Welcome to Amazing Amelle, the newest fansite for the successful singer Amelle Berrabah. After recording an album with her sister when she was younger, Amelle went on to become one third of the most successful female act of the century, the Sugababes. We hope you enjoy browsing the site and learning about the Amazing Amelle
Step Aside, I Got A Starring Role
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Miss Amelle Berrabah is one of three members of the biggest girl band in the UK - The Sugababes. Amelle was introduced to stardom when ex-band mate Mutya Buena decided to leave in 2005. What the public didn't know at the time was that this would be the best line up yet. Angela Mastronardi talks to Amelle about relationships, the new album, going on tour and how it feels to be the most definitive band member
When I was given the task to carry out an interview for this magazine the first person that came to my mind was Amelle, but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to accomplish it. The first time I met Amelle was when she had given her first ever UK performance with the girls at CD:UK and I was pleasantly surprised to see how lovely and welcoming she was. Although I've been a Sugababes fan for some time now, I found myself (like many others) questioning the potential of this third line up. Was this the beginning of the end? Was the new kid on the block strong enough to see the girls through their next chapter? I think it’s safe to say Amelle has earned her candy stripes and I now find myself saying Mutya? Mutya who?
On the day of the recording of ITV show, 'Divas 2', at LWT studios, my friend Emma and I decided to go down and star spot. As we are waiting around having a chat I spotted Amelle stepping outside into the freezing cold with a white strapless dress on, I instantly thought "is she mad?" My friend and I were debating who was going to shout out her name first, to tell her to come over. Surprise surprise it was me. As she walked over she said to me "I thought, I saw you from over there, I haven't seen you in ages, how have you been?" I told her that I was in charge of organising an interview for my college magazine and asked whether she would be able to do it for me. I was expecting an answer like "you have to ask my manager" and If so, the answer would have been a big fat NO, but I was shocked when she replied "give me your number, I will get my manager to call you, actually I will call you on Wednesday."
She didn't … I started to panic as my editor was on my back. As I continued pressurising Amelle’s sisters for this interview, I lost hope, but out of the blue I got the call. "Sorry mate, I lost your number didn't I". I was so surprised and happy to hear from her that I continued with the interview without any fuss. Although I've known Amelle since the beginning of her career with the Sugababes, I wanted to find out more about how she got into the band. "Well work wise before I joined the band I was at a music college called the Academy of Contemporary Music, because I got a scholarship there. While I was there I used to have a job working in a restaurant and another job working in a hotel, so in the day I would study and at night I would work. Every Saturday I would go off to London and wait outside record labels."
“So how did you get into the band?” I asked. "Random. I did a showcase in America. I would do showcases for record labels out there and the Sugababes’ manager came and saw me perform. A year and a half later, when I was going to sign a solo deal, he randomly called me and said ‘don't sign anything, can I speak to you tomorrow?’”. I met him and he told me what the deal was and I said yes,” (she laughs). “I had to go in and record three songs from the ‘Taller in More Ways’ album for the girls to listen to first, to see if they liked my voice. They liked it and about a week later we met. It was really really quick.”
I always wondered how this confident girl that I saw on stage and in the media, actually dealt with the pressures of taking the place of the original Sugababe Mutya, and how well she seemed to cope with it, so I asked her if she was nervous, "Yes I was really really nervous. It took me about two years, well about a year ago till I suddenly felt like, I was me, I've got my feet on the ground and I felt just settled. Before then it was just every time I went on stage I got really really nervous thinking people would start shouting things and because I would be constantly compared to someone else. I know, with Mutya we both have deep voices but we are completely different and like I am Amelle and she is Mutya. It was quite weird that I was constantly compared to her but I was really really nervous, yes".
It has been confirmed that Mutya will be joining the Celebrity Big Brother house in January 2009, I asked Amelle if she knew about it, she replied "OMG I know man, I thought it was a lie to be honest, I didn't think she would do anything like that. I will definitely be watching." As Amelle thought her career couldn't get any better in a recent poll she was voted best all time Sugababe. I asked her how it felt to be so warmly received "that's one of the nicest things I've heard and you were the one who told me that to be honest, I remember outside LWT, I didn't believe it because I remember someone else telling me and I was like, ok your being nice, but I just think its soo nice, I am soo chuffed people like me, its really nice saying that, really nice.”
We talked about her inspirations for music, as she has become one of mine, she said, "Ok growing up definitely like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, I think they're the sort of people who made me want to be a singer in the first place. I knew I wanted to eventually do something they were doing and be a performer but as well as that I would say Alicia Keys, I absolutely love her and Mary J Bllige as well, I think they're a very big part of my inspiration."
