For all her nervousness, she’s determined to do things her own way.
"Believe me, if this isn’t successful, I’ll go to little cafes in Camden and sing because I love singing. But obviously, I hope it goes better than that!
"The relief of it all is not having to answer to anyone else. Not arguing over who gets to wear what top, as girls do. I have control of my life."
Mutya’s triumphant return - April 5 2007
Mutya Buena played a preview gig at London’s Borderline club last night, giving fans a taste of her new grittier sound.
The 24-year-old, who had said that she was nervous about going solo, was clearly happy at the response from the crowd.
Looking stylish but relaxed in a black top and jeans, Mutya played with such a large backing band that the stage looked as cramped as the dancefloor.
Her change of style from pop, to a much grittier R&B does not seemed to have worried fans - in fact many said that they had switched allegiance from her old band.
"The Sugababes are such a brand now it’s just ridiculous," said Sam Weekes, who had come to see the show for his birthday. "Mutya is so independent and her voice rocks."
Another supporter, Matt, thought her decision to quit the band was probably the best move she could have made.
"I really like Mutya, I’ve got a lot of respect for her," he said. "I think it’s a shame she split from the Sugababes but it’s probably a blessing in disguise."
A highlight of the evening was her first single, the title track Real Girl - which takes the orchestral hook from Lenny Kravitz’s It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over and mixes it with some tough, R&B vocals.
Other songs played included B Boy Baby, which features Amy Winehouse on the album.
The crowd were clearly impressed with the post-Sugababes Mutya and the set was greeted with rapturous applause.
"It’s great to be back," she said.
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In 2000 the trio, now called Sugababes, released their first single to widespread acclaim. Overload reached the British Top Ten and earned the girls their first Brit nomination. However theie debut album, One Touch, failed to reach the levels of popularity expected and with Siobhan leaving the band amid rumours of in-fighting the group were dropped by their label despite hiring ex Atomic Kitten Heidi Range as their newest member.
However with a second album already part recorded the group found new representation in the shape of Island Records. The first single from Angels With Dirty Faces, Freak Like Me, was released in 2002 and fast became the breakthrough single of the year establishing Sugababes as the UK’s top pop act in one easy step. They continued their success with further singles including Round Round and Stronger and soon after with a new album, Three, which produced stand out single Hole in the Head.
Taller in More Ways followed in 2005 along with single Push The Button. However during promotion for the next single, Ugly, Mutya was conspicuously absent and in December 2005 it was announced that she was to leave the band although was to remain ’best of friends’ with Heidi and Keisha.
Immediately after splitting from Sugababes Mutya began working on solo material, collaborating with George Michael, Groove Armada and MC Viper among others. Her duet with Michael was released soon after but the lack of a video promo was blamed for a poor chart positioning. Signed to Island Records Mutya has recorded an album which reportedly includes collaborations with Pharrell and Justin Timberlake and her debut single, Real Girl, is set to be released in June 2007.
Currently living in London, Mutya has one daughter, Tahlia Maya with boyfriend Jay.
October 2007