November 20, 2025 • 19 mins
Do you remember when days were like that? More specifically, do you remember Sugar Jones and their song “Days Like That”?
If not, well, you are forgiven. Sugar Jones only existed for a couple years at the beginning of the millennium. But in that short stint they dropped what is widely considered an unforgettable, stone cold, Canadian R&B-pop classic.
Written by Cam Lindsay for iHeartRadio.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Ruby Carr and welcome to another special episode of
Encore where we take a look at some of the
iHeartRadio team's favorite Canadian songs from the past. This week
we have the story of Sugar Jones days like that.
You know the songs just making people feel something.
It's been a pleasure to work on this song with her,
but do you know the history? It's a struggle making
any kind of record. I don't always have the direction
(00:21):
or concept. This is Encore, an in-depth look at the
stories behind the music. Here's iHeartRadio's Ruby Carr.
Do you remember when days were like that? More specifically,
do you remember Sugar Jones and their song Days Like That?
If not, well, you are forgiven. Sugar Jones only existed
(00:44):
for a couple years at the beginning of the millennium,
but in that short stint they dropped what is widely
considered an unforgettable stone cold Canadian R&B pop classic.
Or am I the only person who thinks of it
as that? It doesn't matter. OK? Now for this episode
we need to go all the way back to 1999.
A TV producer in New Zealand by the name of
(01:06):
Jonathan Dowling had a novel idea for a TV show
create a pop group from scratch where the contestants would
compete and be voted in by a judging panel and
then become global pop stars. Sound familiar?
Well, long before we had The Voice, American Idol, Making
the Band, and The X Factor, there was a fledgling
(01:26):
series out of New Zealand called Popstars. Dowling would tell
the New York Post, I knew I could create a
new type of series because at this stage there was
nothing called reality TV. Yes, it's true. Reality TV just
wasn't exactly a thing in 1999. It wasn't huge yet.
On the show, the top 5 singers selected by the
(01:46):
judges would go on to form a new pop group,
work with a team of leading choreographers, songwriters, and producers,
and immediately receive a record contract with a label that
was affiliated with the show.
One of the cool things about the show was that
auditions would be open to the general public. The contestants
weren't industry plants. In the end, a girl group named
(02:08):
True Bliss was formed, and they only lasted a year
despite having a record deal with Sony. And while the
group didn't last long, the show pop stars and especially
the concept would.
Soon after the series was licensed to Australia, Germany, and
the UK, who developed their own versions of pop stars,
the British version actually spawned some successful groups including Hearsay,
(02:31):
Liberty X, and Girls Aloud who are still active and
have become one of the most successful British pop groups
over the last 20 plus years, and I.
Absolutely must point out that Jerry Halliwell, AKA Ginger Spice
from the Spice Girls, was one of the judges. The
US also had its version which gave the world a
group called Eden's Crush, who you may have heard of.
(02:52):
While they would tour with both NSYNC and Jessica Simpson
and appeared on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Eden's Crush only
lasted 2 years before.
One of the members, Nicole Scherzinger, yes, her, moved on
to the Pussycat Dolls. Now thanks to television producer Michael Gettys,
Canada was one of the 50 countries to launch a
version of Popstars produced by Lone Eagle Entertainment, Universal Music,
(03:16):
and Global TV. Popstars Canada began shooting in August of 2000.
More than 4000 women between the ages of 18 and
25 auditioned in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal for the judges,
including Gettys, radio host Billie Holiday, and then senior vice
president of A&R at Universal Music Canada Alan Reed.
(03:38):
A lot of them couldn't actually sing. The show itself
premiered on global TV on February 4, 2001 and would
become the highest rated Canadian non-hockey program on TV. I
also love that we have to specify non-hockey. It's just,
it's so Canadian.
Anyway, the 13 episode series was billed as a docuse
(03:58):
soap by the media but marketed as a prime time
pop music documentary that chronicled the real life selection, creation,
and development of the girl group. In the end, the
show was only filmed for about 1 month, but it
definitely took a toll on everyone involved. Michael Gettys would
tell the press, we're telling a real life story. There's
a ton of emotion that we've documented, a ton of drama,
(04:21):
and it's quite.
Interesting watching women bare their souls and give it up
as they have and get down to the wire. What
started out with 4000 contestants was quickly whittled down to 145,
then reduced once again to 25 contestants who were then
flown to Toronto. There they were put through an intense
boot camp to whip them into shape and give them
(04:41):
a taste of the lifestyle. The girls were put up
into a swish hotel where they all had to live together,
all while the cameras were rolling.
