The Sugababes are back
It’s approaching 9.30pm on the Friday of Glastonbury 2022 and there’s a crowd swelling at the Avalon stage. With every minute that goes by, the sense of anticipation becomes more heightened as the crowd grows ever larger. I’m squashed up against the barrier on stage left, between my boyfriend and a girl who has had one too many ciders. Behind me there’s a huge sea of unfamiliar faces, all here for the same reason and all sharing the same thought: do the Sugababes still have it?
The band were British pop royalty in the early Noughties, and this is only the second time that its original members, Siobhán Donaghy, Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena, have performed together since reforming and reclaiming the Sugababes name – and the demand to see them is so high that not a blade of grass around the stage is visible through the heavy throngs. It is, as some might say, a make-or-break moment…
The trio first formed in 1998, after Buena met Donaghy at a musical showcase and they decided to work together, inviting Buena’s childhood friend Buchanan to join the mix. Their debut single, “Overload”, released two years later, was a critical and commercial success, reaching the Top 10 in the UK charts and cementing them as ones to watch. In the following years, amid a string of line-up changes, the band had six number one singles and two number one albums. Individually Buena, Buchanan and Donaghy also enjoyed impressive solo careers, but after regrouping as MKS in 2012, they’re now fully back as Sugababes, and this time it’s about focusing on the music rather than controversy.
“I think we have such a deep understanding of our differences and our similarities and what everyone’s boundaries are. We are just in such a good place,” Donaghy says when I catch up with the band some eight months after that Glasto performance. “No friendship is totally solid until it has been tested. I think we have all been through the mill in similar and different ways and just have a real respect for each other. It’s good to come back and to feel this strong.”
Their big return to music comes at a time when the industry is experiencing a shift. Artists such as Raye are proving that the need for big-label support is a thing of the past, and apps like TikTok have the power to make or break an artist overnight. These differences stand in stark contrast to what the trio were used to back when they were starting out. “There’s a lot more youthful energy.
We were never polished as a band, but the industry was back then,” Buchanan says as she alternates between sips of the Diet Coke and coffee she’s got in her hands. “For artists wanting to come into the industry, you can just make a record in your room and put it out.”
Donaghy also has thoughts: “I often laugh when I see Mutya and Keisha walking down the street towards me, because we look like three misfits together. People try to do that. It’s like a faux eccentricity to make yourself interesting, but I think it’s lovely that we don’t need to try.” Seeing them together today, it’s easy to forget how long they’ve been in the industry. Barely 16 when they had their first taste of success, they lived the majority of their adolescence in the public eye. Looking back at press material and photoshoots from when they started out is also a humbling eye-opener. Buchanan admits she finds it difficult to read the things that were written about her during that time, so tends to avoid it. “The only negative thing about being back with the girls is the pictures that we took during that era [being used in the press]. [In some] I look like a boy called Dwayne,” she laughs.
“I look like a Chinese nine-year-old boy on our album cover!” Buena says. “I’ve also been on YouTube and looked at a few interviews. I do find it hilarious because I think, ‘What the fuck? Shut the fuck up. What are you talking about?’” These interviews show just how far they’ve come and how much they’ve grown both as individuals and as a band. Speaking to them today, it’s clear to see that their relationship has grown into a sisterhood. They seem more tight-knit than ever – and ready to prove people wrong. It’s also evident that, despite having been in the industry for more than two decades, they are astounded by the magnitude of their success. As a threesome they still have moments of disbelief at what they’ve achieved.
“To be honest, I have [them] quite a lot,” Buena says. “At the shows it’s quite emotional because you think, ‘Wow, people are here for us.’ I’m always like, ‘Oh my God, this is a crazy moment. Something to remember!’ When we were younger, it was a bit more of a blur for me. So now I’m really taking it in and appreciating everything.”
Later this year, they’ll enjoy another career high with a one-night-only headline show at the O2 arena in Greenwich, following in the footsteps of industry juggernauts like Taylor Swift, Adele and Beyoncé in taking to that stage. They’re in the process of visualising the show, but guarantee it’s going to be their most ambitious yet. They enjoyed a sold-out tour run late last year that encompassed 17 dates across the UK – perfect preparation for their night at the O2. Having attended their gig in Leeds, I can attest to the fact that the crowd knew every lyric, with some even mirroring the choreography. “We’ve always been in contact with a lot of the fans.
Even when it comes to replying to messages, it’s always quite a big relationship between us,” Buena says, before Buchanan adds: “We’re just incredibly blessed and grateful. They’ve grown up with us. Even though we’ve been inspired by people we listened to growing up, to hear [our music] back and to have people say, ‘You helped me through that tough time,’ it’s so special. They’ve come from all around the world as well. It’s so surprising.”
Aside from touring, they’re also in the studio working on new music. It’s early days, but they’re in the process of honing their sound and building on their impressive back catalogue. They see a long future rolling out ahead of them and are excited about what’s to come. “I’m seeing this as a journey. I hope that we go on to be an example of strong female relationships,” Buchanan says. “Our whole band is about not being perfect and just growing and enjoying it and making amazing music.”
“And not writing women off!” Donaghy throws in. “As we get older, you are expected to look a certain way and then you look at some of these rock bands with guys in who are 80 and no one says anything. So maybe we can be there to show people that women can do it too.”
But back to that night at Glastonbury, where they embarked on the first leg of their comeback journey: the trio are experiencing their own sense of quiet anticipation backstage. Oblivious to the growing crowd out front, they’re unsure if anyone has actually turned up to watch them, alternating between rum punch and water with paracetamol and running through vocal exercises to distract them from the pre-show jitters. A technician tapes the set list to the front of the stage, featuring all the greats from their discography – “Overload”, “Freak Like Me”, “About You Now” and “Round Round” – which promises to ignite the audience. The lights dim and the three stomp onstage, clad in mismatched outfits that accentuate their individualism. The familiar and satisfying opening beats of “Push the Button” boom from the speakers, the crowd erupts, a wave of energy washes over the tent and in that moment it’s obvious that Sugababes still have it.
