Flatline

## **Flatline**Single by Mutya Keisha Siobhan/Sugababes

* 2022
* 2013

"**Flatline**" is a single by Mutya Keisha Siobhan, the original line up of the Sugababes, that was released in 6 September 2013. Later after obtaining the naming rights, Mutya Keisha Siobhan, now Sugababes, re-released the song in 9 June 2022 in digital platforms. "Flatline" is included as the second album track in The Lost Tapes in 24 December 2022.

Written by the trio alongside British artist Dev Hynes, who also produced it, "Flatline" is an R&B-tinged pop rock song in which the drums and the male backing vocals get gradually stronger until a climactic part. Lyrically, it addresses the deterioration of a relationship.

The song was released via digital retailers by Polydor Records, who signed the band in 2012. It is Polydor's first and only single from the band to be released.

## Background

In April 2012, it was reported that the original line-up of the Sugababes had signed a £1 million record deal with Polydor Records. In July 2012, it was officially confirmed that the group had reformed under the name Mutya Keisha Siobhan and were writing songs for a new album under Polydor. The name was officially registered through the European Union on 27 June 2012. In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, Keisha Buchanan revealed they used their own money for their recording trips to Los Angeles, after Polydor shelved them eight weeks after their contract signing.

The song was entirely developed and recorded in Los Angeles in January 2013, after composing most of the material for their debut as Mutya Keisha Siobhan. The group specifically went to the city to record a "killer" lead single for their album. Travelling to LA resulted in the trio composing the song entirely in their first day in the city. Hynes started randomly playing the keyboard and bass, and invited the trio to "vibe with him". The group pursued a Coldplay-influenced sound for the song's chorus, however after realizing that their voices were not "manly enough", Hynes contacted band Spector member Fred Macpherson to sing backing vocals for the track.

### Release

On 4 June 2013, Mutya Keisha Siobhan announced the title of the song They later uploaded a one-minute, eleven-second preview of the track to their official SoundCloud page on 13 June. The track was originally scheduled for release in the UK and Ireland on 1 September 2013, but was then delayed until 15 September for unknown reasons. The release date was then changed a second time, being brought forward to 6 September. The release of the actual song was preceded by Polydor sending an EP to digital retailers, including 4 remixes of the song.

On 9 June 2022, the single and music video were re-released under the Sugababes name. It was later included on their album **The Lost Tapes** (2022), an album created from songs originally recorded during their 2012-2014 studio sessions. In an interview with NME in 2022, Buchanan said the group had "finally got justice" for 'Flatine', having been able to get it back on Spotify. NME magazine noted that the song was now attributed to the Sugababes as opposed to Mutya Keisha Siobhan when it was first released.

### Reception

Upon its release, "Flatline" received acclaim from music journalists, who favoured its production and the singers' vocal harmonies. Commercially, the song charted at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart, however, it reached number 14 in Ireland.

## Track listing

Digital Format
1. Flatline - 3:51

Flatline (Remixes)
1. Flatline (MNEK Remix) - 5:48
2. Flatline (MJ Cole Remix) - 6:39
3. Flatline (Seamus Haji Remix) - 5:36
4. Flatline (Jamie Reynolds Klaxons Remix) - 5:53

Flatline (Ron Flieger Remix)
1. Flatline (Ron Flieger Remix Remix) – 3:25

## Personnel

* Producer - Dev Hynes
* Producer [Additional Production] - Fred Mcpherson
* Engineer [Recording and Mix] - Mikaelin "Blue" BlueSpruce
* Mixed by - Steve Fitzmaurice
* Engineer - Darren Heelis
* Written by - Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, Siobhán Donaghy, Dev Hynes

## Music video

The official music video for "Flatline" was shot by fashion photographer KT Auleta at the Venice Beach in Venice, Los Angeles, during the week of 8—14 July 2013. The trio revealed that they had seen her work on the Italian edition of *Vogue* and thought it was "amazing", therefore, they picked her to film the visual. The group described the video treatment which Auleta wrote as having "summed up how [they] felt about the song", and further revealed that they opted to film the video in Los Angeles as it was the city in which they wrote "Flatline" with Hynes. The singers teased the music video with pictures of them at the set. The video was ultimately released on 19 August 2013.

## Live performances

Muyta Keisha Siobhan performed their single's first televised performance on "Alan Carr: Chatty Man" in 6 September episode of the show. They showcased an acoustic version of the song in the SBTV Youtube channel. "Flatline" was also performed at their Sacred Three Tour, and other headlining sets including Scala and G-A-Y. Upon the re-release of song in June 2022 as Sugababes, the trio performed "Flatline" during festivals like Mighty Hoopla , Glastonbury, and in their UK and Australia tours from 2022 into 2023.

## Remixes

There are five official remixes released from the "Flatline Remixes" EP, from MNEK, MJ Cole, Seamus Haji, Jamie Reynolds Klaxons, and Ron Flieger.

## Trivia

* "Flatline" was taken down from streaming platforms some time around 2020. Many fans campaigned for the song's return with a quote "#JusticeForFlatline" on social media. It slowly returned in digital platforms under the Sugababes account in June 2nd 2022 and later worldwide on June 7th 2022.

## References

1. ↑ "‘We had to reclaim what was rightfully ours’: the triumphant return of the Sugababes". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/16/sugababes-siobhan-mutya-keisha-reunion-interview
2. ↑ "Original Sugababes line-up return with their first-ever Glastonbury performance". NME. https://www.nme.com/news/music/sugababes-live-at-glastonbury-tour-lawsuit-push-the-button-3255508-3255508
3. ↑ Flatline. Discogs. https://www.discogs.com/release/4887149-Mutya-Keisha-Siobhan-Flatline
4. ↑  Flatline (Remixes). Discogs. https://www.discogs.com/release/4887139-Mutya-Keisha-Siobhan-Flatline-Remixes
5. ↑ Flatline (Promotional CD). Discogs. https://www.discogs.com/release/5613205-Mutya-Keisha-Siobhan-Flatline
6. ↑  Sugababes Concert Setlist at Might Hoopla 2022 on 4 June 2022. Setlist FM. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sugababes/2022/brockwell-park-london-england-3b4f113.html
7. ↑  @StatsSugababes. Twitter. https://twitter.com/StatsSugababes/status/1532617268345065472
8. ↑ @Sugababes. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CegHQp1DmmT

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