Rebecca Ferguson sings praises of Nile Rodgers ahead of Leeds comeback

JAZZ pop sensation Rebecca Ferguson, ahead of a comeback album and tour which brings her to Leeds, has revealed she's fallen in love with music all over again - thanks to Chic legend Nile Rodgers.
Rebecca FergusonRebecca Ferguson
Rebecca Ferguson

In an exclusive chat, listen to her full interview with Graham Walker, the 2010 X-Factor runner up admits despite four top 10 albums she was feeling bruised by the industry and disheartened.

Now, after a two year break to be mum to her three children, she is back working on album number five at legendary Abbey Road studios under the watchful eye of Rodgers, who is helping to reboot her career.

She is promising fans a sneak peek of music they have been collaborating on and hits from her first albums Heaven, Freedom, Lady Sings The Blues and Superwoman, on a four date UK tour which plays Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, on Wednesday, February 26.

BUY TICKETS: Tickets for all her UK dates including Birmingham Town Hall (Feb 25), London Islington Assembly Hall (Feb 27) and Liverpool Grand Central Hall (Feb 28), are available at www.gigsandtours.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk with VIP packages available at www.sjm-vip.com.\

LISTEN: Hear Rebecca Ferguson’s full interview in conversation with Graham – CLICK HERE.

Rebecca, of working with iconic producer, songwriter and funk guitar icon Rodgers, who has produced all time greats including Madonna, David Bowie, Diana Ross and Duran Duran, said: "I just feel so lucky. Nile's got this real love for life.

"If I'm honest, I felt like I've been really bruised by the industry and got a little bit lost - like a bit disheartened.

"Then I met Nile and started working with him. Just seeing how much joy and love he has, he really made me fall in love with music again.

"I started going to watch him as well, at all of his concerts. There's just this joy and positivity on stage and you just realise what it's about. what music is about it. It's about lifting people up and making them feel good.

"And so he's really helped me to do that and to be more positive in my music and to realise that the words I'm singing really have an effect on people who are listening."

Her latest work follows dance singles with producer Afsheen. She also collaborated with Rogerseventytwo and co-writer Mike Mago to release piano driven dance hit I’ll Be There.

In our chat she revealed her new, as yet untitled album, four years on since Superwoman, is set for release later this year and the lead single, with the working title Family and featuring Rodgers on guitar, is due to drop before the tour.

She also told how her Leeds visit will also be a Yorkshire 'homecoming' - Liverpool's r&b queen spent many summer holidays growing up with family in Sheffield.

"I've got Yorkshire roots," she said.

"Every summer holiday I would spend in Sheffield right by Meadowhall. I have family in Tinsley, my Nana, all my aunties and cousins. My dad is Jamaican but he moved over here when he was only eight years old. So he's got a Yorkshire accent. He's a Yorkshireman.

"It means Leeds will be the closest gig on this tour. It will be the one all my Yorkshire family will come to."

She said of the forthcoming live dates: "The tour will be a real celebration of all of my albums and I'm going to be singing some of my new songs as well. I've got the best musicians on stage, the best wardrobe and I really want it to be an amazing positive show. I'm really into positivity."

After coming runner-up to Matt Cardel on the seventh series of The X Factor, she has not been short of success.

Record-breaking debut album Heaven was released in 2011 and had critical and commercial success selling 128,000 copies in its first week. The album peaked at No. 3 in the UK Official Charts, making her the fastest-selling debut solo artist of the past decade (2007-2017).She has proven herself to be a recording artist with a passion for her craft that is second to none and she is continuing to flourish as a confident songwriter and stunning live performer. Embarking on countless tours across the UK, Europe and the US she has also performed with some of the biggest names in the industry over the past 10 years including Lionel Ritchie, Andrea Bocelli, Burt Bacharach and John Legend.

Rebecca, who cites Aretha Franklin and Amy Winehouse among her influences, said of her next releases: "The first single, which for now I'm calling Family, though it may have a longer title, is literally just being mixed. I'm really excited about that. Nile plays the guitar on it. And I've teamed with Eg White, who I wrote most of the first album, and a producer called Jonny Coffer as well.

"So yeah, I'm really excited about that. It should be out before the tour and fans will definitely hear it on the tour.

"The album will come out this year. We're looking at a bigger tour, lots of festivals and new music, so it's kind of me coming back this year because I've had two years of just being a mum."

LIVE DATES 202025 February Birmingham Town Hall26 February Leeds City Varieties Music Hall27 February London Islington Assembly Hall28 February Liverpool Grand Central HallLINKS

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