Sugababes founding member Mutya Buena is quitting the band.
After speculation about her future, the singer confirmed today (December 21) that she is parting ways with the group.
“I’ve enjoyed an unbelievable career so far and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved with Sugababes over the years. My decision to leave the band at this point is based purely on my personal reasons. It was very difficult but definitely not a snap decision,” Buena told the band’s official website Sugababes.com/.
“I signed up for being in Sugababes at the age of 13 and have spent my entire life devoted to making and performing music,” she added. “I think there comes a time when everyone wants to re-evaluate their life and what they want out of it. For me that time has now come. For a long time I have been discussing with Heidi and Keisha our plans for the future and it got to the point where I honestly felt that the commitment I would need to make to Sugababes over the next 12 months was something that would become compromised by me.”
The band plan to announce a replacement member to join Heidi Range and Keisha Buchanan in the next 24 hours.
Reacting to her bandmate’s departure Buchanan said it felt natural to bring in a new band member.
“It goes without saying that we will all miss Mutya,” she told the band’s website, “but we also knew there was still a place for bringing in somebody new who could help us carry on taking the Sugababes brand of music forward.”
Discussing the impending new ‘babe, Range revealed: “Our management introduced us to someone they had been working with who undoubtedly had an amazing voice, who looked great and, just as important, was already a big fan of the band! When we all met her, we instantly knew she was the only person to share the rest of the journey with us.”
She also added that that the split with Buena was amicable, stating: “Mutya’s still going to be missed but it’s great that we’re parting company still as best friends.”
Buena, who gave birth to her first child Tahila in March, is not the first Sugababe to leave the group. Fellow founding member Siobhan Donaghy quit the band during their 2001 Japanese tour, causing Range to join.
Sugababes are now set to tour the US in 2006 before appearing as special guests on Take That’s reunion tour.
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