Mutya Buena Biography

Mutya Buena has been an international star since the age of 15, when she enjoyed her first hit with the British pop group Sugababes, but it wasn't until 2007 that she stepped out on her own as a solo artist. Born in London's Kingsbury district on May 21, 1985, Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena was raised in a multicultural family (her mother is of Irish descent while her father is from the Philippines), and she developed an interest in music at an early age. When she was eight years old, Buena met Keisha Buchanan and they became fast friends who shared a love for singing. In 1998, Buena and Buchanan were 13 and interested in putting together a singing group when they met a manager who paired them up with fellow singer Siobhan Donaghy. The new trio was named Sugababes, and their first album, One Touch, was released in 2000, with the single "Overload" reaching the British Top Ten. While the group parted ways with its British record label after One Touch failed to top the charts and Heidi Range replaced Donaghy in the group's lineup, Sugababes' second album, Angels with Dirty Faces, became a smash, going triple platinum and scoring four hit singles in the U.K., including two tunes that went to number one, "Freak Like Me" and "Round Round." Sugababes enjoyed similar success with their third album, 2003's Three, but 2005's Taller in More Ways proved to be Buena's swan song with the trio; she gave birth to a daughter, Tahlia-Maya Buena, in March 2005, and in December 2005 she resigned from the group to spend more time with her baby. The group wasted no time hiring a replacement, Amelle Berrabah, who re-recorded Buena's vocal parts for a single release of "Red Dress" from Taller in More Ways. In 2006, Buena began posting demos of new material on her MySpace page, and enjoyed a hit single with George Michael, "This Is Not Real Love," as well as contributing guest vocals to Groove Armada's album Soundboy Rock. In June 2007, Buena released her highly anticipated solo debut, Real Girl. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide