Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is a British recording artist who rose to fa… Read Full Bio ↴Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is a British recording artist who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of girl group, Sugababes until her departure in December 2005. She released a solo album, Real Girl in 2007, which contained a number of hit singles. In October 2010 she announced that she would not be pursuing her career in music any further and would be concentrating on becoming a child psychologist. Buena returned to music in 2011 after taking time to raise her daughter. Her comeback single, "Give Me Love", was released in May 2011. In July 2012, it was officially confirmed that the original line-up had reformed under the name Mutya Keisha Siobhan.

The first glimpse of new material came to light on 7 January 2013 when the group uploaded an short a cappella clip of their debut single "Boys" on Keisha Buchanan's YouTube account.

The original line-up of the group featured a group of friends Keisha Buchanan, Siobhán Donaghy and Buena. Buena and Buchanan were friends from school and met Donaghy at a music recording studio in 1998. Since gaining a record deal, the band have gone on to become one of the most successful U.K. girl groups in the history of British music, second only to the Spice Girls in terms of record sales. They have had four platinum selling albums, six number one singles and a BRIT-Award as well as a platinum-selling greatest hits album.

Following an apparent illness that prevented Buena from promoting the follow-up single Ugly, it was announced on 21 December 2005 that Buena had left Sugababes. According to an announcement on their site, "Buena's decision was based purely on personal reasons and she will continue to remain the best of friends with both". It was found that Buchanan wanted to stay friends with Buena but found it hard as she never sees her. The last remaining original member, Buchanan, said upon Buena's departure, "...we will all miss Mutya, but we also knew there was still a place for bringing in somebody new who could help us carry on taking the Sugababes brand of music forward".." Amelle Berrabah joined the group just 48 hours after Buena's departure. Berrabah was chosen by the group's management and "instantly knew she was the only person to share the rest of the journey with us."

Since her departure from the Sugababes, Buena has worked with a range of record producers, singers and musicians, including Amy Winehouse, George Michael and dance music writers Groove Armada.

Buena began working on her debut album in early 2006, after signing with her previous label Universal Island Records. The first single to be released in the U.K. featuring Buena was that of a ballad duet with George Michael, entitled This Is Not Real Love. Released in November 2006, it was a U.K. Top 20 hit after reaching number 15. It also appeared on Michael's Greatest Hits album Twenty Five. Following this, Buena toured with Michael on the London and Manchester leg of his 2006 25 Live tour. The duet between Michael and Buena is also included on Buena's debut album Real Girl. Preceding the album, the title track Real Girl was released in early 2007. It was a big hit in the UK, making it to Number 2 in the charts, as well as having a BRIT Award nomination for "Best Single". The song samples Lenny Kravitz's hit It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over, and was produced by London-based production company Full Phat. Real Girl was also featured on the Sex and the City, Vol 2: More Music Soundtrack. Following this, Buena's debut album Real Girl was released, and made Number 10 in the UK amid mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. The album only held a place in the U.K. Top 40 Albums for three weeks, quickly dropping off the chart.

Buena performed at V Festival on 18 and 19 August 2007 at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Western Park, Staffordshire. She also appeared at T4 On The Beach 2007 on Sunday 22 July 2007. Buena also covered Tracy Chapman's classic "Fast Car" in 2007 for BBC Radio 1 as part of the "Radio 1 Established 1967" 40-year anniversary.

The third song to be released from the album was "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)" , her collaboration with dance duo Groove Armada. The song received rave reviews from Popjustice reached position 8 in the U.K. charts. The fourth release from the album was "Just a Little Bit" which reached number 65. Buena then collaborated with Amy Winehouse, on a re-working of the track "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes, entitled "B Boy Baby" which reached number 73 in the UK top 75. Mutya's debut solo album Real Girl, was certified to Gold.

On 1 October 2007, Buena was nominated for the 2007 British "Music of Black Origin" (MOBO) awards at the O2 Arena in London. On 14 December 2007, she stood in at the last minute for the ill Jill Scott on the BBC Two program Later... with Jools Holland, fronting Scott's band singing Real Girl and Just A Little Bit.

On 12 February 2008, Mutya was dropped by her record label due to poor sales and charting positions from Real Girl and her last two singles, Just a Little Bit and B Boy Baby.

