Jump to content

Sugababes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 65.184.242.218 (talk) at 04:48, 15 December 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sugababes

Sugababes are a BRIT Award-winning British pop group trio from London. They have been named the most successful all-female act of the 21st century.[1]

The group formed in 1998. Releasing twenty singles, 6 of those reaching #1 in the UK (plus the #1 with Band Aid 20) and five albums that have reached top 40 charts worldwide, they have had more top ten hits with original songs than any other girl group since The Supremes, Destiny's Child, and Bananarama.[1] The Sugababes are one of the few British groups to have five of their albums reach the top 3, two of which were number 1. In 2003, they won a Brit Award for "Best Dance Act".

The group have so far attained at least platinum album sales from four of their albums in their native UK.[2]. They have also gained success around Europe and Asia with Number One singles in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Austria and New Zealand. Upon their release of "About You Now", the Sugababes became the first group to have a single chart at #1 based on downloads alone, and are also the only all female act to have topped the single, album and download chart simultaneously twice.

History

One Touch

The group was created, when Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena, friends since they were only eight years of age, met Siobhán Donaghy at a 1998 party when they were thirteen, and were introduced by manager, Ron Tom.[3] Buena and Donaghy had been working separately with Tom, and while they were recording tracks for the album that would become "One Touch", it was suggested that the group might work better with a third member. Buchanan had been invited to come along to watch by Buena and was asked if she could sing; which of course, she could (she had appeared aged just six on Michael Barrymore's popular My Kind of Music show, where she gave an amazingly strong vocal performance of Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love Of All"). The name 'Sugababes' originates from Buchanan's school nickname, 'Sugar baby'. While recording the album the band was officially known as "The Sugababies" (an unreleased track from these sessions repeats over and over "Sugababies on the run, shake it shake it"). When all the band members were aged just fourteen, they were offered a record contract by London Records and tweaked their name to the more mature "Sugababes".[3] This is also possibly due to the fact that there was already a band called "Sugababies".

Their debut single "Overload" made the UK Top 10 and was nominated for a BRIT Award for Best Single, climbing to number 3 in Germany and number 2 in New Zealand. The group co-wrote most of the tracks on One Touch, with the help of All Saints producer Cameron McVey.[4]

Their debut album produced three more top 20 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,[3] eventually being diagnosed with clinical depression amid reports of in-fighting between the Sugababes members.[5]

Heidi Range, a founding member of Atomic Kitten, was announced as Donaghy's replacement in 2001.[6] Despite peaking at number 26 on the UK Album Charts, and faring even better in Germany, where it peaked at number 7, the sales of One Touch did not meet London Records' expectations,[7] and they dropped the group in 2001.

Angels with Dirty Faces

Having already started work on a second album with new member, Heidi Range, the trio looked for a new record label, eventually signing to Island Records. Their first single on the new label, "Freak Like Me", was produced by Richard X - recorded in Richard X's own flat, and one of the last tracks to be recorded for the album.[8] The song used the backing track from "Are Friends Electric?" by Gary Numan's Tubeway Army, with the group singing lyrics taken from Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me". The single debuted at number one in the UK.

Their second single with Range, "Round Round", produced by Kent-based production group, Xenomania, was the group's second UK number one single and reached number two in Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand. It was also their first top twenty hit in Australia, peaking at number thirteen going Gold (with sales over the 35,000 copies).

On the back of these hits, Sugababes' second album Angels with Dirty Faces debuted at number two on the UK album chart and was a success across Europe, eventually being certified triple platinum in the UK, and selling one million copies in Europe.[9] The third single from the album, a ballad entitled "Stronger" gained the girls their third straight top 10 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.

The fourth single "Shape", which samples the Sting track "Shape of My Heart", made number eleven in the UK and made the top 10 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,[10] having won the award for "Best British Dance Act". Their success also led to them recording 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 continued success reaching number three on the UK Album Chart, preceded by the Xenomania produced "Hole in the Head". It was the groups's third UK number one single and their first number one in Denmark. It reached number two in Ireland, Netherlands and Norway, and also became the babes' first single to chart in the official Billboard charts peaking at #96 and hit the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart at #1. It also performed well on the Hot Dance Airplay chart.

The second single, "Too Lost in You", which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Love Actually and was written by Diane Warren, went top ten in the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Norway, as well as going top ten on both sides of the Straits of Taiwan (Taiwan and China). The song was originally recorded in French by Patricia Kaas and entitled "Quand J'ai Peur De Tout" . The album's third single, "In the Middle", released in 2004, went to number 8 in the UK. The fourth single to be released from "Three" was the ballad, "Caught in a Moment", gave the girls another top 10 hit, peaking at number 8, backed by tracks recorded from their Sessions@AOL appearance.

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 in December went to number 1 in the UK and sold over 200,000 copies in its first week.[11] All the money raised by this charity single went towards famine relief in the Darfur region of Sudan.

