Coming Full Circle: Beverley Knight Interview [SoulCulture]
Published WorkPublished September 1, 2009 at 1:28 AM No Comments
“I don’t know a single big successful black artist who hasn’t had the finger pointed at them from their own community at a given time in their career, to say ‘you’ve left us behind, you’ve sold out’ or whatever, who hasn’t then come full circle and suddenly is totally respected…”
With a platinum selling ‘Best Of’ album (2006), three MOBO Awards, two Black Music Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Urban Music Award under her belt – plus a host of nominations spanning her career including BRIT Awards and the Mercury Music Prize – Beverley Knight is due her respect.
14 years since dropping her first album (The B-Funk), the British soul singer prepares to release her sixth studio album – aptly titled 100% to signify the fact that it is her first independent release since her long term contract with Parlophone came to an end. “I own it lock, stock and barrel – it’s my album, my label, the whole lot belongs to me for the first time ever,” she gushes, “which I’m desperately excited about.”
It shows – with a new team, a slick new image and a persistent daily Twitter campaign of minute-by-minute updates on her shows, photo shoots and what she’s having for tea, personally interacting with as many fans as possible, Beverley Knight is visibly and audibly glowing about the new project. She tells me, “You’ll feel the presence a bit more – which is something I was determined to do.”