Another cut was made to reduce the number to 10,
which was then cut down again once the judges had
chosen their Fab Five, but that didn't happen without a hitch.
In one drama-filled episode, one of the five chosen members
(05:02):
was kicked out of the group and off the show
after it was revealed that she pled guilty to stealing
a handbag from another contestant and charging more than $2300
to her Visa card. The episode in which it was.
As you can imagine, straight up brought the drama and
the chaos. It was good TV, as they say. In
(05:23):
the end, the five girls chosen were Julie Crochet Terre
from Beaconsfield, Quebec, Marilla De Aquila from Saint Leonard, Quebec,
Michael Watson from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sahara McDonald from Vancouver, British Columbia,
and Andrea Henry from Hamilton, Ontario, who was brought in
as the final member for Henry and Watson, the two.
(05:43):
Black women in the group, it was a relief to
see another person of color. Henry would later tell CBC,
admitting we both wanted each other in the group because
we knew it would affect the sound and the look.
This is Canada. Why does it have to be just
one black girl? Plus we have different vocal styles and
each of us contributed to the sound of the group
in our own way. Even before the members had been chosen,
(06:05):
this group of five had acted like a functioning girl
group as they would tell much music.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
It's kind of pretty
natural between us, yeah, we got along instantly, even at
the boot camp we kind of had a vibe with
each other, very positive, and we just connected right away.
And as soon as we lived together, like we're cool.
We don't, we don't have any beefs with each other.
I think it's probably even one of the reasons we
got chosen because we were, we had this vibe together too, yeah,
(06:30):
and you.
Even at the boot camp, like they didn't show this
on the show, but they had asked everyone if you
were in a band, who would you ask to be with,
and we all like named each other. It was really weird.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Of course, once the group was put together, the cameras
were still there capturing them all day every day, whether
they were making weird faces while singing or one of
them had something hanging out of her nose.
It was all on film as they would tell much music.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
TV show like it was kind of weird having the
cameras around at first, but now we're so used to
them that it's just natural. It's kind of second nature
now and we've learned to deal with them, so we're
just real. We don't even realize they're there anymore, so
you don't have to catch yourself like picking a booger
or anything. I'm like, oh yeah, right.
I better not put that on TV. I got busted
(07:17):
for that at the video shoot actually. I, I had
like powder up my nose. I was like, what's going on?
And then all, everyone was laughing at me a half
an hour later. They're like, the monitor was on. You
do realize I'm like, and obviously that's the thing that
they're gonna put in the show, you know, that, that's
the thing. We're watching the show.
And we don't see the episodes before, right? We're as
viewers as everybody else. So when we watch it and
all of a sudden we're like, why did they, out
(07:39):
of the whole performance I just did, they have to
put that little thing there where, where I did that face,
you know, I, I'm just realizing how much of an
animated face I have every time I'm always like.
Yeah
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Once they were assembled, the first order of business was
to give this brand new group a name. Despite being
manufactured from the top to bottom, the five girls were
allowed to come up with a name themselves. In an
interview with All Pop, Sahara would admit that the inspiration
came from a vintage store they had spotted while shopping
called Sugar Street. The name of the store itself came
(08:13):
across as too sweet, so they took Sugar and added
Jones to the end of it.
I should point out that Sugar Jones wasn't just some
random name, uh, maybe it was to the members of
the group, but Sugar Jones was also the name of
a pretty obscure comic strip from a UK teen magazine
from the 1970s called Pink.
Now being in Sugar Jones was no walk in the park.
(08:35):
They were expected to work hard for this, and that
included cardio workouts every day, along with weight training up
to 3 days a week, daily voice and dance rehearsals,
along with media training, working with a dietitian, and surviving
on a strict per diem. Sure, the rent to their
high rise condo overlooking Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto was
(08:55):
paid for, but while living there they had plenty of
rules to follow, as Michael Watson would.
Tell the Winnipeg Sun it's not all glamorous. Then there
was the pressure coming from public opinion as they began
making public appearances. Sugar Jones were faced with defending the
group to those who felt they were just another manufactured
pop act. Here is Andrea explaining how they proved everyone
(09:19):
wrong when they made an appearance at MuchMusic. My
Speaker 2 (09:21):
first one, I think from a long time it was
like we couldn't sing. That was the biggest one, you know,
but we're all artists, we're very creative people and.
