W W INTERVIEW
L L
AN INTERVIEW WITH LISA STANSFIELD
Singer Lisa Stansfield talks to
Wirral Life in an exclusive interview.
Lisa Stansfield is a singer, songwriter and actress from
the North West of England. Her career began in 1980
when she won the singing competition Search for a Star.
Lisa’s first solo album, Affection and its worldwide chart-
topping lead single, “All Around the World”, were major
breakthroughs in her career. She was nominated for two
Grammy Awards and Affection is currently her best-selling
album.
Lisa has won numerous awards, including Brit Awards,
Ivor Novello Awards, Billboard Music Award, World Music
Award, ASCAP Award, Women’s World Award, Silver Clef
Awards and DMC Awards. She has sold over twenty million
albums worldwide, including five million of Affection.
As part of her latest tour, Lisa will be performing at the
Liverpool Philharmonic. Here she talks to Wirral Life in an
exclusive interview.
You’ve had a fantastic career selling over twenty
million award-winning albums worldwide, including
a staggering five million copies of your debut album
Affection. You were the biggest and most awarded female
British female solo popstar of the Nineties, even cracking
the notoriously difficult American market. It must feel
surreal sometimes looking at just what you’ve achieved
since you won a local talent contest in Rochdale?
I’ve been very lucky to be able to pursue my dream, singing
and songwriting is my passion and I can’t imagine having
done anything else.
Now you’re back with your 8th studio album, the
brilliant ‘Deeper’ and a UK and European tour in April
and May. Talk us through the feel and inspiration for the
new album.
I’m quite nosy so I really observe other people. They might
be talking about what they’re having for dinner but I’ll read
things into the situation and come up with a little story.
It’s always about the mood of something. There’s one song,
Deeper, which is my love song to my husband Ian, because
it’s a lot deeper now. We’ve been married 30 years!
How quickly did your life change after your signature
song and biggest global hit ‘All Around The World’
reached number one in so many countries, selling over
one million copies in each?
It changed so quickly, I literally didn’t have a minute to
reflect on what was happening to me. It was like trying to
catch a galloping horse, but very exciting.
You’ve worked with one of your idols - Soul icon Barry
White, what was that like? Did he give you any good
advice?
He was absolutely lovely, we had such a great time filming
the video. He had such an incredible presence and a lovely
warmth. He didn’t give me any advice but we did share a
bottle of wine!
Was your Mother’s love of soul music when you were
growing up a major influence on your eventual style?
Yes definitely, my mother played Soul and Motown all the
time and they also had lots of parties so I was brought up
loving that music.
You were a teenage model. There has been a lot of
coverage in the press about women in the entertainment
industry being discriminated against, both sexually and
financially, what’s your view?
I was invited to the office of the director, who pulled me
onto his lap, put his hand on my leg, and told me that if
I played my cards right I would get on the cover of the
teen title Blue Jeans. I slapped him, but continued going
to the school – the compromise, perhaps, of a certain
generation…
If you could replay any five minutes of your life, what
moment would it be?
The Freddie Mercury Tribute at Wembley was amazing.
There were so many ultra-famous people doing that gig
and nobody complained about not having the right water
or snacks because they weren’t there for themselves they
were there for Freddie and Queen. It was such a beautiful
feeling of solidarity.
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