Liverpool. The three girls have been dubbed the faces of intellectual, soulful pop music in a chart filled with bland, artificial music. Previous to their current line-up, Sugababes consisted of Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan Donaghy. "We've been together for four years now. Keisha and I have known each other since we were eight because we went to primary school together. We met Siobhan at a party when we were thirteen. Siobhan then met our manager Ron Tom through her cousin. He then put us in the studio and we did some demos, which he took to different record companies and we were signed by London Records," says Mutya.
Siobhan Donaghy left the group after they had released four singles from their debut album, which they co-wrote - "One Touch." The reason for the departure of Siobhan has never been officially revealed, although reports suggest she left because she was more interested in rock/indie music instead of the soulful pop Mutya and Keisha were interested in. Other reports suggest that Siobhan left to pursue a career in fashion. Whichever, it seems Siobhan backed out from telling Mutya and Keisha directly, opting for a cover-up of "going to the toilet" and never returning, telling their manager that she had left. However, determined not to be disheartened by Siobhan's departure, Mutya and Keisha, the two original Sugababes, held auditions and recruited a new member in the shape of Heidi Range - who was a member of the band which later evolved into Atomic Kitten. Unfortunately for Mutya and Keisha, who had just formed a new-look Sugababes, London Records, their record company, dropped them and refused to invest any more money into the Sugababes project, citing poor record sales as their reason ("One Touch" failed to crack America, and their UK singles reached the lower parts of the top 15).
Sugababes were not disheartened, and were signed up by Universal/Island records, who also have Shaggy on their books, which was a major factor the Sugababes considered before they signed up! "The Word" - a track the girls recorded whilst still signed to London, was deemed suitable for the comeback single they needed to re-establish themselves around the world. However, when in the studio, it was suggested that a club "mash-up" consisting of Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" vocals mixed with Gary Numan's "R Friends Electric" should be recorded officially by the Sugababes. Richard X mixed the track, and the "We Don't Give A Damn Mix" of "R Freaks Electric" was sent out and rotated in clubs instead of the previous "mash-up." The track was decidedly the first single and the comeback release the Sugababes needed. A dark video showing the initiation of Heidi was made, and sent out to TV channels, and a more commercial radio mix was sent out to radio. On release, "Freak Like Me" by the Sugababes went straight to the top of the UK charts.
The new deal gives the girls more freedom. "I don't know if our personalities were coming across before but now I think we're getting a chance to do that," says Keisha. "You would never think that I'm really really bubbly and a kind of Jim Carrey pulling faces type girl, and that Mutya's quite fresh, and obviously there's plenty of personality on Heidi, and now I think we're getting a chance to show all of that." The future of the Sugababes is set - after the release of the second single, "Round, Round" which also went straight to #1, and "Angels With Dirty Faces" - their more autobiographical second album featuring new songs, such as "Shape," a duet with Sting, "Virgin Sexy," "More Than A Million Miles," "Just Don't Need This" and "Stronger."