Yeah, I think we've proven at our first, uh, appearance
that we can, and we're very good at it, you
know.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
The easiest way to prove themselves was to get into
a studio and record some music, and that's what they
did at Metalworks in Mississauga, Ontario, where everyone from Prince, Sade,
Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and Guns N Roses had recorded
some of their best work.
Little did the girls know and Sync were also recording
their album Celebrity at Metalworks, leading to a chance encounter
(09:58):
between Marrella and JC. He told her maybe, just maybe,
one day the two groups would hook up for a tour,
but first they would need to make a record, which
they did called Days Like That.
While viewers all assumed Sugar Jones would follow the format
of becoming a manufactured pop group, hence the name Popstars,
(10:18):
days like that surprised many with its heavy R&B influence,
but the girls decided on the song when they were
presented with a choice. They asked for it to be
slowed down.
To fit more of the cool sexy vibe they envisioned,
Andrea Henry would tell the Ottawa Sun, we all knew
what the bass was going to be, but it's cool
how together we deviated away from the pop. Now there's
(10:40):
a reason for the R&B influence, and it might come
as a shock to some. It came as a shock
to me, days like that.
Was actually a cover. Yes, I couldn't believe it either,
but few people in Canada knew that Days Like That
had already been released as a single two years earlier
in the UK by a girl group called Fierce. The
(11:02):
song was written by Michelle.
Goffrey, Carl KG Gordon, and Ali Tennant, songwriter and producer
types for hire from the UK. The original version had
even more of a British R&B twist than Sugar Jones,
and for some strange reason, Daze was spelled with a Z.
I guess that was just how they did things in
the late 90s. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that Sugar
(11:23):
Jones didn't have a Z at the end.
You likely haven't heard of Fierce because they weren't that successful.
They only released one album in 1999 which included four singles,
the most successful of them all, yes, of course, Days
Like That, which reached number 11 on the UK singles chart,
but the song was obscure enough in Canada to put
(11:43):
their own stamp on it. Here are members of Sugar
Jones explaining to MuchMusic why they chose a cover.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
There's
been rumors that it's a, it's from, it's from a
UK girl group. Is this right?
It was done before in the, yeah, it has been
done before, but it was never released in North America
and so we wanted, we thought we could add something
different to it and show it in a new way.
So we decided to do the song and and Noble helped,
helped you out, Noble Jones with the
video.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Days Like That got its debut on global television on
April 1st, 2001 at 6 p.m. with the video following
on April 15th also on Global.
Pop stars ended up getting a 3 episode extension to
show the girls recording their full length album because there
was a lot of hype. Days Like That reached number
one in Canada and broke a Canadian record with the
(12:32):
highest debut single by a debut artist in history. It
would also become the 22nd most played song in Canada
by year's end. This all happened and not just because
they were on TV, but because they made appearances.
Just about everywhere across Canada they had live performances and
autograph signings at Zellers in Bramley, the West Edmonton Mall,
(12:53):
and the HMV at Saint Laurent Center in Ottawa, attended
by thousands of screaming fans. I was actually at one
of those meet and greets. They came to the Metro
Center in Halifax, which I'm sure is called something else now,
and I remember waiting in line to meet them. I
was so excited.
They also appeared on MuchMusic's Electric Circus, though they sang
(13:14):
what would be their next single How Much Longer, which
was also a bop, as with most of these industry
bred groups, the album also titled Sugar Jones would be
rush released to capitalize on the group's growing popularity. Released
on June 26, 2001, Sugar Jones debuted at number two
on the Canadian Albums chart and would eventually go platinum.
(13:37):
Things were happening.
Fast for Sugar Jones, and they wouldn't need to wait
long before their next big break, opening up for Destiny's
Child on their Canadian tour. Here they are telling much
more music about the moment where they learned they'd be
performing with their idols,
Speaker 2 (13:53):
and you are
opening for.
How cool
Speaker 1 (13:58):
is that?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Like that's
very cool. I'm really excited, especially because out of all
the pop bands out there, like we feel that it's
probably more closer to the sound that we're going for.
Like R&B so far and they're working really hard.
and they're women and they're young and they've got so
much talent and we'd love to be on the same
(14:19):
concert as them. It's ironic too because in an interview
about 3 or 4 days before we found out we had,
we were asked if you could tour with anyone, who
would you tour with and.
