Inside Sugababes' feud - 'bullying', devastating diagnoses, and difficult choice
As one of the most successful girl groups of all time, the Sugababes have built up legions of loyal fans since they were first founded in 1998, but their history is a complicated one. Last month, the founding Sugababes members - Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhan Donaghy - released their new single When The Rain Comes ahead of their forthcoming album, due 2024.
This marked the trio's first original record released under the Sugababes name since 2001 and it's clear support for the band is still strong. Of course, as any Sugababes fan knows all too well, the history of the band is anything but simple - with bitter feuds, bullying claims, and devastating diagnoses shifting and shaping the line-up over the years.
The original bandmates formed the Sugababes as teens (Redferns)'Bullying' allegations
Friends from the very beginning, Mutya, Keisha, and Siobhan became a group while still teenagers. Keisha and Mutya had known each other from primary school, while Mutya and Siobhan were signed as solo artists at the age of just 13, and decided to work together after performing at the same showcase.
Keisha was invited along to the recording studio to watch, at which point manager Ron Tom realised they had the potential to form a girl band. The rest, as they say, is history, and the Sugababes - originally Sugababies - released their debut album One Touch in November 2000.
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They quickly began to enjoy critical and commercial success, with their top-ten single Overload even nominated for a BRIT Award. Unfortunately, things started to crumble in 2001, when Siobhan announced she was leaving to pursue a career in fashion - blasting bandmate Keisha as a "bully".
Speaking to The Sun in 2009, Siobhan claimed: "There was no doubt that I was pushed out. It was clear that there was someone in that band who never wanted me in it and that's Keisha. She never wanted me in that band and made my life a living hell. I'll never forgive her. Though no-one forgives that first bully in their lives, do they? No-one does."
In a March 2023 episode of the Spinning Plates podcast, however, Siobhan reflected upon the fall-out during an interview with host Sophie Ellis Bextor, explaining that she'd been suffering from clinical depression at the time. Siobhan said: "Back then I was nervous, Keisha was nervous, and Mutya was nervous. When you're teenagers you don't recognise this in each other - that when you're nervous you kind of go into yourself and it can look like you're moody.
"Whereas now we're very good at communicating with each other. We give each other eye contact on stage. If anyone's having a little bit of a moment, or you need to sing their part, we can quickly do that for each other. So having that support network on stage now is amazing. Keish is a real leader in that. I always feel like she has our back on stage. Vocally and sonically we defer to her to make sure that's right. It's just another weight off my shoulders - I love it."
The bandmates have been open about their mental health struggles (Getty Images)Mental health struggles
Siobhan, who was replaced by former Atomic Kitten member Heidi Range, dealt with her depression by writing music under the alias 'Shanghai Nobody' - an anagram of her name. In 2003, she released her debut solo album Revolution in Me, under her given name, with many of the tracks inspired by her mental health struggles.
Speaking with The Independent at the time, Siobhan said: "[The album] is not completely melancholy and about depression. It is positive. I was very bitter when I left the Sugababes. But one day I woke up and realised: s*** happens. Get over it. I had enough of dwelling on it and blaming others. I felt I needed to become a better person."
In 2005, Mutya also left the band, later revealing that she had been suffering from post natal depression following the birth of her daughter Tahlia. Opening up about her difficult decision, Mutya told RWD magazine: "Everything became a downer and I just couldn't be bothered. But it did get to the point where I couldn't take it any more and it was horrible. All you know is that you feel down and you want to cry."
Communication breakdown
Mutya's replacement was Amelle Berrabah, the winner of Top of the Pops magazine’s 2003 Star Search. In 2009, Keisha, the last original bandmate standing, also called it quits, although stated this was not her choice. Keisha, who was replaced by Jade Ewen, tweeted: "I'm sad to say that I am no longer a part of the Sugababes. Although it was not my choice to leave, it's time to enter a new chapter in my life. I would like to state that there were no arguments, bullying or anything of the sort that lead to this. Sometimes a breakdown in communication and lack of trust can result in many different things."
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