Think Pink: Dress and shoes, Topshop, Earrings, New Look
Chatting non-stop about her recent holiday in Greece and catching up on the latest celeb gossip, her throaty laugh rings out loud.
She’s bright, breezy and couldn’t be happier to be discussing her new solo career.
But she admits being a member of the Suga-babes, with ever-changing line-ups and constant tales of bust-ups, means being labelled a bitch.
She says: “It’s like a tattoo. Even if you smile, people assume you’re a bitch. I’ve done TV shows and people have been shocked that I’m nice! I was like: ‘What did you expect?’ It fascinates me.
“But before I joined, I thought the Sugababes were bitches. You heard things, you saw interviews where they didn’t smile.”
The Babes in their current incarnation – Amelle, 29, Heidi Range, 30, and Jade Ewen, 25 – have been on a break and opinion is split on whether they will work together again.
In interviews published on the same day, Amelle said she thought they would, while Jade appeared to rule it out. So what’s really going on?
“We haven’t spoken about it for a while,” admits Amelle. “I don’t know if we’ll do anything else.
“If Jade feels that way and wants to do her own thing, I totally respect that. We have no plans to do anything together at the moment but the door’s always open.”
But while this version of the band could be splitting up for good, the original trio has reformed under the name MKS – Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan, both 28, and Siobhan Donaghy, 29.
Jade Ewen, Heidi Range with Amelle back in her Sugababe days
They’ve had critical praise and their new single Flatline is tipped to be a huge hit.
Amelle insists she has no problems with the girls, but you can’t help feeling there must be a certain degree of rivalry.
She says: “I haven’t even thought about how we’ll be compared to them or whether we’ll be put under pressure.
“We’re very different. They’ve gone back to early Sugababes, that whole stripped-back vibe. It’s very different to what we would do.
“I was intrigued to see what they’d come up with and when I heard the single I genuinely liked it.
“I’m just a fan of people who have good voices and can sing live. I respect them in terms of that.
“There’s definitely room for two bands who have come from the same place. But at the same time, I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit strange. I wish them all the best. Life’s too short not to do that.”
Suits You: Playsuit and heels, Topshop. Necklace and bracelet, New Look
While the future of the Sugababes is up in the air, Amelle insists the girls’ friendships are as strong as ever.
She says: “I speak to Heidi a lot because I’ve known her longer and we’ve been through a lot of sh*t together. We’re very tight.
“I’m still close to Jade but she lives far from me, while Heidi lives round the corner, so it’s easier to see each other.”
Amelle has been working so hard on her new album, it’s left little time for love.
She dated Kelly Brook’s ex Danny Cipriani, 25, for a while but realised there was no spark.
“Before I joined, I thought the Sugababes were bitches. You heard things, you saw interviews where they didn’t smile”
Amelle
She does, however, hit back at rumours that she was embroiled in his recent sex-text
scandal, while admitting that he did send her messages.
“He sent me a few that I found a bit strange and I didn’t reply,” she reveals. “So that was it, really.
“I’m glad nothing happened between us now. I don’t feel sorry for him.”
Amelle has shied away from the limelight for the past few years after a string of stories about her hit the headlines.
As well the as the usual rumours of feuds in the band, her gypsy ex Freddie Fuller nearly lost an arm in a machete attack.
Her younger sister Samiya also accused Freddie of sexually assaulting her but later admitted the attack was “a bad dream”. Now Amelle is keen for people to concentrate on her musical abilities rather than her private life.
She explains: “It’s frustrating when you have to explain yourself 24/7 and friends are asking what’s going on.
“It did get to me a bit. But sometimes you just have to get on with it and not let it mess with your head or dwell on it for too long.
“I’ve been in clubs and people have tried to goad me to get a reaction. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t go out for a long time. Now if that happens, I’m out of there.
True Blue: Bralet and shorts, American Apparel
“I’m a simple girl and I just want to lead as much of a normal life as I can.
“But I know I’m lucky to do what I do, and that you have to deal with all that comes with it.
“That’s why I don’t want to complain, ever. I’m looking to the future now.”
Today marks a new start as her solo single Love (Is All We Need) is released, with an album to follow later in the year.
Amelle says the album is the “story of her life” and she penned all but one of the tracks.
She says: “In the Sugababes, you kind of get given a role and stick with it. Commercial, pop, not too left-field. I know where our place in
music as a girlband is and I’m fine with that.
“But working on my own stuff has allowed me to find my own place.”
Love (Is All We Need) by Adam J featuring Amelle & Nightcrashers is out today.