And we were like Destiny's Child. 3 days later, 4
days later, they're like, you're opening for Destiny's Child. So
how do you find that out and, and what do
you do? Like I, I don't know what I would do. Well,
it wouldn't happen. I don't know. I was on, I
(14:40):
was on Julie and I were in a shoe in
a shoe store and we're like, you're opening for Destiny's Child.
Like she turned around to me and she's like, We're
opening for Destiny's Child. I'm like, Oh, we hugged each other.
And you're like, what do you do, like when, where
you're like, no, no, later. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
And remember when, no, not days were like that, but
when I mentioned JC from NSYNC had bumped into Marrella, well,
when NSYNC were doing interviews for their album Celebrity, the
Canadian press asked him about Sugar Jones. He said, I
saw the video on TV and I was like, Oh
my God, I heard that song 1000 times when I
was here last time. It's pretty cool. It's on the
(15:20):
mellow tip. It's an easy listen.
And then when he was asked about potentially taking Sugar
Jones out on tour with NSYNC, he said Janet Jackson
really gave us our big break in the States. She
let us open up for her, and that was a
big part of us getting out in front of the public,
and we appreciated it. And now whenever we see somebody
up and coming, if you show us that you're hungry,
(15:40):
you're definitely coming on our tour, but you definitely have
to be hungry.
Well, I guess Sugar Jones weren't hungry enough because that
offer from NSYNC never transpired, and well, after those shows
with Destiny's Child, things kind of cooled off for Sugar Jones,
even though 2002 started with news that they received their
first Juno nomination for Best New Group. Sugar Jones are
(16:02):
facing a bit of an existential crisis. They were down
one member when Michael Watson decided to leave the group
in order to join her then husband, Canadian soul singer
Remy Shand, as a member of his band.
All of a sudden, Sugar Jones were now a 4 piece.
Their manager Gary Francis tried to fan the flames when
he spoke to the media, wishing might go well, but
(16:24):
also assuring fans that Sugar Jones were still together and
also working with other artists on new music. He even
teased that members were pursuing solo opportunities on the side,
including acting roles, saying, I don't want to announce anything
before it's time, but you can definitely expect to see
the girls outside of Sugar Jones sooner than later.
(16:44):
Yeah, it just, just, you know, it sounds like something
that a manager would say before his group is about
to break up, don't you think? But no, Sugar Jones
carried on as a foursome for a Canadian tour in
April 2002. A few months later at the 2002 Much
Music Video Music Awards, Marrella would confirm that yes, Sugar
Jones were still together and that yes, she was also
(17:06):
working on solo material.
Here she is talking to much more music. Well,
Speaker 2 (17:10):
we, we went, we had an amazing experience. We had
our own headlining tour last fall. Opened up for Destiny's Child.
We had a platinum record. It's just been an incredible
year for all of us and uh we're still together.
We'll be performing this summer, but I'm also working on
a solo project which I'm really excited about, so.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Sadly, nothing materialized for Sugar Jones after this. The group
reportedly entered a studio and began to work on some
new songs, even with Remy Shand, Michael's husband at the time,
but the group fizzled out and announced they had disbanded
in 2003.
Meanwhile, Popstars, the series wouldn't fare much better. In Canada,
the show ran for two more seasons where they switched
(17:52):
things up a bit. Season 2 was called Popstars Boy
Meets Girl, uh, which saw the formation of the short-lived
Velvet Empire. Season 3 was dubbed Popstars the 1 and
crowned singer-songwriter Krista Borden the winner, and that was that.
As for what happened next to the five members of
Sugar Jones, well, they've all gone on to lead relatively
(18:14):
normal music unrelated lives, though it's worth pointing out that
both Julie and Andrea did manage to release solo albums
after Sugar Jones broke up. Julie even earned a Juno
nomination in 2015 for Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Unfortunately in 2025, Sugar Jones are not much more than
a treasured memory for those who remember their brief existence.
(18:37):
I mean, you know what, at least we had the
time we had. Episodes of pop stars are nowhere to
be watched, only short sort of low res clips and
a trailer for the show on YouTube serve as proof
that it even happened.
Similarly, this is a weird one. Days like that, along
with the rest of the group's one and only album,
do not exist on streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music.
(19:00):
You can, however, stream the original version by Fierce, um,
and if you're lucky enough to own the original CD,
that's about as good as it gets. So do you
remember when days were like that? Maybe, but only if
you were lucky and have the CD.
