Sugababes

Multi-ethnic U.K.

trio Sugababes jumped aboard the teen pop bandwagon prior to the new millennium and exuded their own sassy demeanor without the frivolity of most mainstream acts.

Siobhan Donaghy, Keisha Buchanan, and Mutya Buena were barely in their teens when they formed in 1998, sharing a liking of garage, hip-hop, and dance music.

Initially, Sugababes were three friends who enjoyed singing along to the radio.

Buchanan and Buena had been pals since primary school, and a chance meeting with Donaghy molded a fierce bond.

A career in music wasn't intentional, yet a deal with London surfaced in 2000.

Studio time with producer Cameron McVey (All Saints, Pete Tong) led to One Touch, which was released during the summer of 2001 and featured a dozen tracks co-written by the girls, including the smash hit "Overload." Sales didn't meet London's expectations.

The group was subsequently dropped.

During the fall of 2001, rumors swirled about Donaghy's departure.

Buena and Buchanan denied that Donaghy was kicked out of the group, but she was nonetheless gone after a four-year run.

Heidi Range, one of the pre-chart members of Atomic Kitten, became her replacement, and Angels with Dirty Faces -- the group's second album -- was released through a new deal with Island by the end of 2002.

The Richard X-produced "Freak Like Me," a cover of Adina Howard's 1995 R&B hit that featured a bolstered version of Tubeway Army's "Are Friends Electric" as its backdrop, debuted as a number one hit in the U.K.

The Xenomania-produced "Round Round" followed suit with identical success.

Three, released in late 2003, fittingly topped out at number three on the U.K.

album chart.

It spawned another U.K.

number one, "Hole in the Head," which even managed to scrape the Hot 100 in the U.S.

and hit the top of the same country's dance chart.

Amazingly, the group was never given much of a push stateside.

Taller in More Ways, the fourth album, followed roughly two years later and eclipsed the group's already successful run by reaching the top of the U.K.

album chart.

Shortly after its release, Buena left the group on good terms, citing personal reasons.

Amelle Berrabah's entry into the group prompted a re-release of Taller that featured her vocals on a handful of cuts; Buena's work was left intact on a few others, and the album eventually gained platinum status.

Overloaded: The Singles Collection was out by the end of 2006.

Change, an album that contained the chart-topping single "About You Now," was released in 2007, and it was followed by 2008's Catfights and Spotlights.

Prior to completing 2010's Sweet 7, Buchanan was removed from the group and subsequently replaced by Jade Ewen, who had competed unsuccessfully as the British entrant in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.

Sugababes' lineup no longer featured any of the original membership.

Despite all the negative publicity and an upset fan base, a handful of singles off Sweet 7 reached the U.K.

Top Ten.

~ MacKenzie Wilson & Andy Kellman, Rovi

Girl group Sugababes believe that their new album will not be in competition with former member Keisha Buchanan's solo work.

(BANG) -

Sugababes insist Keisha Buchanan's solo work is no "competition" to them.

The group - Jade Ewen, Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah - have recently started working on their new album and though their former bandmate is also in the studio recording her debut LP, the `Get Sexy' hitmakers insist there is no rivalry.

Jade - who replaced Keisha in the band last September - said: "Keisha is a solo artist and we're a group so we're not in competition with each other at all. That would be ridiculous - I've never even met her."

The girls - whose last record, 'Sweet 7' failed to make it into the top 10 in the UK charts- are excited about working on their next release but are still unsure how it will sound.

Speaking at the WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party at The Roof Gardens in Kensington, Heidi told BANG Showbiz: "We're only three days into recording our new album, so it's early days. We're not sure about any collaboration yet and we don't even know when it's going to be released."

Amelle- who replaced founded member Mutya Buena in 2005 - added: "We're keeping to our Sugababes sound but we're also hoping to try new things too."

Sugababes reckon they have finally grown up with their next record, 'Sweet 7' their most mature to date.

(BANG) -

Sugababes reckon they have finally grown up on their latest album.

The girl group - which features Heidi Range, 26, Jade Ewen, 22, and Amelle Berrabah, 25 - said their forthcoming record, 'Sweet 7' shows a more mature sound and, lyrically, is a better reflection of who they are.

Heidi said: "We've grown up; and with the things we talk about in the lyrics, we've grown up. Every album we've wanted to take a step up; and this is definitely the best album we've done. It was exciting for us, a whole new sound."

The group - who signed to Jay-Z's Roc nation record label last year - also said their new label introduced them to different producers - including RedOne and Ne-Yo - who all had a positive effect on the group.

Heidi added: "It was more exciting for us and, it's a personal relationship I suppose. Of course we understand it' still a business at the end of the day, but they seem to care about us and encourage us."

The group were, however, rocked recently when tracks from 'Sweet 7' were leaked online, but said they are close to finding out who is responsible for the leak, after an enquiry which they compared to TV series '24'.

Jade added to website DigitalSpy: "There's some detective work going on and apparently we're close to finding out where it's from.

"All of the CDs are watermarked so they can find out where it came from and who's had it. It's like on '24', there's a whole investigation going on."

The Sugababes - Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen - have made a resolution to crack the US in 2010.

(BANG) -

The Sugababes have made a resolution to crack the US in the New Year.

The British girl group - who have had a difficult year after the last remaining original member Keisha Buchanan left the band in September to be replaced by Jade Ewen - plan to launch a full blown assault on America in 2010.

Heidi Range, 26, said: "We're planning to go over there next year. We can't wait. We don't know when it will be as we have so much to do in the UK first, but it will happen."

Heidi - who is also joined in the trio by Amelle Berrabah - believes the girls have as much chance as anyone to crack the US.

She said: "There's room for everyone in the US. We've delayed our new album until next year. Hopefully, by then, we'll have all moved on and can just talk about music."