Sugababes Enter Phase Four - page 2

26 September 2009

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Where a line-up change would trigger a break-up in most cases, Sugagabes refused to let Siobhan's departure end their career and instead Atomic Kitten singer Heidi Range stepped in.

With 'One Touch' not doing as well as expected, the group were dropped by their record label but immediately signed by Island Records.

Five years of (apparent) harmony and four number one singles followed before Mutya suddenly announced she had decided to leave the band. Having been on hiatus while the young star gave birth to her first baby, daughter Tahlia, the band had returned in October 2001 with number one single 'Push The Button' and their first number one album in 'Taller In More Ways'. However, in December, Mutya pulled out of promotional appearances, citing illness, before finally admitting she had left the band.

Keisha and Heidi insisted they had no idea Mutya was planning to leave, and despite insisting she quit for "personal reasons" - namely wanting to spend more time with her family - rumours were abound of more in-fighting. This was further fuelled by Mutya's announcement shortly after her departure that she was planning to launch a solo career, mystifying her former bandmates. "On the day, she wouldn't even make eye contact and afterwards she just left the room immediately," Heidi later recalled. "I never called her, because I feel betrayed and I feel that I deserved an explanation. It broke my trust."

Around two years after she left, Mutya admitted she had clashed with Keisha during her time in the band, and claimed she left because she was "different" to Heidi and her old school friend. "Now that I'm not with the Sugababes, I realise that we are very different people and I think it actually takes for you to move on with your life to realise certain things. We are totally different people. I can see where we would clash," she said. "You fall apart or you become stronger as friends. And Keisha knows, as I knew, that we drifted apart. Most of the bickering (in the group) was between me and Keisha."

Mutya's departure had intensified the group's "bully" reputation so much that even her replacement, then-unknown singer Amelle admitted she was nervous of joining the band. She confessed: "I must admit I was scared when I joined. I'd heard about the infighting and bullying that supposedly went on and I believed it."

The girls have previously laughed off their reputation, with Heidi insisting people think they are "catty" simply "because we're a bunch of girls" and, with Amelle joining, they appeared to be slowly putting their nasty side behind them.

However, earlier this month Amelle's worried family feared she had been kidnapped after she apparently disappeared following a row with Keisha. No one could contact the brunette beauty for days, with those around her speculating she would quit the group over the strain.

Whereas it had previously only been speculation that there was bullying within the band, Amelle's sister came forward to reveal there had been a physical fight over her sibling's solo work - her recent collaboration with rapper Tinchy Stryder, 'Never Leave You', topped the UK singles chart.

Zakiya Berrabah said: "They always got on well, but it's all changed since Amelle's been doing solo work. She's been offered loads of great stuff - Chris Brown wants to work with her and Justin Timberlake asked her to do a duet with him. As soon as Keisha heard about that, all hell broke loose. They had a physical fight over it, like a proper punch-up. Amelle tore out one of Keisha's hair extensions and then left. They didn't speak for two weeks."

According to Zakiya, the incident with Keisha wasn't a one-off. She added: "Keisha has been making Amelle's life hell for the past two months. Keisha would ignore her or call her a boy because of her short hair. She's 100 per cent jealous of Amelle and it has left her dreading going into work."

Zakiya's revelations further fuelled speculation Amelle was set to quit, despite Keisha speaking out to insist she had never bullied any of her bandmates. She wrote on her Twitter page: "There has NEVER been bullying in Sugababes EVER ! I'll take a lie detector test to prove everything if I have to. I'm sick of this... [People] see me as the longest standing member and assume that I'm the b***h who causes people to walk, and it's totally untrue and unfair."

Amelle has now confirmed her sister's claims, saying she and Heidi lived in fear of Keisha's fiery temper and couldn't cope with the rows any longer.

She revealed: "Keisha didn't leave off her own back - me and Heidi couldn't carry on. You shouldn't have to go to work treading on eggshells.

"Heidi completely supported me and knew what was going on within the band. We weren't happy and it was a struggle to come into work.

"The problems started in the last few months but it was a long time coming. I'm a chilled person and want to get on with my work and be happy."

Heidi - now the longest-serving member of the trio - wanted Keisha gone, because she was worried her behavior could affect their chances of success in America after they signed a deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. She said: "We couldn't work together anymore. But we did not want to throw away what we had achieved and split up. None of us were happy. We had to make a decision."

Two days after it was reported that Amelle would definitely quit the group to be replaced by Jade, it was announced Keisha had in fact departed to be replaced by the Eurovision entrant.

"Devastated" Keisha instantly turned to Twitter complain she had been pushed out and again insist she was not a bully.

"Although it was not my choice to leave, it's time to enter a new chapter in my life. I have nothing but positive things to say about the girls and I wish them the best of luck. I would like to state that there were no arguments, bullying or anything of the sort that led to this," she wrote. "Sometimes a break down in communication and lack of trust can result in many different things. I would also like to point out that I have always supported the girls and they have also supported me."

While the new-look Sugababes continue to plot chart success, the past may well come back to haunt them with the prospect of a chart battle with the original trio.

Mutya wants to reunite with Keisha and Siobhan, saying of the new line-up: "Hooking up with the rest of the girls, I think that could be an amazing idea."

However, quite whether the public can take two trios fighting and b****ing is questionable, although the fireworks would be fun while they lasted. The Sugababes are dead! Long live the Sugababes!

By Viki Waters

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