MKS – aka Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan, aka the original Sugababes – complete their comeback with a performance at G-A-Y this weekend! Cliff Joannou called them up for a chat…
How long was it since you’d seen each other before you reunited?
SIOBHAN: I’d seen Mutya recently. We’d seen each other at parties, so probably not even a year before. We always ran into each other at parties.
Who kicked off the reunion idea?
SIOBHAN: The fans.
KEISHA: Our fans and the general public. They were rooting for us to reform and we really got the confidence through them. We met up shortly after I left the Sugababes, but we felt that we would only rejoin if it felt right and not because of the situation. We decided against it at first but people still bugged us about it a year later, so we thought, maybe one studio session to see if we gel, and that turned into an album and then our record deal.
Siobhan, what made you want to come back to the group after so long?
SIOBHAN: For me, my biggest thing was I wanted to song write again. I missed that. But not just that, I specifically wanted to make a record with Mutya and Keisha. It just niggled away at me and when everything started to come together I just pursued it. The timing was right and we might not get the opportunity again. And we did have unfinished business, and we would have always wondered what that next record would have sounded like, so we gave it a go.
So have you recorded the whole album?
SIOBHAN: Yeah, it’s all done.
How many tracks did you do?
MUTYA: So many…
SIOBHAN: Between 14 or 15.
MUTYA: We worked on two or three tracks a day.
How would you describe the sound of the album? Will it be a ‘One Touch’ pt. 2?
SIOBHAN: There is a Sugababe sound. Fundamentally it is a Sugababes album, but obviously with the new trends we’re going to bring it more up to date. But there’s lots of different genres on there, you can go really alternative or really urban and it still works with our voices.
KEISHA: We’re so proud of our album. It’s a fusion of pop R’n’B, indie, big hooks, big beats, ballads, up tempos. It’s back to what we feel the Sugababes were about: harmonies, cool pop music. It’s moved on from One Touch musically. We were teenagers then, in a different place, so it had a very moody feel, whereas this album reflects where we are now, which is happy, positive and strong. The one thing that we wanted was to make a body of work that flows like One Touch, but has a very positive and aspirational feel.
MUTYA: It’s all about the vocals.
Is this a long-term reunion or is it a one album project at the moment?
KEISHA: We hate the word reunion! The girls are back, baby.
MUTYA: This is long term thing. We definitely want to do a second album. We’ve all got commitments, I’ve got a child, but this is what we want to do and where I want to be. I’d never do a solo album again.
Really?
MUTYA: Nooooo!
Why not?
MUTYA: It’s just not nice. It’s lonely. I guess I just really like having the other girls there. I love doing it all together.
SIOBHAN: I love being on stage with the other two girls. You can look at each other, it takes the pressure off.
We love ‘Flatline’! But why was the release delayed?
SIOBHAN: Ask Polydor! [laughs] We don’t know about the schedule, or stuff like that, we just do the creative part and then behind the scenes is not to do with us.
MUTYA: [Laughs]
KEISHA: For us the goal was to write our first single and pull a great album together for our fans. We are really proud of ourselves, and we’ve done what we needed to do creatively. We are not afraid of what comes next, good or bad we are real musicians here to stay, it’s about a journey, really, not just one single. We’re not under any illusions that our hype will give us a number one we’re just going to work hard, stay humble and enjoy every minute the best we can.
Were you worried about the chart position, as the single was released on a Friday and chart positions are decided on Sunday?
SIOBHAN: We kinda know we’re going to hurt the chart position in doing it, but we just want to make it available for people that are watching Alan Carr. There’s been so much hype about the single and our live stuff, that it already feels like a success anyway and we’re already focusing on the tour.
“That was then, and this is now.”
Have you chosen a second single already?
KEISHA: Yes, but I can’t say.
Will it be out this side of Christmas?
SIOBHAN: It’ll go to radio before Christmas, but it’ll be out in the new year.
You mentioned that you felt like you lost so many teenage years to the Sugababes, when you were in the band. Do you feel like that now?
SIOBHAN: I think what we lost we’ve now gained in different ways. It wasn’t exactly a normal childhood.
KEISHA: We feel like we didn’t get looked after in the right way, a lot went on but we have moved on and learnt valuable life lessons. I think adults and young people coming into this industry should really learn the business first because 85% of this thing is business.
Is there a difference between the Sugababes and MKS?
KEISHA: We are the Sugababes, silly! [laughs] We will always feel like the Sugababes. However, I love Jade’s voice and Heidi is one of the hardest working people I know. All three are talented.
MUTYA: I think Sugababes was a sound really, wasn’t it? We do have that sound and I think that’s what a lot of people remember us for, our singing and our harmonies and being us really.
If the Sugababes name was available when you reformed would you have taken it back for your return? Or still started afresh?
SIOBHAN: We didn’t want it. People think we’re crazy, but in the end that band became about the members being interchangeable and it didn’t matter, but our statement is that it does matter and we’re not interchangeable. That was then, and this is now.
With the name, you’re making a statement that it’s all about you three…
MUTYA: Absolutely.
SIOBHAN: It’s our creative input that makes a record and the visuals, it’s not a team of people puppeteering us. It’s not how it works. It’s not a brand. It’s three individuals that work together and we’re letting people know that.
The Scala gig was huge and sold out within minutes. And at Brighton Pride the reception was massive. Were you expecting that kind of response or were you a bit nervous before you released any material?
MUTYA: We were nervous but really excited to come back out and show people what we’ve got. Especially doing the Scala gig, I had no idea. I knew it had sold out but I wasn’t expecting it to be how it was when I walked out.
You performed some early Sugababes covers. How did you pick what tracks to do, that wasn’t too far away from what you guys are all about?
SIOBHAN: It’s the ones we liked the most. If we wanted a mid tempo ballad then the girls wanna make sure I’m comfortable, too, and they’re like ‘Well what do you like’ and I really loved ‘Stronger’ and everyone there loved it. It was amazing. It was a bit of a no brainer, but we’ll mix it up as we go along.
You’ve got your big G-A-Y gig this week…
KEISHA: It’s so exciting! It’s been so much fun performing the new material.
SIOBHAN: It’s going to be great.
How are you preparing for that? And how many songs are you going to do?
SIOBHAN: Is it five?
MUTYA: I think it’s five.
SIOBHAN: We’re doing five songs. It’s such a good fun night; we can let off steam and really enjoy it. It’s always a really welcoming upbeat crowd. We know we’ll have a good time on that one.
• MKS play G-A-Y @ Heaven (Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG) on Saturday 14th September, 10.30pm-late. Discount wristbands from G-A-Y Bar. The single ‘Flatine’ is out now.
