They say you should never meet your idols.
Maybe it's out of fear of disappointment and spending years idolising someone, or a group, only to then feel let down or realise they weren't quite as you expected.
But arriving at Cheshire Oaks' 30th anniversary bash, I did just that. When I heard hit pop group the Sugababes were due to perform a headline set, and was then offered a sit-down interview, I jumped at the chance.
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My mind flitted back to memories of growing up surrounded by their pop-garage sound. I remember having their albums stacked on the shelves in my dad's home office and waking up early just to watch their music videos on the TV (when music channels were still a thing).
Listening to the trio always brings back a wave of warm and fuzzy nostalgia. I am, truly, a die-hard fan. And always have been.
One particularly fond memory is watching them perform Freak Like Me on Top of the Pops, which was produced by my dad's childhood friend and producer Richard X.
Taking a gulp, I knew my professional head had to be firmly screwed on. I was sitting down with a group who have, in effect, narrated and been the soundtrack to my entire life.
I had to try and no longer be the giddy and devoted Sugababes fan, and the memories of me spinning and dancing in my bedroom to Round Round or mimicking the iconic seated performances of 2000 debut Overload were almost etched out of my brain - admittedly, until I met them.
They have had many iterations over the years, with news headlines and rumours swirling about the numerous swappings out of band members before disappearing from the spotlight in 2011.
But sitting down with the original trio, Kiesha, Mutya and Siobhan, who were first formed as a band aged just 13 and 14, it felt just how it should be.
Mutya summed it up simply: "It feels amazing."
"We are in an amazing position where it's snowballed so much over the past few years that we can pick and choose the things we are really excited about," Siobhan said. "And that keeps it fresh for us as well."
"We call it the 'invisible and unpaid years', where people don't see the hard graft and how long maybe you had to wait or how hard you had to fight and persevere, but we did that the first time around.
"And getting to the point where we released Overload, it wasn't overnight. That was years in the making. It's a cross to bear but that has always been our journey, and it's paid off for us."
There was a beaming and excitable energy from the girls, who have had quite the publicised ride together over the years. They greeted me with warmth and were exceptionally down to earth despite their ballooning success.
It's hard to put into words just how much their sound shaped my upbringing. There were long drives narrated by their albums we took in the car and, as a toddler, I sang into a microphone to record versions of their early hits for a Mother's Day CD for my mum.
I also informed them that this year, I will be seeing them take to the stage three times. Fresh off the back of their huge UK and European arena tour, which I saw at the Co-op Live arena, I will also be front row to watch them harmonising and belting out the hits at Brighton Pride.
You'd think after over 25 years in the biz, they'd be fatigued with it all. They've had the commercial success, six number one singles, and years of performing under their belt.
But in many ways, it feels like this is still just the beginning.
"It's so much more fun now," Keisha explained. "Because we get to enjoy it a lot more. I think when you are on the road as a teenager and have loads of interviews and work stuff to do, it's a job essentially.
"But most of our diary now is just shows, so it's great to be able to do that in a way where you are 100 per cent comfortable.
"I think we're more confident now, there's more camaraderie with the band we have. Growing up they were a lot older than us. And being independent as well, we have such a big say on everything.
"We have also had a lot of big gaps in between, from the time we were last on stage together in 2001, then to 2013 as MKS, and then another long gap to where we are now. But it's all been a lot of fun."
The band took their most recent tour on the road across seven UK cities, but have also repeatedly appeared for festival sets - in 2024 even shutting down the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury due to overcrowding. So many years into the game, putting on a show and performing with their powerhouse vocals remains firmly at the forefront of everything.
"Our favourite thing is the festival season," Keisha explained, as Siobhan added: "We take it all in our stride though, and almost play it down.
"You have to sort of, compartmentalise and be like 'this is really normal'. But festivals are our favourite thing to do because it's so different, from one show to the next."
Fans were kept waiting for years for new music. When the original trio re-banded, it was as MKS (Mutya, Keisha, Siobhan), and they released comeback single Flatline, shot on Venice Beach in California.
But it was in 2019 that they finally won back the rights to the group name Sugababes. It was a long road but a homecoming of sorts that now, so many years on, puts them firmly in control of everything they do, and on their terms.
This includes their new music, following singles Jungle and Weeds, which they excitably teased during our conversation, which Keisha described as 'up-tempo, and very 'us'.
"We always had a say on the music side, as thankfully we always had A&R's who signed us for our talent," Keisha said. "They loved what we did and we have always written our own stuff.
"But I think it was the scheduling. We were told 'this is what you're going to do, fill your diary' and you never contested it. Now we have to give leeway to our personal lives."
Siobhan added: "The singles are lined up, so there will be no gaps or waiting, and we are already pushing to release our third and fourth. The next one's a banger.
"The album is shaping up to be really solid with every song."
The girls also hinted to shows they are doing 'with someone exciting' which has not yet been announced. Watch this space.
"One thing we do know is about keeping some things schtum," Keisha explained. "I am a such a big believer of the element of surprise. But we are super excited about going into new territories and just also releasing new music this year."
Exploring new genres and styles is nothing new to the Sugababes, from tastes of garage, pop and R&B, the trio have conquered it all.
But that creativity was first born in the studio in the late 90's before they had even released their first album, and it brings back a wave of fond memories that have stayed with them.
"It was in Mayfair studios," Siobhan said. "In one room we were working on Overload and in the other was Matt Rowe of Spice Girls fame. So there was one really alternative room and one room that was more poppy, and I remember the fact that we realised we could sit in both lanes and enjoy them just as much as each other. It was the start of knowing we could jump around those genres."
Their defiance in knowing they they don't need the big labels to do it alone was also born from experience. They tell me about a time they flew to the states independently to work with producers on new music before releasing Flatline as MKS.
Keisha said: "What sticks out to me as when we were signed to a label and within about six weeks, realised it was the worst decision.
"I remember we took everything into our own hands and booked a house in LA. We flew out there with no support and Siobhan was the driver, Mutya cooked every night, and it was literally just us.
"We didn't have anyone to motivate us, and we knew our launch was never going to happen, and I look back and think 'go on girls', because we really stuck together in that time, and there was nothing to stay there for other than the love of what you do' and then Flatline came out of that."
Siobhan added: "Nobody can tell us now that we can't do it ourselves. Obviously we have an amazing team and we are well supported, but to know you have that belief in yourself and the skillset, both creatively and on the business side, that's why I think we take a lot of it in our stride now.
"It means our fight or flight isn't always going off when we are doing these massive things because we know we can do this. It's all surpassed anything we thought it could be, so now everything is a win for us."
"I opened my phone and saw all these memories and almost forget," Keisha explained. "It just made me think, look at what's happened since then. And look where we are now. From the hard days, and the tiredness, to keep reminding ourselves of that time is what makes everything worth it."
