Mutya Buena

Mutya Buena
Buena performing with Sugababes at Bristol Ashton Court on 13 August 2004.
Background information
Birth name	Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena
Born	(1985-05-21) 21 May 1985 Kingsbury, London, England
Genres	R&B, dance, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1998–present
Labels	London (1998-01) Island (2001–08) Polydor (2012–present)
Associated acts	MKS, Sugababes, Amy Winehouse, George Michael, Groove Armada

Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is an English recording artist who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-platinum albums. After leaving the group in December 2005, she released her debut solo album, Real Girl in June 2007. In October 2010, Buena released a compilation album dedicated to British singers, titled Sound of Camden: Mutya Buena.

On 20 July 2012, Buena and her former Sugababes bandmates Donaghy and Buchanan confirmed their reunion.^[1] The original trio will not be able to release music under the name Sugababes as it is still being used by the current members of the band. They will instead release music under the new band name MKS (Mutya Keisha Siobhan).^[2]

Early life

Buena was born in Kingsbury, London and attended Kingsbury High School. Her father is Filipino and her mother is Irish.^[3] On 23 March 2005, Buena gave birth to her daughter Tahlia. Buena dedicated a song to her late sister Maya on the Sugababes album, Three.^[4]

Career

1998–05: Early career and Sugababes

The Sugababes were formed in 1998 by Siobhán Donaghy, Keisha Buchanan and Buena. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in November 2000 and peaked at number twenty-six on the UK Albums Chart, eventually earning a gold certification.^[5][6] One Touch spawned four singles, three of which reached the top twenty,^[5] while the album's lead single "Overload" was nominated for a BRIT Award for "Best British Single".^[7] The album's sales did not meet the expectations of London Records and the group was subsequently dropped.^[8] The group's second album Angels with Dirty Faces was released in August 2002 through Island Records. Influenced by the New Wave, dance, and pop music of the 1980s, the record enjoyed success in the UK, where it reached number two and went triple platinum.^[5][6] It produced two number one singles and was nominated for "Best British Album" at the 2003 BRIT Awards.^[5][9]

Three, Sugababes' third album, was released in October 2003. It reached number three in the UK and produced four singles, three of which reached the top ten.^[5] The group's fourth album, Taller in More Ways, was released in October 2005. The album reached number one and went double platinum in the UK.^[5][6] On 21 December 2005, it was announced Buena left the Sugababes. According to an announcement on their official website, "[Buena]'s decision was based purely on personal reasons and she will continue to remain the best of friends with both [Buchanan] and [Range]". The last remaining original member, Buchanan, said upon Buena's departure, "...we will all miss Mutya, but we also knew there was still a place for bringing in somebody new who could help us carry on taking the Sugababes brand of music forward"^[10] Amelle Berrabah joined the group 48 hours after Buena's departure.^[11]

Mutya performing with Sugababes in August 2004.

2006–09: Real Girl, other ventures and musical hiatus

Following her departure from the Sugababes, Buena began working on her debut album in early 2006 after signing with her previous label, Universal Island Records. The first single to be released in the UK featuring Buena was a ballad duet with George Michael, titled "This Is Not Real Love". It was released in November 2006 and reached number 15 in the UK. Preceding the album, the title track, "Real Girl", was released in early 2007. It reached number 2 in the UK and received a BRIT Award nomination for "Best Single". The song samples Lenny Kravitz's hit "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over", and was produced by London-based production company Full Phat. "Real Girl" was also featured on the Sex and the City, Vol 2: More Music Soundtrack. Buena's debut album, Real Girl, peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)", her collaboration with dance duo Groove Armada, was released in the UK in July 2007 peaked at number 8. The fourth release from the album was "Just a Little Bit", which reached number 65. Buena also collaborated with Amy Winehouse, on a re-working of the track "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes titled "B Boy Baby", which reached number 73 in the UK top 75. On 1 October 2007, Buena was nominated for the 2007 British "Music of Black Origin" (MOBO) awards at the O2 Arena in London.^[12]

On 12 February 2008, Buena was dropped by her record label due to poor sales and charting positions from Real Girl and her last two singles, "Just a Little Bit" and "B Boy Baby".^[13]

