Amid the endless turnover of group members and scores of edgy, pop hits, Mutya Buena stands out as the original Sugababe. First discovered singing at the tender age of 13, her smoky voice purred the girl group towards four UK Number 1 singles, huge album sales and a BRIT Award, before she left the band in 2005 following illness and the birth of her daughter. Her bid for solo stardom was backed by collaborations with George Michael, Groove Armada and Amy Winehouse as debut album Real Girl (2007) reached Number 10 in the UK charts and the singles Song 4 Mutya and Real Girl both made the Top 10. A slump in sales saw Mutya dropped from her label in 2008 and in 2009 she took part in Celebrity Big Brother, but lasted only two weeks before walking out. She went on to feature on tracks by Asher D, Agent X and Tah Mac and covered Radiohead, The Pixies, U2 and Iron Maiden for the compilation album Sound of Camden, before taking a break from the music industry to pursue a career in child psychology.
