INTERVIEW
The former Sugababe tells Closer why she’s happy the original band have reformed and how her pop career has helped her to be a better mum
She found fame as one-third of Sugababes back in 2011,when the girlband dominated the charts alongside Girls Aloud, Destiny’s Child and Liberty X. These days, Heidi Range’s main role is being mum to her daughters, Aurelia, five, and Athena, 21 months, who she shares with her property developer husband, Alex Partakis.
And speaking to Closer, Heidi says that motherhood has made her reflect on her early days in the pop industry.
UPSETTING
“I think it’s part of being in the band... everything was about you and about the way you look and the pressure you put on yourself,” says Heidi, 39. “But now, it’s not about me, it’s about [my daughters]. That’s really nice – and quite refreshing. I don’t scrutinise myself anymore.”
Sugababes were formed in 1998 with singers Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. When Siobhán left the group three years later, Heidi stepped up as her replacement after initially recording music with Atomic Kitten.
Many girlband members have spoken out about the pressures that come with a career in the music industry, with ex-Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson previously revealing that she “believed being skinny would make me happier”.
And Heidi tells Closer that working “24/7” as part of the Sugababes did come with some “downsides”.
She says, “We were constantly working – that was full-on. People scrutinised your appearance and often there were things written about us that weren’t true, so that was upsetting. But it’s like any c