In October 2008, Buena appeared on Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong. In January 2009, Buena featured on Asher D's second single "With You", from his album Ashley Walters, as well as the Don-E track "The Time Is Now". She also promoted the collaborations "Fallin'" with Agent X and "Give Back" with Tah Mac. Buena also joined an array of UK, US and Jamaican artists to feature on the debut single of the London-based Urban / Funky House production duo, NightShift. The song is titled "Can You Persuade Me" and it also features MegaMan (So Solid Crew), DJ Ironik, Sisqó, Tanto Metro & Devonte, TQ, Steelo, Juxci D, J2K, Wretch 32, Sam Obernik and Mr. Vegas. After rejection from Buena, the song was then recorded by Pitbull "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)".

In September 2010, she contributed to six tracks on the album The Sound of Camden, which was recorded in Israel with music producer Roy Sela. The album deals with "Camden Town" market in London, and has been available for purchase solely at the market itself, as well as on iTunes. She recorded a series of covers of rock songs from rock bands such as U2, The Pixies and Iron Maiden, in a chilled-out-lounge style.^[14] In October 2010, Buena confirmed she was no longer interested in a career in the music industry and that she is currently training to become a psychologist for children.^[15] Despite the announcement, Buena teamed up with City Boy Soul, a band consisting of ex-Damage singer Coree Richards and British rapper Gak Jonze, and digitally released "Be Ok" in January 2011. Buena also recorded lead vocals for "Give Me Love", penned by UK DJ/Producer Paul Morrell. Mutya is set to release "My Love" featuring Thor Alaye in early 2012. And "Bedroom" featuring Shide Boss some time in 2012. Buena performed at Birmingham Gay Pride on 28 May 2011.^[16] In 2011, A demo by Mutya was released on soundcloud, called All B4.

On 2 January 2009, Buena entered Celebrity Big Brother 6 as a housemate. On Day 15 (16 January 2009) she walked out of the Big Brother house after surviving Eviction. She is currently, as of January 2014, the last celebrity housemate to walk from the show.

2011–present: Forming Mutya Keisha Siobhan

In October 2011, several news outlets reported that the original line-up of the Sugababes would reform.^[17][18][19] In January 2012, further circulations that the group would reunite were sparked, after both Buena and Buchanan tweeted that they were in the studio with "two other females" and British rapper Professor Green.^[20] However, Buena later denied this on Twitter, saying: "No track [with] keisha or professor G he was around tha studio. im jus workin on my stuff @ tha moment. (sic)"^[20] Despite this, Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé confirmed to MTV UK that she had written new songs for Buena, Buchanan and Donaghy, saying: "Yes, that is true. I've written for the original line-up of the Sugababes, which I’m very happy about because I just loved them when they first came out. I loved their sound, it was so cool. It was very different, so I’m happy to kind of be involved in what started the whole Sugababes journey. It sounds amazing."^[21] In April 2012, it was reported that the line-up had signed a £1 million record real with Polydor Records.^[22] In June 2012, Donaghy confirmed on Twitter that new music would be released, saying: "the soonest it'll be is in 2 weeks. The latest is 10 weeks."^[23]

In July 2012, it was officially confirmed that the group had reformed under the name Mutya Keisha Siobhan and were writing songs for a new album under Polydor.^[24] The name was officially registered through the European Union on 27 June 2012.^[25]

Artistry

Buena is a mezzo-soprano.^[26] Her voice is known for its unique timbre which is dark and rich in the middle to lower registers as well as her husky North London drawl.

Personal life

In March 2010, Buena filed a claim for ownership of the Sugababes name with the European Trademark Authority. Though Buchanan and Donaghy's names appear on the trademark submission, it was confirmed that Buena was the sole applicant for submission and Donaghy and Buchanan were not involved.^[27] The current line-up launched an opposition to the claim on the basis that goodwill and reputation in the mark and trading name "Sugababes" belongs to the partnership – not an individual.^[28]

Buena paid £5,000 for buttock implants as she "just wanted it a bit perkier",^[29] and previously had breast enlargements.^[15]

She has one daughter.

Discography

• Real Girl (2007)

References