Sugababes
Not so much a band, more a brand, it seems that the Sugababes can change their line-up at will, but the hits just keep on coming. First there were three: Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy. Mates from school, they were 16 when they were signed up and hit the big time in a heartbeat with the wise-beyond-their-years slinky sound of Overload. Suddenly, the Sugababes were the girl group du jour, but just as their train was building up some speed, Siobhan pulled the emergency cord and hopped off.
Would that be the end of the Babes? Not a bit of it. They simply regrouped and recruited Atomic Kitten reject Heidi Range, who, fair play, was blonde and could sing a bit. The new mix purred as soon as it was switched on and the Sugababes went from strength to strength with a string of intelligent and insanely catchy R&B/pop hits, including Freak Like Me, Round, Round, Hole In The Head and Push The Button.
And indeed, the girls continued to push the buttons of fans and critics alike, winning Brit Awards, scoring No.1 singles and albums and it seemed that would continue anon - until 2005 when Mutya decided she'd had enough too. Surely this was a breach too far for the intrepid trio? Again, no. Amelle Berrabah was signed up, album Change released and single About You Now stayed atop the UK charts for four weeks.
The band had yet another line-up shift in 2009 when the final original member Keisha Buchanan was gently pushed and replaced by Eurovision warbler Jade Ewen. So are the Sugababes still really the Sugababes? Er, no, but that hasn't stopped Jay-Z taking a punt on them though, with the new trio signed to his label and readying themselves to break the US with album Sweet 7. What price the Sugababes mean age staying under 25 for the next 25 years? You'd get short odds against it.
Clare Lydon
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