After a break from the music industry, whilst recording their fourth album, Mutya Buena announced she and her boyfriend Jay, were expecting a child.[12] Their daughter named Tahlia Maya Buena, was born in March 2005.[13]

The group later gave their first performance for over a year at the Edinburgh Live 8 concert.[14] In this time, the girls had been recording their fourth album, working with variety of songwriters and producers, including USA producer, Dallas Austin.

Taller in More Ways

On 2 October 2005 the Dallas Austin produced "Push the Button" debuted at number one in the UK, giving the group their fourth number one single and first Irish number one single. It went on to sell over 300,000 copies in the UK alone and was later nominated at the BRIT Awards for 'Best British Single'. It also went number one in Austria and New Zealand, and is also their biggest Australian hit to date, peaking at #3 and going platinum, selling around 100,000 copies. "Push the Button" became their most popular song in the United States yet, becoming another huge hit on the Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts.

On 16 October 2005, Taller in More Ways became the group's first UK number one album. On that same date, the group celebrated being number one in the singles, album, airplay, and download charts at the same time.[15] 'In addition to Austin, Taller in More Ways saw the trio continue work with Guy Sigsworth and Xenomania, as well as Cameron McVey, who had not worked with the group since One Touch.[16]

Following an apparent illness,[17] 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".[5]

Amelle Berrabah joined the group in late December. Before joining the Sugababes, Berrabah featured in the band 'Boo2' with her sister, Samiya.[18]

The third single was a re-recorded version of "Red Dress", which was released in early 2006, and gave the group a third consecutive top 5 hit from the album entering the UK singles chart at number four. Berrabah re-recorded 3 tracks and co-wrote a brand new track with Buchanan and Range, all of these appeared on a re-release of Taller in More Ways, which reached 18 in the UK chart.

In early 2006, Taller in More Ways earned a Platinum Award from the IFPI in recognition of over 1 million copies sold in Europe.[19] In April 2006, the girls won "Best World Group" at the ESKA Music Awards 2006 in Poland.[3]

The final single from Taller in More Ways was "Follow Me Home", released only in the UK in June, where it charted at 32, which is Sugababes lowest chart position ever.

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.[20] "Easy" was released, prior to the hits compilation album, and peaked at number eight in the UK Single Charts. The singles compilation was released on 13 November 2006, peaking at number three on the album charts 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 was also released, featuring 14 of their music videos and karaoke versions, 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 hit, "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" as well as "Freak Like Me".

In late 2006, it was announced that Sugababes would be releasing the 2007 Comic Relief single, as 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 on 12 March 2007 in the UK and became the band's fifth UK number one single and the first with Berrabah.

Mattel has teamed up with Sugababes to create a new themed Barbie doll collection, which hit stores in May 2007.

On the 8 October, 2007 the album "Overloaded: The Singles Collection" jumped back into the UK's Official Album Chart at #43, almost a year after it was first released.

Change

After their successful Greatest Hits Tour, the Sugababes returned to the recording studio in summer 2006 to work on the album, which would also be the first album that features all vocals done by Berrabah, Buchanan, and Range together. The group have once again chosen to work with William Orbit and the American producers Dr. Luke and Dallas Austin who worked with the group on a number of tracks from their number one 2005 album Taller In More Ways, alongside Novel, who has worked with Stacie Orrico and Kent-based Xenomania, who have provided the group with 2 UK #1 singles in the past.

With the release of their single "About You Now" produced by Dr. Luke, the Sugababes were the first band ever to top the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone. The song also broke the record for the biggest jump to #1. On 14 October 2007, Change became the group's second UK number one album, which charted straight to the #1 spot on the UK Albums Chart. On that same date, the group celebrated being number one in the singles, album, and download charts at the same time. "About You Now" remained on #1 for 4 weeks in a row. It also debuted at #8 in Germany. The Sugababes will release their second single "Change" on Monday, 17 December, 2007[21]

Sugababes have also recorded a song with Annie Lennox and twenty-two other female acts for Lennox's fourth solo studio album, Songs of Mass Destruction. Titled "Sing", it was written as an anthem for HIV/AIDS, according to Lennox's official site. The girls also recently covered Betcha by Golly Wow! for Radio 1 Established 1967.

Non-musical aspects

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,[22] Live 8 Edinburgh,[23] and performing in countries around the world including Portugal,[24] Germany,[25] Japan, Australia and South Africa among others. They performed to over 1 million people in 2005 alone.[26]

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.[27]

British tabloids

In Britain, the members of the group do not get much media coverage as individuals, but the group's perceived 'moodiness',[28] alleged backstage catfights,[29] and press junket tantrums[29] have hit the headlines. They are well-known for being surrounded by continuous rumours of in-fighting within the band and constant split reports[30][31] - most notably the alleged bullying of Siobhán Donaghy who quit the band 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; [32][33] Buena later admitted that she "just didn't talk to her" when she first joined.[29] Buchanan claimed that there has been only one serious fallout within the band and that was between herself and Range during a 2004 gig in Dublin, regarding the Britney Spears music video, "Toxic".[29] The girls have also hit headlines, following their tour with Take That, attacking the lead singer Gary Barlow for his rudeness.[34]

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.

