TORONTO -- It's been a while since the girls of Sugar Jones spent their Sunday evenings together, watching themselves, with trepidation, on "Popstars", cringing at fashion choices, and laughing hysterically at unflattering close-ups.
But just because they've disappeared from TV land, doesn't mean they've vanished from the music world.
On Tuesday, Sugar Jones will release their self-titled debut album, and Sahara, Maiko, Andrea, Julie and Mirella want fans to know that their CD isn't full of cookie-cutter pop tunes.
Heavy on the R&B/pop hybrid made popular in Canada by Nelly Furtado, "Sugar Jones" is characterized more by an urban edge than a Britney Spears coo.
"I think it'll be a fun album for summer," says Sahara. "It's not the heavy, I'm-pouring-my-life-out-on-the-table-here album, and I'm actually glad cause it gives me an opportunity later on to take all my experiences, and when I do a solo album or when we come together a few albums down the road, we can actually express more of that. For this album, it's fun, it's been like a growing, developing kind of thing, and there's all different kinds of influences in it".
Sporting two, high, brunette ponytail explosions on either side of her head and a perky smile on her photogenic face, Mirella is the closest thing Sugar Jones has to a pop princess, but even she is proud to say the album pushed her beyond her usual tastes.
"When I came into this, [my preference] was like, strictly pop, but then these girls are into the R&B and the soul. It's a whole new aspect for me," she says.
Adding to the "soul" factor is Toya Alexis -- a.k.a., Latoya, who originally auditioned for Sugar Jones and got a solo development deal instead -- who lends her powerful voice to the track "I Got You".
Sugar Jones plans to keep developing their sound. Each group member wants to contribute more to their next album through songwriting and instrumental work. Although several segments of the "Popstars" show featured songwriting attempts by the group members, the album's deadline made it impossible for them to put their own material on the album, they say, something they hope to change in the future.
"I just keep writing", says Sahara, while Maiko is busy learning to play guitar to "help me more as a musician".
For the most part, the girls seem relieved to be able to talk about the music itself and put their experience of being on-camera full-time behind them. When asked if they suffered through reality-show withdrawal, they all shriek "no" and break up laughing.
Sahara does look forward to pulling out the "Popstars" tapes in the distant future, though.
"It was fun being part of a reality-TV show and I think it's cool we'll get those tapes and when we're moms, we'll show our kids and they'll all laugh at us," she says. "It's cool because not many people have the opportunity to track one of the highlights of their life."
But being part of a TV phenomenon meant the girls quickly lost any anonymity.
When a friend asked Julie how it felt to be constantly recognized, she told him, "Imagine if you're walking down Queen Street in a tuxedo and a top hat and everybody is looking at you".
Andrea says she'll simply become aware of the "energy of people staring at you".
As a result of all the attention, the girls are becoming masters of disguise. Sahara prefers "running shoes, a hat, shades" when trying to do mundane tasks like grocery shopping, while Julie has learned that a bandana over her trademark, spiky blond hair will give her peace when she needs it.
As their lives were being documented through a weekly, half-hour series, the girls realized that the camera could sometimes catch a small aspect of their personalities and blow it out of proportion.
"It's hard to bring a whole episode of our lives ... being brought into like, 23 minutes of show," says Julie.
Andrea uses herself as an example of how a tiny part of someone's personality can be magnified on TV. Throughout the auditions for Sugar Jones, the judges would appear on camera to discuss Andrea's "shy" personality and whether or not she'd be able to blossom in the group.
"Like for me, the shy factor, a lot of people that watched it who know me they're like, 'You're not shy'," says Andrea. "I'm a quiet person, but I'm not shy. I think they built it up so much ... in a little time. In a way, they were doing that because they knew I was coming later anyways, and no one else knew that so it would make it an interesting thing [on TV]. So I had to adjust to that, too. But I'm still cool with it."
The reality for Sugar Jones is that they don't have much time to spend thinking about "Popstars". They're too busy planning promotional tours, MuchMusic appearances, the launch of their second single, "How Much Longer", and a new video to worry too much about the face they made on camera three months ago. [Although Julie still giggles feverishly whenever anyone brings up "the face" she made when told on camera that producer Justin Gray would be working with Sugar Jones on the album.]
In fact, they say the whirlwind pace of their new lives has made them respect all musicians, especially the ones Sahara describes as the "heavy, heavy-duty pop mega-stars".
"Even if I don't listen personally to their music, man, I know how hard they work," she says. "To be that big, you've got to bust it. So I've definitely got a lot of respect for people that I might not have even thought of [before]."
Meanwhile, Sugar Jones will have to wait a while before they know if they'll become mega popstars themselves. Until then, they plan to keep their minds focused on rehearsing for live shows and developing their musical skills.
Still, they do admit to one thing: They plan to take a break every now and then to watch how the next batch of hopefuls does on the upcoming season of "Popstars".
Sugar Jones' Album Review