I'm Ruby Carr. Thanks for listening to another episode of
Encore and standing outside the Metro Center with me to
(19:21):
talk about Sugar Jones. Make sure you subscribe so you
never miss an episode.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Encore is an iHeartRadio Canada podcast. Download the free iHeartRadio
app and subscribe. Thank you.
Thank you so much for coming.
I'm Ruby Carr and welcome to another special episode of
Encore where we take a look at some of the
iHeartRadio team's favorite Canadian songs from the past. This week
we have the story of Sugar Jones days like that.
You know the songs just making people feel something.
It's been a pleasure to work on this song with her,
but do you know the history? It's a struggle making
any kind of record. I don't always have the direction
(00:21):
or concept. This is Encore, an in-depth look at the
stories behind the music. Here's iHeartRadio's Ruby Carr.
Do you remember when days were like that? More specifically,
do you remember Sugar Jones and their song Days Like That?
If not, well, you are forgiven. Sugar Jones only existed
(00:44):
for a couple years at the beginning of the millennium,
but in that short stint they dropped what is widely
considered an unforgettable stone cold Canadian R&B pop classic.
Or am I the only person who thinks of it
as that? It doesn't matter. OK? Now for this episode
we need to go all the way back to 1999.
A TV producer in New Zealand by the name of
(01:06):
Jonathan Dowling had a novel idea for a TV show
create a pop group from scratch where the contestants would
compete and be voted in by a judging panel and
then become global pop stars. Sound familiar?
Well, long before we had The Voice, American Idol, Making
the Band, and The X Factor, there was a fledgling
(01:26):
series out of New Zealand called Popstars. Dowling would tell
the New York Post, I knew I could create a
new type of series because at this stage there was
nothing called reality TV. Yes, it's true. Reality TV just
wasn't exactly a thing in 1999. It wasn't huge yet.
On the show, the top 5 singers selected by the
(01:46):
judges would go on to form a new pop group,
work with a team of leading choreographers, songwriters, and producers,
and immediately receive a record contract with a label that
was affiliated with the show.
One of the cool things about the show was that
auditions would be open to the general public. The contestants
weren't industry plants. In the end, a girl group named
(02:08):
True Bliss was formed, and they only lasted a year
despite having a record deal with Sony. And while the
group didn't last long, the show pop stars and especially
the concept would.
Soon after the series was licensed to Australia, Germany, and
the UK, who developed their own versions of pop stars,
the British version actually spawned some successful groups including Hearsay,
(02:31):
Liberty X, and Girls Aloud who are still active and
have become one of the most successful British pop groups
over the last 20 plus years, and I.
Absolutely must point out that Jerry Halliwell, AKA Ginger Spice
from the Spice Girls, was one of the judges. The
US also had its version which gave the world a
group called Eden's Crush, who you may have heard of.
(02:52):
While they would tour with both NSYNC and Jessica Simpson
and appeared on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Eden's Crush only
lasted 2 years before.
One of the members, Nicole Scherzinger, yes, her, moved on
to the Pussycat Dolls. Now thanks to television producer Michael Gettys,
Canada was one of the 50 countries to launch a
version of Popstars produced by Lone Eagle Entertainment, Universal Music,
(03:16):
and Global TV. Popstars Canada began shooting in August of 2000.
More than 4000 women between the ages of 18 and
25 auditioned in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal for the judges,
including Gettys, radio host Billie Holiday, and then senior vice
president of A&R at Universal Music Canada Alan Reed.
(03:38):
A lot of them couldn't actually sing. The show itself
premiered on global TV on February 4, 2001 and would
become the highest rated Canadian non-hockey program on TV. I
also love that we have to specify non-hockey. It's just,
it's so Canadian.
Anyway, the 13 episode series was billed as a docuse
(03:58):
soap by the media but marketed as a prime time
pop music documentary that chronicled the real life selection, creation,
and development of the girl group. In the end, the
show was only filmed for about 1 month, but it
definitely took a toll on everyone involved. Michael Gettys would
tell the press, we're telling a real life story. There's
a ton of emotion that we've documented, a ton of drama,
(04:21):
and it's quite.
Interesting watching women bare their souls and give it up
as they have and get down to the wire. What
started out with 4000 contestants was quickly whittled down to 145,
then reduced once again to 25 contestants who were then
flown to Toronto. There they were put through an intense
boot camp to whip them into shape and give them
(04:41):
a taste of the lifestyle. The girls were put up
into a swish hotel where they all had to live together,
all while the cameras were rolling.
Another cut was made to reduce the number to 10,
which was then cut down again once the judges had
chosen their Fab Five, but that didn't happen without a hitch.
