The Sugababes are putting out a new album at last, and it marks the first time in 26 years that the original trio of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy appears together on record. The UK girl group’s self-titled LP arrives on February 12, 2027, through Sacred Three/The Orchard. The comeback single, “Ghost,” is out now, accompanied by a video.
The Long Road Back
Donaghy departed Sugababes between their 2000 debut, One Touch, and 2002’s Angels With Dirty Faces. That means this is only the group’s second album as the original trio. The band have infamously changed their lineup four times over the years. The third switch-up was so severe that none of the original members were left when the group released their 2009 album, Sweet 7.
The trio put the Sugababes name back on hold while the group’s prior lineup paused. Buena, Buchanan, and Donaghy then set about regaining control over the name for themselves. They returned to performing live as Mutya Keisha Siobhán (MKS) in 2012, though it would take until 2021 before they performed under the Sugababes moniker again.
“This comeback is way more than just a financial thing for us,” Buchanan told the Guardian in 2023. “It is about restoring what was meant to be. And about justice.” She added: “There’s been a lot of unfairness, a lot of things behind the scenes, and we felt like we had to reclaim back what was rightfully ours.”
What the Record Sounds Like
The announcement for Sugababes points to a wide range of sounds, covering garage, amapiano, and R&B. In a statement, the group noted: “We knew from the beginning that we didn’t want to rush this record. We’ve poured so much into the songs, the sound and every detail around it, and the more it came together, the clearer it became that there was only one thing we could call it: Sugababes. It feels unmistakably us. We’ve loved writing and recording this record, and we’re so excited that it’s finally time for people to hear it.”
The Tracklist
The album runs 12 tracks, and the full tracklist is:
- Peace & Love
- Jungle
- Ghost
- Love Language
- Modern Love
- Shook
- After All
- Weeds
- Plot Twist
- Scorpio
- Ain’t it Funny
- Full Circle
Why This Reunion Matters
Decades of personnel shifts and a nearly complete split apart have finally brought the original three members back together for a self-titled record. Their own characterization—that this is about justice and reclaiming what was rightly theirs—adds weight beyond a mere return to prominence.
A broad range of sounds is promised by the music, including garage, amapiano, and R&B. It is not yet known whether these styles cohere across the entire record, but the aim behind it is plain to see.
Now available is the comeback single, “Ghost,”. The album follows on February 12, 2027.
See the video the story is built around at Pitchfork.
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