Girl band Sugababes said the majority of their fan base is from the LGBTQ+ community, describing their British Summer Time (BST) festival slot as “one big nod to Pride”.
London’s Pride parade began at Hyde Park Corner, with a rainbow-coloured procession passing the gates of the BST festival – where singers Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy were getting ready to perform on Saturday.
The girl group, who had six UK number ones during their career including Freak Like Me, Round Round and Hole In The Head, also recorded Too Lost In You with Diane Warren in LA which featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 romantic comedy film Love Actually.
Donaghy told the PA news agency about performing their hits at the BST festival: “The setlist is one big nod to Pride.”
While Buchanan said: “Most of our fan base is from the LGBTQ+ community so we’ve always had a lot of support and a lot of connection with them.
“Even just travelling here, every road was completely full of the Pride parade and we just know that they’re heading this way.”
Buena added: “Everyone has obviously come here for a good time anyway, the vibe is great, the weather’s nice, there’s a lot going on as well.
“I also heard a lot of people normally go from here to Pride.”
Welcome to American Express presents BST Hyde Park for the incredible @takethat! The sun is shining again and we can't wait for more amazing music today ❤️
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— BST Hyde Park (@BSTHydePark) July 1, 2023
Sugababes featured Buena, Buchanan and Donaghy in the original line-up between 1998 and 2001 before they lost the right to record and perform under the name following a number of radical line-up changes.
After briefly reforming under the moniker MKS around 2013, they regained the right to use the Sugababes name in 2019 and have since gone on to perform a packed-out set at Glastonbury.
Donaghy told PA: “I didn’t think we could top last year, but it’s going that way.”
Buchanan said: “When we decided to come back last year to do some shows, we never thought we’d have the reception that we got, Glastonbury 2022 was amazing. It’s just been getting better and better…the best thing about our job is performing to be honest.
“The industry is so different now, I feel like back in the day, you’d do less performances and more promo and now I feel like it’s flipped, or at least a better balance.”
The girl trio will be joined by chart-topping Irish band The Script, while Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen will reunite as Take That to headline their only UK live date of the year on Saturday.
Self-confessed superfan Buchanan, who knows every song and every lyric to their songs, said: “I legit used to love Take That.”
Donaghy said: “There’s no bigger fan than my husband so after the show I have to go home to relieve the babysitters so he can stay and watch Take That – I said that is seriously taking one for the team.”
She later spoke about the lack of female headline acts at festivals including at Glastonbury, telling PA: “I think by the time you get to headlining slots and this level I think that the problem isn’t there.
“I think the problem is from the grassroots bit from discovering artists and supporting them from the beginning of their careers.
“I think that is where people need to focus in on more female artists.”
Buchanan championed social media for giving the band their “own voices”, adding: “I don’t know whether it’s to do with the industry or the younger people coming through, they just don’t care.
“It’s so authentic. I remember the music that’s on the radio we had to be breaking codes to get into pirate radio to listen to it. If you wanted to listen to, at the time it was garage and now it’s grime, you had go and seek it out but now it’s top 10 and I think that’s amazing.
“It’s not just a far away dream anymore, everything is so attainable now, if you want to be a singer, you don’t have to be on a label.
“We’re independent and I think that in itself for us as our legacy is super important. We’re not against being signed by a label but we’re in a position now where we’re we’d love to do partnership stuff.
“I hope that’s inspiring for anyone who wants to pursue music in a way.”
The girl group will perform at London’s O2 arena on September 15 2023 as part of their tour which includes dates in Warrington, Oxfordshire and Liverpool.