In one drama-filled episode, one of the five chosen members
(05:02):
was kicked out of the group and off the show
after it was revealed that she pled guilty to stealing
a handbag from another contestant and charging more than $2300
to her Visa card. The episode in which it was.
As you can imagine, straight up brought the drama and
the chaos. It was good TV, as they say. In
(05:23):
the end, the five girls chosen were Julie Crochet Terre
from Beaconsfield, Quebec, Marilla De Aquila from Saint Leonard, Quebec,
Michael Watson from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sahara McDonald from Vancouver, British Columbia,
and Andrea Henry from Hamilton, Ontario, who was brought in
as the final member for Henry and Watson, the two.
(05:43):
Black women in the group, it was a relief to
see another person of color. Henry would later tell CBC,
admitting we both wanted each other in the group because
we knew it would affect the sound and the look.
This is Canada. Why does it have to be just
one black girl? Plus we have different vocal styles and
each of us contributed to the sound of the group
in our own way. Even before the members had been chosen,
(06:05):
this group of five had acted like a functioning girl
group as they would tell much music.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
It's kind of pretty
natural between us, yeah, we got along instantly, even at
the boot camp we kind of had a vibe with
each other, very positive, and we just connected right away.
And as soon as we lived together, like we're cool.
We don't, we don't have any beefs with each other.
I think it's probably even one of the reasons we
got chosen because we were, we had this vibe together too, yeah,
(06:30):
and you.
Even at the boot camp, like they didn't show this
on the show, but they had asked everyone if you
were in a band, who would you ask to be with,
and we all like named each other. It was really weird.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Of course, once the group was put together, the cameras
were still there capturing them all day every day, whether
they were making weird faces while singing or one of
them had something hanging out of her nose.
It was all on film as they would tell much music.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
TV show like it was kind of weird having the
cameras around at first, but now we're so used to
them that it's just natural. It's kind of second nature
now and we've learned to deal with them, so we're
just real. We don't even realize they're there anymore, so
you don't have to catch yourself like picking a booger
or anything. I'm like, oh yeah, right.
I better not put that on TV. I got busted
(07:17):
for that at the video shoot actually. I, I had
like powder up my nose. I was like, what's going on?
And then all, everyone was laughing at me a half
an hour later. They're like, the monitor was on. You
do realize I'm like, and obviously that's the thing that
they're gonna put in the show, you know, that, that's
the thing. We're watching the show.
And we don't see the episodes before, right? We're as
viewers as everybody else. So when we watch it and
all of a sudden we're like, why did they, out
(07:39):
of the whole performance I just did, they have to
put that little thing there where, where I did that face,
you know, I, I'm just realizing how much of an
animated face I have every time I'm always like.
Yeah
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Once they were assembled, the first order of business was
to give this brand new group a name. Despite being
manufactured from the top to bottom, the five girls were
allowed to come up with a name themselves. In an
interview with All Pop, Sahara would admit that the inspiration
came from a vintage store they had spotted while shopping
called Sugar Street. The name of the store itself came
(08:13):
across as too sweet, so they took Sugar and added
Jones to the end of it.
I should point out that Sugar Jones wasn't just some
random name, uh, maybe it was to the members of
the group, but Sugar Jones was also the name of
a pretty obscure comic strip from a UK teen magazine
from the 1970s called Pink.
Now being in Sugar Jones was no walk in the park.
(08:35):
They were expected to work hard for this, and that
included cardio workouts every day, along with weight training up
to 3 days a week, daily voice and dance rehearsals,
along with media training, working with a dietitian, and surviving
on a strict per diem. Sure, the rent to their
high rise condo overlooking Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto was
(08:55):
paid for, but while living there they had plenty of
rules to follow, as Michael Watson would.
Tell the Winnipeg Sun it's not all glamorous. Then there
was the pressure coming from public opinion as they began
making public appearances. Sugar Jones were faced with defending the
group to those who felt they were just another manufactured
pop act. Here is Andrea explaining how they proved everyone
(09:19):
wrong when they made an appearance at MuchMusic. My
Speaker 2 (09:21):
first one, I think from a long time it was
like we couldn't sing. That was the biggest one, you know,
but we're all artists, we're very creative people and.
Yeah, I think we've proven at our first, uh, appearance
that we can, and we're very good at it, you
know.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
The easiest way to prove themselves was to get into
a studio and record some music, and that's what they
did at Metalworks in Mississauga, Ontario, where everyone from Prince, Sade,
Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and Guns N Roses had recorded
some of their best work.
