RIP 1998-2009

In the grand tradition of bitchy music fans arguing over the pros and cons of Girls Aloud and the Sugababes, arguably the two most successful and relevant girl bands of new millenium, we've always ended up siding with Girls Aloud at the end of the day - however, we have always held a soft spot for the Sugaz. From our first memories of listening to "Overload" going down the motorway with our windows down on a summery Sunday afternoon back at the ripe young age of nine to our recent rants of how utterly crap "Get Sexy" is (we actually quite like it not that we'd ever admit it), many memories o' ours are tied to the Babes. So it is with a (moderately) heavy heart that we learn the news of the final original member's departure.

As many have already said, while it is admirable of the latest incarnation (Jade Ewen is the sixth Sugababe if you weren't already aware) to continue, it would be verging on embarrassing for them to perform under the Sugababes name. Yes, some may argue the true Sugababes ended in 2001 with Siobhan's swift flight, but with the final original member gone, no member of the present line up really holds any right to the name. Even poor Heidi Range, who has been in the band for more than most of it's existence, cannot call herself a Sugababe with Keisha's departure, which yes is a shame and unfair, but that's it now. The Sugababes are over.

Good luck Amelle, Jade and especially Heidi, who we do hold affection for. But girls, your days are numbered.

This is going to be a big hit...

Amelle Berrabah from the Sugababes is the featured artist on the new Tinchy Stryder single, and you can hear it above. It's actually quite good, in a sort of commercial hip hop sort of way. It's going to be a hit. We sort of get what Tinchy Stryder is doing by employing British hip hop and R&B talent to guest on all his singles. By having Taio Cruz, N-Dubz and now Amelle on his songs, he's sort of creating a network of British urban talent, all working with eachother. Why rope in someone American who's doing it for the money, when you could get someone homegrown to do it? It's like he's the British Flo Rida... sort of.

That paragraph above is one of the worst paragraphs in the history of the written word (and music journalism).