Sugababes' Mutya Buena thought 'it was a prank' when George Michael asked to duet with her

4 April 2024, 14:07

"I thought it was a prank."

That was the initial reaction Sugababes' singer Mutya Buena had when she was told that George Michael wanted to duet with her.

The pair got together after she left the girl band, and duetted on the 2006 single 'This Is Not Real Love', a ballad that featured on George's second greatest hits album, Twenty Five.

It's a bit of a forgotten gem, given that no music video was made due to both singer's busy schedules, which likely impacted its chart position.

Mutya built a loving friendship with George off the back of the song, however, and opened up about how it came together in a recent interview.

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"I was introduced to George Michael – basically he contacted my management when I was in the Sugababes, before I had left.

"At that time we were really really busy so I couldn’t work with him at that moment", she revealed regretfully.

"I thought I would never hear from him again, but as soon as I left the group he had contacted [my management] and asked if I still wanted to work with him." She then confessed: "I thought it was a joke to be honest."

"I said yes obviously," to the rare opportunity to duet with a pop legend. "I walked into the studio thinking I was being set up, it was a prank or something.

"But when I walked into the studio, he was sitting on the chair swivelling around on it and I could not believe my eyes.

"I spent most of my day with him in a studio, I watched him sing, I let him tell me how to sing it and what to sing and he was just so cool. He wanted me to be free in the studio."

Even today, the experience sends shivers of disbelief down her spine, as she added: "I still can't believe I sang with George Michael."

"God, what can I say about him? He's most probably one of the most loveliest men I've ever met in my life and we all miss him very much."

This Is Not Real Love (Remastered 2006)

Mutya also got the chance to perform 'This Is Not Real Love' alongside George during the Wham! icon's 25 Tour in 2006, celebrating his 25th anniversary in music.

Like most people who had connected to George's music, she was devastated after learning about his death on Christmas Day in 2016.

In an earlier interview, she was scathing about how the press treated him throughout the latter days of his life.

"He was a beautiful soul and it really upset me when people were talking bad about him," Mutya said.

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"So it's only until you die that people start acknowledging you. He's just a beautiful person and his music will be played forever."

When she first heard that George died, she said: "I cried. It was very sad, and I can't believe he's gone at such a young age."

It's a sentiment mirrored by most of the music world and beyond, though Mutya can take solace in the fact she was just one of four female singers George called on to duet with

They were Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Mary J. Blige. Not bad company to be in.