Amelle Berrabah, currently the second-most-senior member of the British pop trio Sugababes, is taking an “unexpected short break away from the pressures of work, following some professional medical advice earlier this week,” according to a statement posted on the girl-group-in-tumult’s site this morning. She’ll be staying in a private health clinic for the next three weeks and taking a break from the group, which has been forced to cancel even more upcoming live appearances as a result of all this. (Remaining members Heidi Range and Jade Ewen will, however, travel to an Irish gig that the ladies were supposed to perform at in order to press some fan flesh.) Apparently there’s going to be a Sugababes tour once Berrabah gets out of the hospital, but honestly, maybe we should just have the new group play one gig—or even one song—before making any claims like that, no? [Sugababes via Guardian]
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The Sugababes Saga Enters The “Severe Exhaustion” Chapter
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I guess the only person I really feel sorry for is Heidi, because I don’t really think she has a backup plan. I think she intended to end her pop career with a transition into television presenting like her contemporary Cheryl Formerly Tweedy, but this whole thing really makes them all look a bit like fools and like they’re clinging to something that just isn’t even there. Which is a shame; I really like Heidi. You kind of get the feeling holding this together is important to her, because it’s something she’s done for so long, and because she wasn’t prepared to let go of it; she performed alone with Keisha last month when Amelle “got sick,” as well. This whole thing is totally sad from a pop perspective; I wanted Sugababes’ last album to be something anthemic like what they did on the brilliant “Girls,” and now the possibility that “About A Girl” or “Thank You For The Heartbreak” is their swan song makes me want to gag.
@ampersandparade: No, I don’t feel sorry for Heidi or Amelle at all; they dug their own graves with their remarkably classless responses to the Keisha ousting situation. Keisha was the one for whom holding the Sugababes together was most important, I think, and with her gone I’m not surprised to see the band dissolve as quickly as it has.
The only person I feel bad for is Jade; I suspect she thought she could at least have a chance at a career in music with this, but with Punching Out going unreleased, and (likely) Sweet 7 either tanking or being shelved, she must be wondering why she tried to delay the inevitable.
@NunyaB: I tend to agree with most of what you’ve said; Keisha really was the glue, and the fact that I prefer her vocals on something as dire as “About A Girl” over Jade’s rather cements that, but I’ve attempted not to feel so callous towards these women because this is, afterall, a job for them and I do rather understand what it is like to be trying to retain your livelihood at all costs. They’re all a bit lost in the sauce right now. I think my sympathy for Heidi largely comes from the knowledge that she has very little vocal or musical ability, and also because I think she would make a rather brilliant Blue Peter style television host; hopefully when this whole thing crashes and burns in that spectacular way that only British pop culture can truly appreciate she will be able to dust off and move forward.
You’re quite right, though: Jade is in a rather prickly position, and having heard and rather loved the track “Punching Out” (I could take or leave “My Man”) I think she above all probably is getting the rawest deal. I don’t really give a damn what Amelle does to be honest, or rather, I can’t be arsed about it (ha).