Girls Aloud wasn’t the only girl group ringing in the New Year with something new.

MKS–the holy trinity of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy (also known as the Origibabes)–made their secret live comeback last night.

WHAT.

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The Sugababes are, aside from Girls Aloud, generally regarded as the UK’s most successful girl group of the 21st century. With dozens of chart-topping hits–from “Overload” to “Freak Like Me” to “About You Now”–five Top 10 albums and dozens of awards to their name, the ‘Babes have consistently slayed for well over a decade–although not all as one defining unit.

Yet as much as the girls have become known for being a legendary powerhouse troupe of soulful divas, they’ve earned themselves just as strong of a reputation for the revolving door status of their members–the kind of constant switcheroo that easily puts the frequent chiding of Destiny’s Child‘s own member swap to shame.

When the group first started, the original Sugababes were Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy–who left after the release of their debut album citing an interest in pursuing fashion, and only later on revealing during an interview that Keisha was a “bully” that pushed her out of the group. She was replaced by Heidi Range in 2001.

Mutya Buena then took a leave in late 2005 and replaced by Amelle Berrabah, while Keisha Buchanan eventually bowed out (and/or was kicked out by Amelle and Heidi for–you guessed it, allegedly being a bully) in late 2009, leaving Jade Ewen to fill her spot.

But as the group’s original member count has slowly dwindled, so too has their reputation. Now in their fourth incarnation, the Sugababes have no actual Sugababes members remaining, and it’s come to the point now where the group is being heavily mocked in the media for looking like a desperate knock-off of the original brand.

For years, there’s been a steadily growing public outcry for the original ‘Babes to reform (if not just the stuff of Suga fanboy/girl dreams) and now, it seems those dreams are about to come true.

Back in October, UK blog Wot You Got reported that the original trio had reunited and were heading back in the studio to work on a few demos together to test out their sound after over a decade apart.

Earlier this evening, Keisha Buchanan just added fuel to the initial rumors by tweeting the following:

Hanging out in the studio with @professorgreen and two lovely ladies with bags of talent :-p lol

And then came a tweet from Mutya Buena:

@ studio wit professor green in tha building and 2 beautiful ladies

The third and final original member of Sugababes–Siobhán–isn’t on Twitter just yet, but the tweets still all but confirm the same thing: The iconic soulstresses behind hits like “Overload,” “Run For Cover” and “Soul Sound” are back in the studio working together. As of today, they’ve allegedly been involved with popular UK producer Professor Green. And according to some newer Internet rumors, they were even working with Xenomania‘s Brian Higgins and Miranda Cooper just before Christmas. And although there’s still no official confirmation just yet (although my boo over at The Prophet Blog just revealed that he’s known this to be true for a while), it’s pretty safe to say that this one’s a go. (EDIT: It is–as triply confirmed by PopJustice.)

Still, plenty of questions now loom: For one, what’s to come of the current Sugababes? Well, the news certainly doesn’t look promising. By most accounts, the group’s been quietly dropped from Sony/RCA. Ever since the non-release of “Freedom” by the Sugababes 4.0 which stalled only days before its release date last September and ended up being offered as a free download, the ever-withering troupe has fallen silent over the past six months.

Plus, in an interview published yesterday with Heidi Range–who’s now about to appear on Dancing On Ice–the singer openly admitted that the group’s not doing much these days. From Digital Spy:

“We were just in a period where we weren’t busy anyway. We were doing our own thing,” Range told Digital Spy. “We haven’t split up, no.”

Speaking about the group’s future, she added: “We’re not concentrating on it. I’m concentrating on this. We haven’t got anything planned at the moment.”

If the Sugababes 4.0 aren’t splitting just yet, their name remains intact. So what will the original troupe be called? Although it’s true that Mutya won limited rights to the Sugababes name back in August (quite limited, actually–as in paper goods, stationary and gift wrapping), it doesn’t seem as though the girls will be able to reunite under their original name. Any guesses on their new incarnation name?

Only one thing’s for sure: I’m on overload.

The Sugababes took to the stage at T4 On The Beach earlier today to perform their upcoming single, “Freedom.”

Today’s performance marked a crucial moment for the ‘Babes: Not only was this the official premiere of their new single, but their first performance following the announcement of their switch from Island Records to Sony/RCA. In short: You best believe that everything is riding on the success of this new single.

Luckily, it’s a pretty great pop banger. The verses allow for each ‘Babe to really croon individually (I can’t believe how incredible Jade Ewen sounds here–absolutely stunning vocal performance!), and the chorus is nothing short of an earworm (the fluttery harmonization on the actual word “Freedom” is still a bit iffy live, admittedly). Apart from the awkwardly all-too-obvious Brit Brit dubstep breakdown midway through, “Freedom” is a thoroughly solid track.