Discography

Main article: Sugababes discography

Albums

#1 singles

Year Title Album Chart positions [35]
UK IRE POL DEN AUT NZ TAN CRO EU
2002 "Freak Like Me" Angels with Dirty Faces 1 2 15 14 22 25 18 5 9
"Round Round" 1 2 6 3 8 2 1 3 3
2003 "Shape" with Sting 11 9 1 16 50 - 25 12 33
"Hole in the Head" Three 1 2 1 1 5 11 6 2 3
2005 "Push the Button" Taller in More Ways 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1
2007 "Walk This Way" with Girls Aloud for Comic Relief 1 14 7 - - - - 10 15
"About You Now" Change 1 2 8 12 4 20 1 1 4
Total Number-one hits 6 1 3 1 1 1 3 2 1

Tours

Awards and recognition

Year Award-giving Body Award Result
2001 BRIT Awards Best British Single ("Overload") Nominated
2001 Capital FM Awards Best Kept Secret Won
2001 MTV Europe Music Awards Best UK and Ireland act Nominated
2002 Q Awards Best Single ("Freak Like Me") Won
2002 MTV Europe Music Awards Best UK and Ireland act Nominated
2002 MOBO Awards UK Act of the Year Nominated
2002 Elle Style Awards Music Star Award Won
2002 Smash Hits Best Album (Angels with Dirty Faces) Won
2002 National Music Awards Best Song from a Movie ("Round Round") Won
2003 BRIT Awards Best British Dance Act Won
2003 BRIT Awards Best British Album (Angels with Dirty Faces) Nominated
2003 BRIT Awards Best British Group Nominated
2004 Disney Channel Kids Awards Best Single ("Hole in the Head") Won
2004 Capital FM Awards Best Live Music Won
2004 Popjustice £20 Music Prize Best Pop Single ("Hole in the Head") Nominated
2004 TMF Awards Best International Pop Group Won
2005 BRIT Awards Best British Single ("Push the Button") Nominated
2005 TOTP Awards Best Single ("Push the Button") Won
2006 Eska Music Awards (Poland) Best World Group Won
2006 Elle Style Awards Best Dressed Pop Stars Won
2006 Popjustice £20 Music Prize Best Pop Single ("Push the Button") 3rd
2006 British Hit Singles and Albums Most Successful Female Act of the 21st Century Won
2006 Virgin Music Awards 2006 Most Fanciable Female (for Amelle) Won

References

  1. ^ a b "BBC - Sugababes - more hits than any female act". Retrieved 19 November. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "Sugababes more hits than any female act" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Sugababes - POP - I Like Music". ilikemusic. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Sugababes biography". Celebrity Link. Retrieved 15 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "eight" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Album Credits - One Touch". Artist Direct.com. Retrieved 17 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b "Sugababes history". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Artists". Surge.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Sugababes bio". 7digital.com. Retrieved 15 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "The Hitmakers: Richard X". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Platinum Europe Awards 2003". ifpi.org. Retrieved 17 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "The BRIT Awards 2003". BRIT Awards. Retrieved 17 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Band Aid". bobgeldof.info. Retrieved 15 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "MTV Uncut". MTV. Retrieved 19 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Top of the Pops". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Sugababe sadden by live 8 images". DigitialSpy.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Sugababes tickets". World Ticket Shop.com. Retrieved 16 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Album Credits - Taller In More Ways". Artist Direct. Retrieved 17 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Sugababe mum wants out". The Sun Online. Retrieved 17 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "60 second interview". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "The UK music scene is booming". NME.com. Retrieved 16 November. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Sugababes chat to I Like Music". I Like Music. Retrieved 17 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "HMV.com singles: Change (2007)". HMV.com. Retrieved 28 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Sugababes performance". Prince of Wales - PT 30th Birthday Party. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Sugababes- stronger- live 8 Edinburgh". YouTube. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Sugababes-Rock in Lisboa-02 Overload". YouTube. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Sugababes - Interview Live @ Viva Germany January 30.1.2006". YouTube. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Myspace". Sugababes Official MySpace. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Swarovski Fashion Rocks". Sugababes Swarovski. Retrieved 18 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "Sugababes". AskMen.com. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ a b c d "Mean Girls". Guardian Unlimited Arts. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ "Sugaplum fairies". The Observer. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "SUGABABES BLAST SPLIT RUMOURS". Contact Music. Retrieved 7 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "Artists - Sugababes". BBC. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ "Communication: William Day". Spec Magazine. Retrieved 6 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ "Furious girlband attack 'rude' Take That singer". Now magazine. Retrieved 7 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ "Sugababes chart positions". musicsquare.net. Retrieved 18 November. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sugababes.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Sugababes&oldid=178023747"