I have been to see the Sugababes perform more times than the amount of fingers on my hand and the last time I went to see them sing live was during their "Change" tour, at the Royal Albert Hall, I thought it was their best tour yet. I was always very intrigued to know what it's like to go on tour because I imagine it to be a very stressful time, as you will have your nerves getting the best of you each night, yet you always having to put on a show no matter how you're feeling. I asked Amelle about it. "I absolutely love it, that's one of my favorite times of the year to be honest. We literally get on the bus when we get off stage and we have a shower at the venue, jump straight in the bus, get in our PJ's and just chill out watching DVD's all night and you know listen to some music, we absolutely love it. I just love performing, singing live and getting up there. I love doing everything else but my heart is in the performing side." I then excitedly asked her whether she and the girls were going on tour next year, she replied "Yes we were thinking about not going on tour to be honest but now we have decided that we do want to perform this new album because we actually love it and we think people should hear it ".
The new album ‘Catfights and Spotlights’ has just been released, so I asked Amelle what her favorite tracks on the album were, she replied, “‘Side Chick’ is good, I like it. Keisha basically wrote it about this other fella and yea I absolutely love it. But I also like ‘Beware’, ‘Truce’ and probably ‘Nothing as good as you’.”
I go on to ask the question that most male fans want to know the answer to. “Would you ever consider going out on a date with a fan?” Surprisingly she replied “year absolutely, if I liked them and had a good conversation with them then year.” But unfortunately guys she is already taken! I asked her “how long have you been dating your man for?” she replied “Oh god a long time, five years and a couple of months.” I thought to myself that is a very long time and asked are there any wedding plans? “We have mentioned it a few times. I am a very chilled out, laid back kind of person. I know we love each other and we want be together so there is no rush. We are young so it will have to be when the time is right and everything is settling down and we have got a bit of time or whatever.” I hope I get an invite when it finally does.
As our interview comes to an end I ask her what her plans are for her future? “We are taking two months off in May and June to chill out and go away on Holiday, so that’s something to look forward to, then we're starting writing for the new album, which should be finished by September 09. We're not in a rush to finish the album quickly; we want to take our time.”
As I put the phone down I realised that I could have spoken to her for ages. She was so down to earth and not like other celebrities who I find really stuck up, she deserves to be where she is today and I wish her all the luck for the future.
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Miss Amelle Berrabah is one of three members of the biggest girl band in the UK - The Sugababes. Amelle was introduced to stardom when ex-band mate Mutya Buena decided to leave in 2005. What the public didn't know at the time was that this would be the best line up yet. Angela Mastronardi talks to Amelle about relationships, the new album, going on tour and how it feels to be the most definitive band member
When I was given the task to carry out an interview for this magazine the first person that came to my mind was Amelle, but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to accomplish it. The first time I met Amelle was when she had given her first ever UK performance with the girls at CD:UK and I was pleasantly surprised to see how lovely and welcoming she was. Although I've been a Sugababes fan for some time now, I found myself (like many others) questioning the potential of this third line up. Was this the beginning of the end? Was the new kid on the block strong enough to see the girls through their next chapter? I think it’s safe to say Amelle has earned her candy stripes and I now find myself saying Mutya? Mutya who?
On the day of the recording of ITV show, 'Divas 2', at LWT studios, my friend Emma and I decided to go down and star spot. As we are waiting around having a chat I spotted Amelle stepping outside into the freezing cold with a white strapless dress on, I instantly thought "is she mad?" My friend and I were debating who was going to shout out her name first, to tell her to come over. Surprise surprise it was me. As she walked over she said to me "I thought, I saw you from over there, I haven't seen you in ages, how have you been?" I told her that I was in charge of organising an interview for my college magazine and asked whether she would be able to do it for me. I was expecting an answer like "you have to ask my manager" and If so, the answer would have been a big fat NO, but I was shocked when she replied "give me your number, I will get my manager to call you, actually I will call you on Wednesday."
She didn't … I started to panic as my editor was on my back. As I continued pressurising Amelle’s sisters for this interview, I lost hope, but out of the blue I got the call. "Sorry mate, I lost your number didn't I". I was so surprised and happy to hear from her that I continued with the interview without any fuss. Although I've known Amelle since the beginning of her career with the Sugababes, I wanted to find out more about how she got into the band. "Well work wise before I joined the band I was at a music college called the Academy of Contemporary Music, because I got a scholarship there. While I was there I used to have a job working in a restaurant and another job working in a hotel, so in the day I would study and at night I would work. Every Saturday I would go off to London and wait outside record labels."