Along with the song, I happened to love mostly everything about this performance: The vocals were strong. (Jade starting at the 3-minute mark–oh my GOD!) The dance steps were (mostly) tight. The flags-aloft strut down the catwalk was fierce and En Vogue-esque. Despite a seemingly dead crowd response, it was a job well done!

While everyone and their Suga Momma has all but given up on the ‘Babes at this point following original member Keisha Buchanan‘s dismissal from the group in late 2009, I’m still rooting for the troupe. Get it, girls!

“Freedom” will be released on September 5. (iTunes UK)

Sugababes starlet-turned-solo artist Keisha Buchanan will be playing her first ever solo gig next month.

According to a newly released press release, the original ‘Babe will be kicking off her forthcoming solo career with an acoustic set during a launch party for the Jacques Townhouse located in Central London on July 19.

From the press release:

This summer, Jacques has partnered with singing sensation Keisha Buchanan, as the lady of The Jacques Townhouse. The singer-songwriter and founding member of the BRIT Award-winning girl group the Sugababes, has stamped her signature sassy style on this year’s Townhouse, to create a unique look and Keisha will perform her first ever solo gig at the The Jacques Townhouse on July 19th!

The London Townhouse will be launched with a celebrity party on Tuesday 19th July, hosted by Keisha, who will also perform an exclusive acoustic set featuring original material from her eagerly anticipated, forthcoming debut solo album.

Keisha says, “I’m very excited to be involved with The Jacques Townhouses. I love fashion and playing dress up, so the thought of a space dedicated to that, is my idea of perfection!”

Guests of The Townhouse will be pampered with glamorous makeup touch ups and mini manicures, as well as chic updo hairstyles. Once pampered and preened to perfection, visitors can dress-up with fabulous vintage frocks, with stylists on hand to put together unique looks. To capture all the fun, the Jacques photo shoot studio is offering close-ups with Vogue Japan photographer Terence Andrew Webb. Afterwards, girls can unwind with a massage in the Enchanted Garden whilst sipping delicious Jacques over ice with friends.

The Jacques Townhouse location is still “top secret” for now, so you’ll need to RSVP at their official Facebook page to learn the location and reserve tickets.

So excited–I cannot wait to hear the new material!

Okay–new post idea!

This is Muusical Chairs, or essentially the “6 Degrees of Separation/Kevin Bacon” game. The idea is to take one pop star, connect the musical dots to another, and maybe share some previously unknown pop tidbits in the process!

This one’s an easy start, but I’m sure I can dream up more complex connections in the future. Let me know what you think!

Volume 1: Siobhan Donaghy to BoA

Siobhan Donaghy is a talented UK indie-pop songstress responsible for releasing two albums: 2004′s Revolution In Me and 2007′s Ghosts, a gorgeous, electro-tinged smart pop record that spawned two singles (“Don’t Give It Up” and “So You Say”) and remains an absolutely essential addition to any pop lover’s collection. Donaghy first rose to fame…

As one of the three founding members of the Sugababes, the massively successful UK girl group famous for both their soulful smashes–including “Freak Like Me,” “Round Round” and “Hole In The Head”–and their ever-changing line-up.

In 2007, the groups third incarnation (Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah) recorded a cover of Aerosmith‘s “Walk This Way” as a charity single for Comic Relief with another another UK girl group…

Girls Aloud, the power pop fivesome originally formed through the reality series, Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The girl group ruled the UK charts for over 7 years until late 2009, when they chose to go on hiatus to pursue personal projects, including solo albums by Nadine Coyle and the group’s breakaway star and current X Factor UK judge, Cheryl Cole.

During the group’s majorly successful Out Of Control Tour in 2009, Girls Aloud performed a cover of “Womanizer” by…

Britney Spears, the legendary icon who requires no formal introduction. (Plus, if you’ve hung around this site long enough, you’d already know every minor detail about her life.) The superstar’s fifth studio album, 2007′s critically acclaimed Blackout–featured production by several high profile acts including Danja, Bloodshy & Avant and…

Sean Garrett, who worked on Britney’s “Toy Soldier.” Along with writing the follow-up to his 2008 debut, Turbo 919, the rapidly rising producer has busied himself with several major productions including Beyoncé‘s “Diva” and “Video Phone” as a writing duo with producer Swizz Beatz, Nicki Minaj‘s “Massive Attack,” and…

BoA‘s “I Did It For Love,” the second single off of the international superstar’s 2009 English self-titled debut album (which allows for some truly sick choreography–check that Joseph Kahn-directed video, stat!) The single went on to peak at #19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in May of 2009.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT: Siobhan, meet BoA!