Photograph: Linda Nylind/The GuardianPhotograph: Linda Nylind/The GuardianIn 1993, my best friend and his father died in a car crash. I was 16, and
it was hard to take. Your song Dreams seemed to help us make some sense of it. What inspired you to write it?It started as a poem about how every time I took a step closer to my dreams of singing and writing songs, they seemed to move further out of my grasp. There were various incidents. When I was singing covers in a club someone told me I’d never amount to anything more.
Rise – the song and the whole album – were so uplifting they got me through a very dark period. What inspired youMy life had fallen apart because of a certain highly publicised event that saw me disappearing for a while. So that song was about that association being over and the album was my return to the industry. The song’s about hope and hanging in there through dire situations, sung by someone who lived to tell the tale.
Your album Rise, particularly the song Over You, helped me get through my first breakup. Have any albums or songs moved or inspired you?White Ladder by David Gray. When a relationship broke up I had that song on repeat for weeks, months even. It helped a lot. I’m a huge fan of his and got to meet him, and short of acting like a stalker, I was trying to just hold his hand and say: “It’s really nice to meet you.
Yes, because I’m a scaredy cat. It was in Abu Dhabi and I was at the side of the stage with Nicole Scherzinger. During one song, he wanted us both to come on and sing and dance. I was in awe of him and how gorgeous she was with her amazing vocals, and just couldn’t do it. It was all down to my insecurity. I’m kicking myself now and today I would do it but some things are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I did go to a couple of his parties, though. One that night and one in the US.
Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)