Paperbag
Mutya Buena Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm sitting here with a piece of paper
Says here's my number, won't you call me later
I called you the next day
And that's how we got started

I'm sitting here thinking what we've been through
In front a pile of things reminded me of you
It's weird that so much time hardly takes up any space at all

Things I say for us to look at
Now our future's lost in the past
Gotta put it away, put it away

[Chorus:]
I don't know how it can fit
'Cause it's all we were, it's all we ever had
Memories
Sitting all alone in a paper bag
Maybe I should get rid off this
But it's all the love
It's all the dreams we had
You and me
Sitting on a shelf in a paper bag (sitting, sitting)

The note you wrote when we had our first fly
The car that you bought me
After sharing our first night
I know we had some bad
But we had lots of good times too (good times too)
Some tickets to a concert and a menu
Some pictures from the night
When I lost my queue
It's funny how these things tell the story of our love affair

Can't hold on to us, no longer
If I do I'm going under
Gotta pack it away, pack it away

[Chorus]

Oooooooh Oooooh Oooh Oh
I don't know how, oh yeah yeah
Memories, oh in a paperbag!

[Chorus x3]

Overall Meaning

In the song "Paperbag" by Mutya Buena, the singer discusses the emotional weight of memories associated with a failed relationship. The lyrics center around the idea of sorting through the physical mementos of a past love story while trying to comprehend and let go of the emotional attachment that comes with it.

The first verse recalls how the relationship began with the exchange of phone numbers written on a piece of paper, then cuts to the present where the singer is surrounded by objects that remind her of that past love story. She notes how strange it is that the memories seem to take up so little physical space, yet have such a significant impact on her emotional state.

The chorus emphasizes this intense attachment to the memories, while simultaneously acknowledging how difficult it can be to move on. The repeated phrase "sitting on a shelf in a paper bag" emphasizes the physical objects that represent the memories, but also serves as a metaphor for the singer's internal struggle to let go. The final verse acknowledges the good times she had with the person but ultimately recognizes the need to move on and pack them away.

Overall, the song is an honest and raw account of the challenges that come with letting go of a relationship and how difficult it can be to move on from the memories.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm sitting here with a piece of paper
I am currently in possession of a piece of paper

Says here's my number, won't you call me later
The paper bears a phone number accompanied by a request to be called at a later time

I called you the next day
I made a call to the aforementioned phone number the following day

And that's how we got started
This event marked the beginning of our relationship

I'm sitting here thinking what we've been through
I am currently reflecting on the experiences we have shared

In front a pile of things reminded me of you
Before me lies a collection of items that serve as reminders of you

It's weird that so much time hardly takes up any space at all
It is peculiar that despite the passage of a significant amount of time, the physical space occupied by these items is minimal

Things I say for us to look at
These are items I intended for us to reminisce upon together

Now our future's lost in the past
Our potential for future growth has been overshadowed by the memories of our past

Gotta put it away, put it away
I must store these items and memories in a place where they will not impede my ability to move forward

I don't know how it can fit
I am unsure of how to make room for these memories moving forward

'Cause it's all we were, it's all we ever had
These memories were the entirety of our past relationship

Memories
These experiences have become a memory

Sitting all alone in a paper bag
These memories are contained within a paper bag, isolated and unshared

Maybe I should get rid off this
Perhaps it would be best to dispose of these items and memories

But it's all the love
However, these items and memories represent the love we shared

It's all the dreams we had
They are also symbolic of the aspirations we once held for the future

You and me
This represents the relationship that existed between you and me

Sitting on a shelf in a paper bag (sitting, sitting)
These items and memories remain unaddressed, and have been relegated to a storage shelf within a paper bag

The note you wrote when we had our first fly
One of the items within the paper bag is a note you wrote during our first trip together

The car that you bought me
Another item is a car that you gifted to me

After sharing our first night
This was a significant moment in our relationship, and is also commemorated by one of the items in the paper bag

I know we had some bad
Although our relationship had its struggles and difficulties

But we had lots of good times too (good times too)
We also shared many happy and positive moments together

Some tickets to a concert and a menu
Other physical items within the paper bag include concert tickets and a restaurant menu

Some pictures from the night
Additionally, there are photographs from a specific evening

When I lost my queue
This event is related to a moment when I made a mistake or error

It's funny how these things tell the story of our love affair
These items each narrate a particular moment or aspect of our relationship and convey its story as a whole

Can't hold on to us, no longer
I cannot cling onto us and what we had any longer

If I do I'm going under
Continuing to hold onto these memories will only cause me emotional harm and prevent me from moving on

Gotta pack it away, pack it away
I must pack away these items and memories to make room for growth and new experiences

Oooooooh Oooooh Oooh Oh
Vocalization in the song

I don't know how, oh yeah yeah
Uncertainty over how to move forward

Memories, oh in a paperbag!
Once again referencing the memories contained within the paper bag

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JONATHAN SIMON DOUGLAS, NINA SOFIA MARIE WOODFORD, MUTYA BUENA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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