British pop icons Sugababes are officially kicking off a brand-new era.
The trio—Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy—released their new single “Ghost” on Thursday, September 24, while officially announcing their long-awaited self-titled album, Sugababes. Set to drop on February 12, 2027, the record marks the founding lineup’s first full-length studio project together since their 2000 debut, One Touch.
In an exclusive interview with British Vogue, Donaghy opened up about the deeply personal heartbreak that fueled the song’s concept.
“It came from something that happened to me with my first love,” Donaghy explained. “He essentially ghosted me before we even had the terminology for it.”
The track explores the emotional reality of moving past an unceremonious breakup while realizing the former partner remains tethered to the past. On the track, Buena sings about metaphorically holding a “funeral” for the ended relationship, before the group turns its focus to an ex who hasn’t found closure, delivering the line: “one of us needs therapy / And I know it isn’t me.”
Donaghy told Vogue that when the real-life breakup occurred, she reflected on how disorienting it felt to process sudden abandonment without closure. “There’s something strange about grieving someone who’s still out there,” she explained.
Co-written by Buena, Buchanan, and Donaghy alongside Jon Shave and Wayne Hector, “Ghost” was produced by Shave and chosen as the lead introduction to the new project.
Speaking on the journey toward their upcoming 12-track record, the group emphasized their deliberate approach to the creative process: “We knew from the beginning that we didn’t want to rush this record,” the group shared. “We wanted to give it the time it needed and make something we genuinely loved.”
As the recording sessions progressed, the group felt that naming the project Sugababes best reflected their complete artistic circle. The 12-song tracklist will feature previously released singles “Jungle,” “Modern Love,” “Shook,” and “Weeds,” alongside new compositions including “Peace and Love,” “Love Language,” “After All,” “Plot Twist,” “Scorpio,” “Ain’t It Funny,” and “Full Circle.”
According to British Vogue, the album blends UK garage, trip-hop, dance-pop, and orchestral elements. For the visual campaign, the trio reunited with photographer Liz Collins, who originally shot the cover art for their 2000 debut One Touch.
Physical pre-orders for Sugababes—including signed vinyl pressings and deluxe CDs—are available now on the band’s store ahead of the February 12, 2027 release.
Check out the lyrics to “Ghost”
[Verse 1: Mutya]
Buried that body a long time ago
Dug myself a deep dark hole
Put you inside, yeah just to free my soul
It was ritual, had a funeral
Everybody came; they knew I was there to let go
And I did, in my own sweet time, for my own peace of mind
And I did, yeah, I made that bed
Yeah, I even changed the linen
But you’re still f*cking in it
[Chorus]
And it shows that you still live with the ghost of us
Sometimes your mask is slipping and it shows
That you’re still thinking the most of us
When you’re the one who burned it down
When you kill the lights and it hits home
When you’re terrified of being all alone
That’s why you live with the ghost, the ghost, the ghost
The ghost of us
[Verse 2: Keisha, Mutya, Siobhan]
When it’s so you of you to laugh
When I say you’re the monster in my path
You always were from way back then
You shattered all I have, made me walk on broken glass
I got the pieces out, but it took me ages
And I don’t know why you think you’re in control
So, we split our friends in half
You take those and I’ll take these
No returns and no receipts
Don’t matter to me, it’s not that deep
[Chorus]
And it shows that you still live with the ghost of us
Sometimes your mask is slipping and it shows
That you’re still thinking the most of us
When you’re the one who burned it down
When you kill the lights and it hits home
When you’re terrified of being all alone
That’s why you live with the ghost, the ghost, the ghost
The ghost of us
[Bridge: Keisha & Mutya, Siobhan]
Thank you for the memories, file it under dead to me
Take it to the cemetery, uh-huh
I can tell you this for free, one of us needs therapy
And I know it isn’t me
When you kill the lights and it hits home
And you’re terrified of being all alone
The ghost, the ghost (Feel the ghost)
[Chorus]
And it shows that you still live with the ghost of us
Sometimes your mask is slipping and it shows
That you’re still thinking the most of us
When you’re the one who burned it down
When you kill the lights and it hits home
When you’re terrified of being all alone
That’s why you live with the ghost, the ghost, the ghost
The ghost of us
