The Sugababes wrote the song in collaboration with Jony Rockstar, Marius de Vries and Felix Howard; it was inspired by group member Heidi Range's experience of being separated from her family and friends.

Alison Murray directed the song's music video, which was filmed at a swimming pool in London and portrays each group member as a different persona.

[1] "Stronger" was written by Buchanan, Buena and Range, in collaboration with Jony Rockstar, Marius de Vries and Felix Howard, for the group's second studio album Angels with Dirty Faces.

[7][8] To promote its release, the Sugababes played the track to the Birmingham Mail in October 2002 as part of an interview,[9] and visited 95.8 Capital FM in November 2002.

[20] Stuart McCaighy of This Is Fake DIY wrote that it "sounds ace",[21] while Birmingham Post writer Andrew Cowen described the track as "defiant".

[26] However, Barry Nicholson from NME named it the weaker track on the double A-side and stated that it "leers at you for a bit, then staggers off to puke up that last Bacardi Breezer".

[27] Marianne Gunn from The Herald called the track's strings "inferior" and wrote that it contains "the same cheesy sentiment" as American singer Britney Spears' song of the same name.

[28] "Stronger" debuted at number seven on the UK Singles Chart in the issue dated 23 November 2002 as part of its double A-side release with the album's title track.

[4] The video opens with a scene of Buena in a car driving through the streets in London, where she is sitting in the back seat next to a man talking on the phone.

[48] The Sugababes performed "Stronger" on 27 August 2002 during an Up Close gig for the launch of Angels with Dirty Faces, organised by Scottish Radio Holdings and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

[19] In October 2006, the Sugababes performed it as part of an acoustic set with "Shape" at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, to promote the release of their greatest hits album, Overloaded: The Singles Collection.

[53] "Stronger" appeared in the set list for the group's Overloaded tour,[54] in which the performances were accompanied by footage of their Comic Relief trip to Africa.

[57] The Journal's Kat Keogh wrote that their performance at the Newcastle City Hall "displayed a confident shift from moody pop princesses to sassy Supremes-style harmony".

[57] The group performed "Stronger" on 27 June 2009 at the Cannock Chase Forrest as part of a 75-minute show,[58] and on 10 July 2009 at County Durham's Riverside Ground along with many of their other singles.

[59] The fourth line-up of the Sugababes, consisting of Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen, performed the song at the London Superclub in March 2010 as part of a gig.

Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy characterised the cover as "the only tune on the record with the sort of story-telling lyrics that are fitting for Mead's dramatic style",[60] while Michael Quinn from the BBC described it as "more sweetly plaintive" than the Sugababes' version.

[62] The music video for "Stronger" became the subject of media attention in June 2011 after a member of Scotland's SlutWalk movement posted it on the group's website, claiming that it was in encouragement for victims of rape.