One of the greatest and most distinctive soul/pop voices of the last thirty years, Heather Small returns to the Emerald Isle for a gig in Dublin later this month.
When it's pointed out to her that her upcoming gig is at the end of what's effectively a long Saint Patrick's weekend – which means it could be a mental night at the tail-end of the Irish Mardi Gras – she howls with laughter.
"My son was born on Saint Patrick's Day!" she says, with a chuckle. "I know all about Saint Patrick's Day. I'm really looking forward to playing Vicar Street. I hear it's a great venue and I'm really looking forward to it.
"You're only as a good as your last gig and by the time I get to Dublin, with that crowd, that audience, you're always respectful of your audience, I'm sure we'll have a good time. My love of singing, my love of playing live, it never dissipates."
During the 1990s she fronted one of the most successful acts of the decade, M People, before embarking on a solo career that peaked with her 2000 Proud album, whose title track became a multi-purpose anthem for the likes of The London Olympics and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
She's also been a contestant on hit BBC TV show Strictly Come Dancing, toured with Anastacia and Lulu in Here Come the Girls, as well as fronting the M People 20th anniversary tour. This time around, she's touring with a full band and fans can expect a night of great music and good vibes from a woman whose love of life shows no sign of diminishing.
On the phone from her home in London, she laughs constantly throughout our conversation but she is super-serious when it comes to the topic of her performing live.
"I tell you, this tour has been going so well," she says, with that unmistakable gravel-in-honey voice that's graced hits such as Moving on Up and Search for the Hero. "I've had a day off today from singing. Every night when I go on stage I think it's the last time I'll ever sing in my life," she laughs. "So I give it my absolute all. I've been enjoying it immensely. It's been going so well. The audiences have been so appreciative and so receptive. It's been fun."
So what kind of set can fans expect? "I have chosen songs that are celebratory and that will leave a good taste, probably make you feel joyous. You don't get to my age without some heartache, but I want to say that there's always tomorrow. It's how we deal with any heartache, any sorrow, any upset, any disappointment. It's either you let it crush you, or you get back up and dust yourself off."
Small started her singing career with London soul act Hot House back in the 1980s when she was still a teenager, but stardom beckoned when she was approached by Manchester DJ Mike Pickering, who was putting together the band that would become the multi-million-sellers M People.
Many years later, and with a lot of life under her belt, Small still loves the live experience, and as someone who's a vegan and shies away from alcohol – "Anything that is addictive and wants to control me, I don't want to be part of" – she prefers the natural high of performing in public.
"Oh I love it," insists the 52-year-old. "I absolutely love it. And I think that people coming to the show, that's what they're seeing. I did a show last night and I was so happy, I said to them I feel like I'm five! I have been in the business a while, but I still have the joy and the love of performing live. That sense of enjoyment, it is fulfilling."
But it will be coming to an end, well this tour at least. Dublin is the second-last gig of this current trek and after that Heather Small will be putting her feet up in some very pleasant surroundings with a very special sibling.
"After the tour I am going off to Barbados with my sister," she says. "She's celebrating her 50th. Life is not bad, definitely not, but I haven't been off on tour for some time and I'm really enjoying the process. I really, really am.
"I promised that this year I would sing a lot more than I had been doing, I still go to vocal lessons, I keep myself fit and healthy, this is what I love to do. So I won't be away too long. People have already asked me to come back out on tour in the autumn and it's an offer I cannot refuse."
A lot has changed in the music industry since Heather Small and Hot House first signed a deal with the De Construction label back in 1986. She went on to sell millions with M People, but sales of records collapsed, while TV talent shows have wielded a lot of power in recent times. But Heather Small's attitude hasn't changed.
Her advice to anyone considering a career in music is a simple one: work at it. It takes a lot of polishing to really shine. "If you're a singer, I would say have a few lessons," she offers. "I'd say: whatever you do, hone your craft. Practice every day. Join a band of like-minded people and get out there and play live."
Heather Small plays Dublin's Vicar Street on Sunday March 20.
John Byrne
