Skip to content

Sugababes join Radio 1's Big Weekend line-up

Riyah Collins
BBC Newsbeat
Getty Images Siobhan Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Siobhan, wearing a black band t-shirt, and Keisha, wearing a strapless black leather dress, stand behind Mutya, who wears a brown jacket over a low-cut black top. She has tattoos across her neck, chest and abdomen. The trio are pictured in front of a shiny red and purple tinsel backdrop. Getty Images
Siobhan Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan formed Sugababes in 1998

Sugababes and Natasha Bedingfield have been added to the line-up for BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Liverpool.

They were announced by Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James earlier as Anthems headliners for the festival in Sefton Park from 23 – 25 May.

Sam Fender, Tom Grennan and Mumford & Sons have already been announced as the main headline acts, with Myles Smith, Wet Leg, Blossoms and Lola Young also on the bill.

Natasha Bedingfield, who'll perform on the Friday, says being added to the line-up is "a big deal".

"I can't wait to jump up on stage and sing my heart out with everyone," the Unwritten singer says.

"Let's hope some inhibitions get released."

Unwritten returned to the charts last year, almost 20 years since it was first released, after featuring in 2023 film Anyone But You and going on to soundtrack hundreds of thousands of TikToks as a result.

It lead to Natasha being brought out to perform the viral song during Ella Henderson's Big Weekend set last year.

Getty Images Natasha Bedingfield performing on stage wearing a black leather blazer. She has long blonde hair with a full fringe and sings into a microphone. Getty Images
Natasha Bedingfield performed at last year's Big Weekend with Ella Henderson but is looking forward to her own set

Sugababes, who attracted a huge crowd for their Glastonbury set last year, say they're "buzzing" to be heading to Liverpool.

"We've heard amazing things about the energy and the crowds, so we're excited to be part of it this year.

"Expect a lot of love, big tunes, and a show to remember."

The 90s band, known for hits such as Round Round and Push the Button, reunited with the original line-up of Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghy in 2019 and are currently on tour.

More than 100,000 fans are expected to attend Big Weekend, which will have about 100 acts will be performing across four stages - however some fans previously expressed disappointment at the lack of female headliners.

This latest announcement from Radio 1 comes after it previously told BBC Newsbeat that once all the acts had been confirmed, the line-up would be "60% female".

However the station accepted there was "more that needs to be done to improve the representation of women", adding that "Radio 1 will continue to advocate for this on a wider scale".

Anthems headliners are a new addition to the festival since the Radio 1 Anthems extension which launched on BBC Sounds last November.

Last week, media regulator Ofcom said they were planning to approve Radio 1 Anthems for broadcast too.

Aled Hayden Jones, head of Radio 1, says Natasha and Sugababes are a "perfect example" of "bringing people together through the music they love".

"These acts have soundtracked unforgettable moments for our audience and continue to resonate with listeners today – whether they're rediscovering the songs or discovering them for the first-time."

Sets from the festival will be broadcast across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

A footer logo for BBC Newsbeat. It has the BBC logo and the word Newsbeat in white over a colorful background of violet, purple and orange shapes. At the bottom a black square reading "Listen on Sounds" is visible.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.