Keisha Buchanan

Keisha Buchanan is better known as a founding member and one-third of the Sugababes. Sugababes has always been one of my favourite bands since they first started with Keisha, Siobhan and Mutya. The three of them alone are some of my favourite female vocalists. Siobhan went on to release two wonderful solo albums and Mutya did some really great songs.

Even though Keisha's solo stuff never got officially released, they're still out there and they're very special songs. Keisha is one of my favourite singers, she's amazing and has a powerful range but she doesn't overdo it. Her vocals really shine on albums like Three and Angels with Dirty Faces. I've only seen the original line-up of the Sugababes live and it was a magic experience. Sugababes are a very interesting band because they've had as many members as Henry VIII had wives. I think Keisha's story, in particular, can be an inspiration to all of us.

I think one of the most iconic and entertaining videos that highlight Keisha's strong personality is this video. The title says shady/diva moments, but there are only a few bits what I would consider shady and she's not really much of a diva. Most of the clips are just here talking straight and being real. She's just true to herself.

I enjoy this video, it's quite amusing and entertaining. I don't think Keisha was really a bitch, I think she just missed her childhood buddies and was finding it hard to get used to. She'd been in the band since she was a teenager and celebrating the highs and lows. The real low was when she was sacked and replaced from the Sugababes. Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Sugababes' seventh album, Sweet 7, was both a commercial and critical failure. Removing the final original member was the final nail in the coffin because it took their identity away. They still had Heidi and Amelle but the label tried to change them into this marketing puppet for America.

Back when Sweet 7 first came out, I actually really liked the album but looking back on it now I can see Sweet 7 hasn't aged well and is nowhere near as good as the other albums. One Touch on the other hand still sounds really fresh and brilliant as it did nearly twenty years ago.

Despite the disaster of Sweet 7, people still hope that the full version of the album with all of Keisha's vocals will one day see the light. If you compare Keisha's version of Sweet 7 songs to her replacement, Jade Ewan's version you can hear big differences in production and sound. In my opinion Keisha's vocals had more personality and sweetness to it.

Credit where it's due, the fourth line-up really did try. But the damage was already done. But we will go back a bit to this documentary where the band was on the peak of their fame. This documentary was done before Keisha's removal from the band and not long after Amelle just joined.

Watching the old music, interviews and documentaries make me feel sad that Keisha was ousted the way she was. She always insisted that it wasn't her decision to leave the band that has been her life work and to watch the band crash and burn into the depths of flopland. It's hard to believe in the span of 10 years and the catalogue goes from this.

to this:

People like to pretend this doesn't exist. I remember the news of Keisha's departure like it was just yesterday. Mutya on GMTV saying Sugababes aren't Sugababes anymore. If Keisha was really such a meanie as some people like to portray I think she had many opportunities to tell all to the press and bash Heidi and Amelle and Island Records, but she didn't. She remained classy and become better and not bitter. Which is why Digital Spy saluted her.

A lot of my favourite songs from the Sugababes are actually album tracks or b-sides. The only exceptions are "Overload," "Stronger" and "Run for Cover." "Every Heart Broken" is wonderful. "Disturbed," "Colder in the Rain," "Breathe Easy" and "Forever" are amazing b-sides.

She got together with her childhood buddies under the new name Mutya Keisha Siobhan and eventually they got their name back and performed "Flowers."

I think the overall moral to Keisha's story is to be true to yourself and to be proud of your roots. And it's good to fight for what's rightfully yours. There's a lot we can learn from Keisha, but I think patience is a good one. Fans have waited ages for new material from the original Sugababes album and now we all feel that peace is restored in the world.