A few highlights from the latest interview
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.
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?
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.
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.