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Sugar Jones was a Canadian pop group created on the first season of the Canadian version of Popstars, that aired on Global Television. It consisted of five members chosen from thousands of people who auditioned for the group. "Sugar Street" was originally considered as a name for the band, but it was eventually changed to Sugar Jones. In 2002 they released a self-titled album that featured the singles "Days like That" and "How Much Longer", the album also includes Canadian R&B artist Toya Alexis and rap artist Solitair.

Sugar Jones quickly disbanded after Maiko Watson left the group.

"Days like That" topped the Canadian Singles Chart on May 19, 2001, where it remained for six weeks; the song was originally released in the U.K. by Fierce in 1999 and reached No. 11.

Band members

Mirella Dell'Aquila

Dell'Aquila, born November 26, 1981 in Montreal, QC, Canada is of Italian heritage. She studied music at Vanier College^[1] in Quebec before joining Sugar Jones. The raven-haired beauty also wanted to break into movies and had a starring role in Angel Tears, a film by Montreal director Minor Mustain that was scheduled to be shown at a Jazz Festival. Rumors circulated that Dell'Aquila was engaged to Scottish singer-songwriter Darius Danesh. Dell'Aquila never confirmed nor declined the engagement but Danesh disregarded the rumors by stating they never had a relationship to begin with and they'd only briefly met once before.

Mirella now works at the private high school West Island College as one of the school's receptionists.^[2] She has no intentions of renewing her career as a singer as are her former band mates Julie, Andrea, Sahara and Maiko. Mirella was happily married in Montreal, QC to her love interest Anthony De Luca in late 2006.

Julie Crochetiere

Julie was born July 10, 1980 in Montreal. With her parent's full encouragement and support, Julie studied classical piano, ballet, and jazz from an early age.

While in high school, she also played the trumpet in the school band. Her music teacher recognized early on that Julie had an undeniable vocal ability and pushed her to explore further what would become her passion. At this time she also explored her dance repertoire and began to focus on hip-hop and competitive aerobics.

For two years, Julie attended the music program at Lionel-Grouix. She was introduced to various styles of music and new opportunities. Every step of the way, she was encouraged by those close to her. "I have been lucky and blessed to have all the support and belief in my talent from my family and close friends," Julie says. "They have been faithful all along, and I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for their encouragement. They keep me focused and helped me to keep pushing myself. They helped me to keep my confidence together."

After Sugar Jones, Julie wrote, co-produced and independently released her first EP "Cafe". She's been building her name and reputation as a musician and singer-songwriter by performing at some of the most renowned live music venues in Toronto, Montreal and New York. Most notably, Julie performed at the Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal Jazz festivals, CMW and NXNE. Her songs are a fusion of soul, blues, funk and jazz. Julie released her first full-length album "A Better Place" (Somerset/Universal) in January 2007. The album is available in Canada and the US in HMV, specialty stores and on iTunes.

One of Julie's more recent project was "Play It Forward", where she would ask local choirs and school bands to play alongside her so she could get the communities involved and help raise money for local music programs.

Andrea Henry

Andrea was born December 14, 1978 in Hamilton, Ontario. Her parents hail from Nature Island, Dominica in the Caribbean.

Andrea has performed in a wide variety of arenas. Her interest in singing began at age seven, when she became a member of Hamilton's Dominican Creoles Dancers. In high school, she sang in the choir and in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In both 1999 and 2000, she won the Youth Talent Search in Hamilton.

Andrea has also modeled for Vogue Models and Talent Agency and Most Models Agency. Andrea participated in the Miss Commenwealth of Dominica Pageant. She was also a top finalist for Miss Black Ontario Pageant, in Ontario. "Music is what truly makes me happy. Live performance has been a part of my life. I have incorporated drama and poetry in many of my performances to showcase more of my intensity."

Singing with "glam/soul" band Crystal Soul.

Sahara MacDonald

Sahara was born on June 19, 1977 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a child, she studied at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Sahara and her mother later settled in Vancouver where she continued her dance studies. Her mother and her grandmother, both classically trained singers, strongly encouraged Sahara to begin voice lessons. Upon graduating high school, Sahara knew she was destined to be a singer. She began to broaden her musical horizons and experiment with blues, jazz, and soul music. Sahara landed reputable roles in many local productions including: The Pirates of Penzance, 42nd Street, and The Boyfriend.

She continues to create music in a mature and distinct mixture of Blues and Soul. Currently producing a soon to be released album. As of February 2008, Sahara is a member of the ensemble and understudies for the characters "Killer Queen" and "Oz" in the hit Toronto production of We Will Rock You.

Maiko Watson

Maiko was born in Georgetown, Guyana on April 29, 1981. her family came to Canada before her first birthday. They lived in several cities and small towns before settling in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Maiko has sung her entire life, and started singing solos in her elementary school choir. She began dance training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet at age four, and continued with ballet, tap, and jazz until age 15. She has always excelled in musical theatre, where she earned solos and was placed in workshops to perform outside of school. Notably, she played Ado Annie in her Grade 7 production of Oklahoma!

As a teenager, Maiko began writing her own lyrics and performing original material at hip-hop socials and local events. She danced and choreographed performances in a cultural Afro-Caribbean dance group as well as the hip-hop dance group Mahogany. She has recorded with local Winnipeg producers Chris Burke-Gaffney and Alex Zografov and was featured in Winnipeg rap duo Mood Ruff's single and music video. Maiko also sang on the television talk show Jenny Jones.

Maiko's influences include Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Lauryn Hill, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, and Stevie Wonder.

Maiko is writing and producing her debut solo album. The music is a soulful blend of funk, blues and jazz.

References

External links

• Julie Crochetiere Official site
• Julie Crochetiere Official MySpace
• Andrea Henry Official MySpace
• Sahara MacDonald Official MySpace
• Sahara MacDonald Official site
• Maiko Watson Official MySpace