Sydney Mardi Gras headliners Sugababes triumphed over ‘heartbreaking’ struggles

After months of anticipation, it’s been revealed that a hugely successful UK pop group will headline Sydney Mardi Gras.

L-R: Sugababes members Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan.

The Sugababes story is one of the more complicated in modern pop music – and for years, it seemed destined not to have a happy ending.

After seven albums and three different line-up changes that saw each original member, in turn, replaced with a new person, the group’s initial, prolific run finished in 2011.

A year later, the group’s three founding members – Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Beuna and Siobhan Donaghy – went back to basics, reforming the original line-up and recording several albums’ worth of fantastic songs.

But there were problems. They couldn’t use the name Sugababes, instead having to perform under the less catchy moniker Mutya Keisha Siobhán, or MKS.

An understated 2013 single, Flatline, didn’t make much of a dent in the charts – and then, everything went very quiet again, save for the songs they’d been working on leaking online. So much potential, it seemed, had amounted to very little.

L-R: Sugababes members Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan say their current reunion has been “magical.”

A decade later – a lifetime in pop – and suddenly, miraculously, the Sugababes are in the midst of a new dream run.

They won the right to use their name again after a stressful court battle. They finally released the album they’d intended to a decade earlier, dropping The Lost Tapes to a rapturous reception from fans on Christmas Eve.

And they’re doing something the OG Sugababes barely got to do first time around, when they were three shy, heavenly-voiced teens with impossibly cool songs like Overload and Run For Cover: Tour.

Next month they embark on their first Australian headlining tour, and with tickets to the Sydney show sold out, we can reveal that they’ll also headline the Sydney Mardi Gras Party on February 25 as part of the city's World Pride celebrations.

I spoke to Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan over Zoom ahead of their Australian visit and found three women humbled by their recent success – and eager to make up for lost time.

Let’s start with the exciting news – the Australian tour is close to selling out, and now you’re headlining Mardi Gras.

Keisha: I knew we had fans (in Australia), but I’m still excited – when we announced the tour, I thought ‘Let’s find out if people actually know who we are!’

Siobhan: When we were doing our UK tour last year, doing our meet and greets, honestly it felt like every third person had flown in from Australia. It wasn’t lost on us.

It seemed like your performance at Glastonbury Festival last year was a real turning point for the group; an indication that this reunion would be a success (they played a smaller stage, which had to be shut down as fans swarmed to hear hits like Round Round and Push the Button).

Keisha: We were pleasantly surprised. We’ve been through so much over the past 10 years – we had all this legal stuff happening and we didn’t really get a chance to have the launch that we wanted. Last year really felt like we got everything we wanted, and more.

Every time we’d do a show, we’d ask our management ‘Are people going to be there?’ It’s been humbling, and we’re really enjoying ourselves.

Sugababes surprise-released The Lost Tapes before Christmas, dusting off stunning 10-year-old songs that had never been properly released.

It seemed much harder to get momentum going 10 years ago when you had to perform as MKS. The it feels like the stars have aligned this time around.

Siobhan: What happened for us last year … there was just something in the air. Everything was magical throughout the whole year. Every gig just got bigger and it just kept snowballing. We weren’t doing anything different – we always just show up and give it our absolute best – but there was total magic in the air.

You released The Lost Tapes album as a Christmas gift to fans. Some of us may have already been familiar with those songs from their original leak …

Siobhan: Look, I would’ve downloaded it (when it leaked) too.

Keisha: After it was leaked, even though we loved that our fans liked the music, it was so heartbreaking for us. Obviously we write our own stuff, and it’s not easy to be creative on the spot. When it leaked online, and we were fighting for the (Sugababes) name, for me personally there were times when I wondered ‘Will it ever see the light of day?’ It feels so good to have some new music out to perform.

Was it important to finally get those songs out in their intended form?

Keisha: Our pet peeve is the whole ‘heritage band’ thing. We’re grateful for the past the Sugababes have had, but it was important to have some fresh things out for fans.

Siobhan: I felt like personally, I couldn’t move on. Everyone was like ‘When’s the new music coming?’ But I couldn’t think about new music because I thought, ‘What’s the point, if what I consider to be an amazing body of work just means nothing and never gets released?’ I found that really demotivating. For me, it was something that had to be released or I just couldn’t move on. Now, it does pave the way for new music.

Brand new music in 2023, then?

Mutya: We’ve got so much going on this year, so it’s about finding the right timing. Hopefully, we’re looking at working with some good producers.

It was lovely to see All Saints member Shaznay Lewis in the songwriting credits for a few songs on The Lost Tapes. Girl band cross-pollination!

Siobhan: I remember her watching our dynamic – cackling, giggling and gossiping – and going “Oh my god, this is so weird.” It was before (All Saints) had started performing together again, and she said we just reminded her so much of them. When we’re together, we kind of regress to being our younger selves. It’s quite cool to be in a girl band!

A teenage Sugababes during a 2001 Australian visit, L-R: Siobhan, Mutya and Keisha.

Cool indeed, but it must be a different proposition to back when you were teenagers – there are children, other ventures, whole lives to organise things around.

Mutya: For me it’s pretty simple, my daughter’s nearly 18. So I’m hoping our days and months and years get really busy.

Keisha: When Mutya had (daughter) Tahlia, it was at the height of Push the Button (success). The schedule was busy, and it was dictated to us by everyone around us. Going into it this time around, it has to work around our lives. And with music, there is no real ‘stop’ – it’s just when you feel like making a record. The Rolling Stones are still going at 80! I don’t see why we ever need to stop.

These past 10 years have been a long journey to get the Sugababes back together again. Were there times when you lost hope it would come together?

Keisha: We didn’t have an official conversation, but if I’m honest, there were times where some of us were more tapped out than others, and it kind of rotated at times. It was really stressful … dealing with legal issues keeps you in high anxiety, and it was quite an unfair experience.

Back in the Day: Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan circa 2001.

But when we create music together, it’s something that feels special – it’s undeniable, and it trumps everything. It’s almost god-ordained, in a way. Because of that, it was something that I could never fully let go of, even when the temptation was there at times, because of how stressful things were. The lesson is: Perseverance is key.

Siobhan: I felt like I was really pushing and pushing – like we all were – until I got to a point where I thought, ‘Maybe if I just take my foot off the gas and let fate decide.’ I’d also had two children in the meantime. I always felt like it was going to come back around, but not if we pushed – it had to happen naturally.

It’s been a long journey … for the fans especially.

The Sugababes play Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Feb 23 (sold out), Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena on Feb 24, Sydney Mardi Gras Party on Feb 25 (sold out) and Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Feb 27. Tickets via Secret Sounds.

The Lost Tapes is now available to stream.