“So how did you get into the band?” I asked. "Random. I did a showcase in America. I would do showcases for record labels out there and the Sugababes’ manager came and saw me perform. A year and a half later, when I was going to sign a solo deal, he randomly called me and said ‘don't sign anything, can I speak to you tomorrow?’”. I met him and he told me what the deal was and I said yes,” (she laughs). “I had to go in and record three songs from the ‘Taller in More Ways’ album for the girls to listen to first, to see if they liked my voice. They liked it and about a week later we met. It was really really quick.”
I always wondered how this confident girl that I saw on stage and in the media, actually dealt with the pressures of taking the place of the original Sugababe Mutya, and how well she seemed to cope with it, so I asked her if she was nervous, "Yes I was really really nervous. It took me about two years, well about a year ago till I suddenly felt like, I was me, I've got my feet on the ground and I felt just settled. Before then it was just every time I went on stage I got really really nervous thinking people would start shouting things and because I would be constantly compared to someone else. I know, with Mutya we both have deep voices but we are completely different and like I am Amelle and she is Mutya. It was quite weird that I was constantly compared to her but I was really really nervous, yes".
It has been confirmed that Mutya will be joining the Celebrity Big Brother house in January 2009, I asked Amelle if she knew about it, she replied "OMG I know man, I thought it was a lie to be honest, I didn't think she would do anything like that. I will definitely be watching." As Amelle thought her career couldn't get any better in a recent poll she was voted best all time Sugababe. I asked her how it felt to be so warmly received "that's one of the nicest things I've heard and you were the one who told me that to be honest, I remember outside LWT, I didn't believe it because I remember someone else telling me and I was like, ok your being nice, but I just think its soo nice, I am soo chuffed people like me, its really nice saying that, really nice.”
We talked about her inspirations for music, as she has become one of mine, she said, "Ok growing up definitely like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, I think they're the sort of people who made me want to be a singer in the first place. I knew I wanted to eventually do something they were doing and be a performer but as well as that I would say Alicia Keys, I absolutely love her and Mary J Bllige as well, I think they're a very big part of my inspiration."
I have been to see the Sugababes perform more times than the amount of fingers on my hand and the last time I went to see them sing live was during their "Change" tour, at the Royal Albert Hall, I thought it was their best tour yet. I was always very intrigued to know what it's like to go on tour because I imagine it to be a very stressful time, as you will have your nerves getting the best of you each night, yet you always having to put on a show no matter how you're feeling. I asked Amelle about it. "I absolutely love it, that's one of my favorite times of the year to be honest. We literally get on the bus when we get off stage and we have a shower at the venue, jump straight in the bus, get in our PJ's and just chill out watching DVD's all night and you know listen to some music, we absolutely love it. I just love performing, singing live and getting up there. I love doing everything else but my heart is in the performing side." I then excitedly asked her whether she and the girls were going on tour next year, she replied "Yes we were thinking about not going on tour to be honest but now we have decided that we do want to perform this new album because we actually love it and we think people should hear it ".
The new album ‘Catfights and Spotlights’ has just been released, so I asked Amelle what her favorite tracks on the album were, she replied, “‘Side Chick’ is good, I like it. Keisha basically wrote it about this other fella and yea I absolutely love it. But I also like ‘Beware’, ‘Truce’ and probably ‘Nothing as good as you’.”
I go on to ask the question that most male fans want to know the answer to. “Would you ever consider going out on a date with a fan?” Surprisingly she replied “year absolutely, if I liked them and had a good conversation with them then year.” But unfortunately guys she is already taken! I asked her “how long have you been dating your man for?” she replied “Oh god a long time, five years and a couple of months.” I thought to myself that is a very long time and asked are there any wedding plans? “We have mentioned it a few times. I am a very chilled out, laid back kind of person. I know we love each other and we want be together so there is no rush. We are young so it will have to be when the time is right and everything is settling down and we have got a bit of time or whatever.” I hope I get an invite when it finally does.
As our interview comes to an end I ask her what her plans are for her future? “We are taking two months off in May and June to chill out and go away on Holiday, so that’s something to look forward to, then we're starting writing for the new album, which should be finished by September 09. We're not in a rush to finish the album quickly; we want to take our time.”
As I put the phone down I realised that I could have spoken to her for ages. She was so down to earth and not like other celebrities who I find really stuck up, she deserves to be where she is today and I wish her all the luck for the future.