It’s time.
Four lineups. Six members. Seven albums. Thirty-one singles. Two UK #1 albums. Five UK Top 10 albums. Six UK #1 singles. Eighteen UK Top 10 singles. Five headlining tours. Six BRIT Award nominations and one win. 3,500,000 singles sales. 4,000,000 album sales.
And… One bathroom window escape. One secret language. Three bankruptcies. One beauty salon. One butt implant. Three fragrances. One Britney Spears single. Two criminal convictions. One property empire. Five reality TV stints. Four European Union trademark applications. One failed comeback. Countless threads on Popjustice. Hundreds of delusional, unstable and borderline psychotic stans.
One. Iconic. Band.
The Sugababes lay claim to that title because of all of the above, and then some. The length of their tenure, the volume of music they produced, the commercial success they achieved, and the critical acclaim they garnered is, in combination, a claim on iconic status, being unusual for a pop act, and especially unusual for a girlband.
On top of this, the Sugababes are iconic, of course, for the sheer messery they created. From their onset, a cloud of instability surrounded them which would only intensify over the years. Alleged infighting, rumours of bullying between members, palpably tense and terse public appearances, and nefarious management and record labels would be certified with a continuous series of line-up changes. The frighteningly relentless level of D R A M A made the threat of an imminent split permanent for their entire decade plus run (when will Fifth Harmony etc.). All of this made them a permanent fixture in tabloids, on the popular conscience, and of course, on Popjustice.
At their peak, the band ruled British pop, defining the national soundscape, achieving dizzying success and critical acclaim whilst projecting a singular image of assured, edgy coolness. At their nadir, the band plumbed depressing depths, struggling to match earlier artistic and commercial successes, becoming unrecognisable from when they started and turning into a national punchline.
Sixteen years since they burst onto the UK music scene then, and five(/three years) since they were active in any sense – and to fill in the time between refreshing Keisha’s snapchat, Siobhan’s instagram and the European Union Intellectual Property Office Register – now is finally the time to take stock of their discography. In many senses, this catalogue directly reflects and provides context to their highs and lows and charts the remarkable, exhilarating, terrible and tragic trajectory of a vital girlband.Explanations, no you don't need one
THE REASONS
In case you weren't dusting off your One Touch cassette already, the reasons to visit the Sugababes’ discography are numerous and compelling. Musically, it covers practically the entirety of the pop music gamut, from the glossiest of pop to the hardest hitting R&B. Each of its iterations changed the band’s sound and charted a course through a vast swathe of the pop landscape – from Pop/R&B-lite to urban power pop to polished pure pop to electropop – incorporating along the way UK garage, grime, crunk, trip-hop, new wave, soul, funk, dance, dubstep and even downtempo. These styles are spread across body-pulverising bangers, simmering midtempos and ballads of every kind. Such musical range has rarely, if ever, been observed with a girlband. If you are a fan of pop, there is a lot to consider, digest and enjoy here.
Industry-wise, the decade during which the Sugababes were active marks an important period in British pop, where a number of consequential shifts occurred in the mainstream sound which are readily apparent today. Chronologically, the band was ahead of and forcefully driving these shifts; on par with and reflecting them exemplarily; and falling behind and struggling to keep up with them, making the discography a remarkably comprehensive case study of a music industry’s evolution. In particular, the Sugababes’ emergence signalled the rise of a number of producers who would become prolific and acclaimed during the decade, including Richard X and Xenomania.
As a girlband, the Sugababes are a fascinating case study. In many ways, they refined the template for the modern Pop/R&B girlband, and pushed it forward in several important ways, only to tear it to shreds. Each lineup change had a distinct impact on the band’s sound, vocals and image to the point where four distinct girlbands can be said to exist under the banner of the “Sugababes”. Such existential variance marks them out as particularly anomalous, even within the girlband pantheon, and makes their discography – which telegraphs these changes – absorbing listening.
Finally, the Sugababes have been integral to the Popjustice experience. Popjustice.com went online just as the Sugababes launched themselves, and the site has mapped the band’s career trajectory ever since. On the forum, the threads involving the Sugababes have attracted some of the largest audiences for any act. They feature emotional highs, incisive discussion, unbelievable kiis, utter messes, despicable misogyny, ridiculous drama and soul-crushing despair at levels rarely seen elsewhere on the forum. All of this is reflective of the large, terrible and continuing attraction the band holds for the Popjustice populace. Collectively and individually, the Sugababes – Mutya, Keisha, Siobhán, Heidi, Amelle and Jade – have been an essential part of Popjustice’s imagination. Looking at their discography then, is a way of understanding this community itself; if not its present, then at least its equally glorious and messy past.
Let me lay out the law
THE RULES
- Rate each song below from 0 to 10. Decimals are allowed, but don’t get too crazy.
- You may award one song, and one song only, the coveted 11. Choose wisely.
- For songs with multiple versions – i.e. where a new lineup rerecorded an older lineup’s song or when there are acoustic and non-acoustic versions of songs – rate the version you prefer.
- Troll votes will be discarded immediately. This is especially the case of you foolishly decide to take an irrational stand against any particular line-up. Trust me, it’ll be obvious.
- Commentary is highly encouraged. Were you there when “Overload” was first played on radio? Were you up at midnight to download free thank you to the fans "Freedom" from Amazon dot com? Tell me about it, and everything in between.
Votes are due October 23 26, 8:00PM NZST | 8:00AM BST
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Finally, and on a personal note, this rate is a labour of love that has been in the making for nearly two years. As I was killing sleep in the early hours the day (NZST) writing my thesis and stumbling through life in a state of delirious exhaustion throughout that whole time, planning this rate and allowing it to slowly take shape in my head was one of the few things giving me some respite. I am beyond excited to finally bring it into being and to share it with you all, and to initiate what I hope will an appreciation and celebration of a band beloved by so many of us here.
Let’s have a party y’all…
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