sugababes catfights

22 Monday 19th January 2004 MUSIC: INTERVIEWS come out and trip or something and it'll be in Heat. SUGABABES The Sugababes manage to nudge the boundaries of saccharine pop while still creating hits as infectious as ‘Freak Like Me’, ‘Overload’ and ‘Hole in the Head’. Adding a dash or streetwise sensibility, no doubt aided by choice collaborations with producers like Richard X, they are a band clearly on the up. But there’s an inevitable dark side to success and fame, people. And rumours of in-fighting, catfights with Atomic Kitten, splitting up, are just as synonymous with the band as their neatly coiffured hair and contagious melodies. At a student press conference, Mutya Buena, Heidi Range and Keisha Buchanan, seemingly set the record straight. Surprisingly pout-free, reposed and cheerful, the girls revealed, among other things, their thoughts on growing up in the media and their plans for the future. That, and rather worrying encounters with our very own King’s students. But the question on all our lips was… If you were in a fight with Atomic Kitten, what weapons would you use? (laughter) Keisha: We wouldn’t use weapons, and we wouldn’t fight them. Not unless they started first. Mutya: No, it’s all about the fists. We wouldn’t fight Atomic Kitten though. If they were in our face, then yeah. We wouldn’t go out of our way to cause trouble. How has growing up in the media affected your lives? H: You grow up very fast - we have had to sacrifice things - but then I guess in any job you have to sacrifice things. M: The worst thing is knowing that when you go out you'll be all over the mags. We go out with our friends- someone will have called the photographers. You go in ok, but you Mutya, Keisha & Heidi What was it like with the new line-up? (Siobhan Donaghy left and was replaced by Heidi Range) M: Before, with the original line-up and original record deal, we realised that we weren’t comfortable- we weren’t being true to ourselves. Basically, when Siobhan left, our management asked us what we wanted to do - go solo, or carry on? We had to sit down and talk. We’ve been doing this since we were eleven - we’ve had to put up with so much stick and I did not lose my friends for nothing. We really wanted to show them. So here we are. Have you got any plans to break America? M: I think at the moment, we’re concentrating on Europe Eastenders or Corrie? and the UK. We want to try America but we’re not going to All: Eastenders! push it. We’re just gonna take our time. We know it’s going to really hard because in America everything’s done up in Does it annoy you when journalists ask you if you get sections - you have the pop, the rock, the Indian etc. on with each other? Because we like to muck about with all our sounds, we’re H: You get some journalists who you so know are trying not sure how they would take us. But so far, we’ve made to catch you out. It’s annoying. some good friends who are American artists who K: But there’s so much stuff think we’ll do really well over there. Keisha: to set straight because K: I think we will try it out but if it doesWe’ve been doing this since we when we were n’t work then it doesn’t work. recording that H: But when I’m back home with loads of mates, I’ll dance to it! were eleven - we’ve had to put up with so album [‘3’], there much stick and I did not lose my friends for Who would you most like to colwere so many nothing. We really wanted to show laborate with and why? rumours flying K: Missy Elliott definitely. She’s worked them. So here we are. around. By the time I with so many people, and she’s just got different ideas for different artists, and it never really comes across as the same thing. You obviously know when you hear it that it’s a Missy track. M: She’s got a lot of ideas, and she doesn’t really stick to the one thing. H: I might say Rod Stewart! got back from Ayia Napa, Mutya was apparently pregnant with twins, and I had recorded a whole album with So Solid apparently! Do you ever dance to your own songs when they’re played in clubs? H: I think if your song comes on, and you sigh and go “I’ll have to sit down for this one”, it causes more of a scene, leaving the dance floor ‘cos your song’s on. K: You do get the mickey taken out of you. The day of the interview, one of our regular reviewers walked into the Roar office, claiming that he had just asked Keisha to feed him some KitKat. Is this true? K: Oh my God - yeah! He asked me, and I was like yeah. But he accidentally bit my finger, and it hurt!! He was pretty strange. So we ran away. (Laughter) By Chryselle Pathmanathan JUICE DJ COMPETITION WIN NER: Amar Sumaria Yes, yes raver!!! It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from TMB, Mr Chug and the MC Smiley but ROAR is pleased to announce the return of Elevate. That's right the number one student night in London is back! We caught up with the multitalented award winning promoter, producer, record label boss and King’s Juice DJ winner - T.M.B. aka Amar Sumaria. Congratulations on winning the title for the second time - how does it feel to make to history? AMAR: Wicked! I hope I can do Kings proud in the regional finals in January. I'd also like big up Mad Mike who played a wicked set. So what have you been up to in the last two years? AMAR: After the Ministry of Sound night we received a lot of positive feedback. We were invited to go on Drum & Bass Arena and Movement nationwide tours, which went amazingly well. The highlight was definitely playing the honour set back to back with Andy C at NY Sushi in Sheffield, the place went off and we rolled over for an extra hour!. Since then we've all taken time out to work on our own stuff. Mr. Chug is working with a new hip-hop label Sonic 360 and I've been busy setup the record label "we owe you records" and laying down some tracks with MC Smiley (Yes ladies, that’s the lovely Kekeli from the previous issue). So what events have you got coming up? AMAR: Well we're all in our final year and we just wanted to mash up the waterfront one last time. For the next night, we are playing back to back on three decks and two mixers for the whole night! Musically it will be the usual mixed bag, but look out for a hip-hop battle and an oldskool jungle and D&B; mix off between me and the Chug. I’ve also been invited to play a set at Phase which will hopefully happen in a couple of weeks. Well for those of us who weren’t around back in the day can you tell us a bit more about the philosophy of the night? AMAR: Musically I’m into anything, I normally concentrate on Jungle but I also play out house, oldskool hardcore and garage & if it will mix in I’ll drop anything from RnB to psytrance in a set. I started elevate because I was pissed off with all the bland DJs and crap atmosphere that was around, so at Elevate we make sure of two things: wicked vibes and sick tunes. Elevate Presents...Cunning Stunts February 9th 2004 @the Waterfront 7-11 D ' : Amar, Chug, James Stephenson and MC Smiley Js (Hip-hop/Breaks/House/Drum and Bass) For more details log on to www.elev8.me.uk By Mampi Swift