Little did the girls know and Sync were also recording
their album Celebrity at Metalworks, leading to a chance encounter
(09:58):
between Marrella and JC. He told her maybe, just maybe,
one day the two groups would hook up for a tour,
but first they would need to make a record, which
they did called Days Like That.
While viewers all assumed Sugar Jones would follow the format
of becoming a manufactured pop group, hence the name Popstars,
(10:18):
days like that surprised many with its heavy R&B influence,
but the girls decided on the song when they were
presented with a choice. They asked for it to be
slowed down.
To fit more of the cool sexy vibe they envisioned,
Andrea Henry would tell the Ottawa Sun, we all knew
what the bass was going to be, but it's cool
how together we deviated away from the pop. Now there's
(10:40):
a reason for the R&B influence, and it might come
as a shock to some. It came as a shock
to me, days like that.
Was actually a cover. Yes, I couldn't believe it either,
but few people in Canada knew that Days Like That
had already been released as a single two years earlier
in the UK by a girl group called Fierce. The
(11:02):
song was written by Michelle.
Goffrey, Carl KG Gordon, and Ali Tennant, songwriter and producer
types for hire from the UK. The original version had
even more of a British R&B twist than Sugar Jones,
and for some strange reason, Daze was spelled with a Z.
I guess that was just how they did things in
the late 90s. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that Sugar
(11:23):
Jones didn't have a Z at the end.
You likely haven't heard of Fierce because they weren't that successful.
They only released one album in 1999 which included four singles,
the most successful of them all, yes, of course, Days
Like That, which reached number 11 on the UK singles chart,
but the song was obscure enough in Canada to put
(11:43):
their own stamp on it. Here are members of Sugar
Jones explaining to MuchMusic why they chose a cover.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
There's
been rumors that it's a, it's from, it's from a
UK girl group. Is this right?
It was done before in the, yeah, it has been
done before, but it was never released in North America
and so we wanted, we thought we could add something
different to it and show it in a new way.
So we decided to do the song and and Noble helped,
helped you out, Noble Jones with the
video.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Days Like That got its debut on global television on
April 1st, 2001 at 6 p.m. with the video following
on April 15th also on Global.
Pop stars ended up getting a 3 episode extension to
show the girls recording their full length album because there
was a lot of hype. Days Like That reached number
one in Canada and broke a Canadian record with the
(12:32):
highest debut single by a debut artist in history. It
would also become the 22nd most played song in Canada
by year's end. This all happened and not just because
they were on TV, but because they made appearances.
Just about everywhere across Canada they had live performances and
autograph signings at Zellers in Bramley, the West Edmonton Mall,
(12:53):
and the HMV at Saint Laurent Center in Ottawa, attended
by thousands of screaming fans. I was actually at one
of those meet and greets. They came to the Metro
Center in Halifax, which I'm sure is called something else now,
and I remember waiting in line to meet them. I
was so excited.
They also appeared on MuchMusic's Electric Circus, though they sang
(13:14):
what would be their next single How Much Longer, which
was also a bop, as with most of these industry
bred groups, the album also titled Sugar Jones would be
rush released to capitalize on the group's growing popularity. Released
on June 26, 2001, Sugar Jones debuted at number two
on the Canadian Albums chart and would eventually go platinum.
(13:37):
Things were happening.
Fast for Sugar Jones, and they wouldn't need to wait
long before their next big break, opening up for Destiny's
Child on their Canadian tour. Here they are telling much
more music about the moment where they learned they'd be
performing with their idols,
Speaker 2 (13:53):
and you are
opening for.
How cool
Speaker 1 (13:58):
is that?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Like that's
very cool. I'm really excited, especially because out of all
the pop bands out there, like we feel that it's
probably more closer to the sound that we're going for.
Like R&B so far and they're working really hard.
and they're women and they're young and they've got so
much talent and we'd love to be on the same
(14:19):
concert as them. It's ironic too because in an interview
about 3 or 4 days before we found out we had,
we were asked if you could tour with anyone, who
would you tour with and.
And we were like Destiny's Child. 3 days later, 4
days later, they're like, you're opening for Destiny's Child. So
how do you find that out and, and what do
you do? Like I, I don't know what I would do. Well,
it wouldn't happen. I don't know. I was on, I
(14:40):
was on Julie and I were in a shoe in
a shoe store and we're like, you're opening for Destiny's Child.
