While North Americans get ready for Robbie Williams? UK Invasion, the girls of Sugar Jones are trying their luck at his former stomping grounds, in what could be called a Canadian Invasion.

In September, Sugar Jones, Canada?s first Popstars, embarked on a trip to England. They performed at ?Party in the Park? with Atomic Kitten, Darius Danesh, and Jennifer Page, presented an award at the GQ Awards, and did interviews with radio stations, television stations, and newspapers.

?This has been in the works for quite a while, almost a year ago,? says group member Mirella Dell’Aquila, speaking to andPOP from Montreal.

In Canada, Sugar Jones has been relatively unheard from for the past year. When Maiko Watson left the group to tour with her husband, Remy Shand, some fans were left wondering what the future held for the remaining four members.

?I would say that the reason why you haven?t heard from us lately is because we?ve been exploring different territories,? says Mirella. ?We?re still here, we?re still together, we?re still going strong.?

Returning to Canada is not out of the question, but it is not in their immediate plans.

?We are aggressively attacking other markets,? says the group?s manager, Garry Francis, who also handles soulDecision and Velvet Empire. ?Never say never.?

Francis believes the U.K. will give the group a good chance of succeeding, a better chance than they had in Canada, where their debut album went platinum.

?When I went over, it was so refreshing to see a vibrant pop market,? he says.

The biggest difference between the U.K. and North American music scenes, according to Francis, is that in the U.K., people like artists for their entertainment values, while in North America, people are fixated with the idea that an artist has to sing and write their own lyrics to be a success.

?I have no problem with acts that don?t write their own [material],? he says, citing Celine Dion as an artist who does not get involved in the writing process. ?We?re entertainment. People in the U.K. take it for what it is- entertainment.?

The group didn?t enter the U.K. until they were confident enough that they could survive in its crowded pop market.

?We did a lot of research before going over,? says Francis; ?not like fish out of water.?

The group is signed to Envy Records, where they will be releasing the single for ?Days Like That,? which will include four new remixes. The potential release of the full album depends on the success of the single, which debuted at number 31 on ?The Box,? UK?s version of MTV and MuchMusic.

Although they were only in the UK for 2 weeks, at least one member of Sugar Jones certainly left a lasting impression. The Sun, a UK tabloid, reported recently that Pop Idol contestant Darius Danesh is dating Mirella.

?I wouldn?t say steady dating, but there?s a possibility for that in the future,? she admits. ?We got to meet and he was really nice; cute too. We exchanged phone numbers and spoke briefly. We tried to get together and said we?d keep in touch when we go back.?

Mirella will continue working on her solo album while on the road, aiming for a 2003 release date. She will be the opening act for soulDecision, after the male pop trio releases a new album.

Sugar Jones will return to the UK in November, where they are in discussions to open for Blue.

Sugar Jones Challenges Atomic Kitten to a Sing-Off! Read more here.






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