Like she turned around to me and she's like, We're
opening for Destiny's Child. I'm like, Oh, we hugged each other.
And you're like, what do you do, like when, where
you're like, no, no, later. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
And remember when, no, not days were like that, but
when I mentioned JC from NSYNC had bumped into Marrella, well,
when NSYNC were doing interviews for their album Celebrity, the
Canadian press asked him about Sugar Jones. He said, I
saw the video on TV and I was like, Oh
my God, I heard that song 1000 times when I
was here last time. It's pretty cool. It's on the
(15:20):
mellow tip. It's an easy listen.
And then when he was asked about potentially taking Sugar
Jones out on tour with NSYNC, he said Janet Jackson
really gave us our big break in the States. She
let us open up for her, and that was a
big part of us getting out in front of the public,
and we appreciated it. And now whenever we see somebody
up and coming, if you show us that you're hungry,
(15:40):
you're definitely coming on our tour, but you definitely have
to be hungry.
Well, I guess Sugar Jones weren't hungry enough because that
offer from NSYNC never transpired, and well, after those shows
with Destiny's Child, things kind of cooled off for Sugar Jones,
even though 2002 started with news that they received their
first Juno nomination for Best New Group. Sugar Jones are
(16:02):
facing a bit of an existential crisis. They were down
one member when Michael Watson decided to leave the group
in order to join her then husband, Canadian soul singer
Remy Shand, as a member of his band.
All of a sudden, Sugar Jones were now a 4 piece.
Their manager Gary Francis tried to fan the flames when
he spoke to the media, wishing might go well, but
(16:24):
also assuring fans that Sugar Jones were still together and
also working with other artists on new music. He even
teased that members were pursuing solo opportunities on the side,
including acting roles, saying, I don't want to announce anything
before it's time, but you can definitely expect to see
the girls outside of Sugar Jones sooner than later.
(16:44):
Yeah, it just, just, you know, it sounds like something
that a manager would say before his group is about
to break up, don't you think? But no, Sugar Jones
carried on as a foursome for a Canadian tour in
April 2002. A few months later at the 2002 Much
Music Video Music Awards, Marrella would confirm that yes, Sugar
Jones were still together and that yes, she was also
(17:06):
working on solo material.
Here she is talking to much more music. Well,
Speaker 2 (17:10):
we, we went, we had an amazing experience. We had
our own headlining tour last fall. Opened up for Destiny's Child.
We had a platinum record. It's just been an incredible
year for all of us and uh we're still together.
We'll be performing this summer, but I'm also working on
a solo project which I'm really excited about, so.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Sadly, nothing materialized for Sugar Jones after this. The group
reportedly entered a studio and began to work on some
new songs, even with Remy Shand, Michael's husband at the time,
but the group fizzled out and announced they had disbanded
in 2003.
Meanwhile, Popstars, the series wouldn't fare much better. In Canada,
the show ran for two more seasons where they switched
(17:52):
things up a bit. Season 2 was called Popstars Boy
Meets Girl, uh, which saw the formation of the short-lived
Velvet Empire. Season 3 was dubbed Popstars the 1 and
crowned singer-songwriter Krista Borden the winner, and that was that.
As for what happened next to the five members of
Sugar Jones, well, they've all gone on to lead relatively
(18:14):
normal music unrelated lives, though it's worth pointing out that
both Julie and Andrea did manage to release solo albums
after Sugar Jones broke up. Julie even earned a Juno
nomination in 2015 for Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Unfortunately in 2025, Sugar Jones are not much more than
a treasured memory for those who remember their brief existence.
(18:37):
I mean, you know what, at least we had the
time we had. Episodes of pop stars are nowhere to
be watched, only short sort of low res clips and
a trailer for the show on YouTube serve as proof
that it even happened.
Similarly, this is a weird one. Days like that, along
with the rest of the group's one and only album,
do not exist on streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music.
(19:00):
You can, however, stream the original version by Fierce, um,
and if you're lucky enough to own the original CD,
that's about as good as it gets. So do you
remember when days were like that? Maybe, but only if
you were lucky and have the CD.
I'm Ruby Carr. Thanks for listening to another episode of
Encore and standing outside the Metro Center with me to
(19:21):
talk about Sugar Jones. Make sure you subscribe so you
never miss an episode.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Encore is an iHeartRadio Canada podcast. Download the free iHeartRadio
app and subscribe. Thank you.
Thank you so much for coming.
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