Beverley Knight: “Who do I despise? I can't tell you how much what Priti Patel did grieves me'
Wolverhampton-born Beverley Knight, 49, had her first UK Top 10 hit with the album Who I Am, which was nominated for the 2002 Mercury Prize. , she made her West End debut with The Bodyguard, and has since been nominated twice for Olivier. From July 19 to August 28, she will headline Sister Act: the Musical at Eventim Apollo, London. She is married and lives in London.
What is your earliest memory? Listen to the radio and hear Stevie Wonder sing Sir Duke. I must have been around three years old.
Besides a property, what is the most expensive thing you have purchased? I'm a shoe and bag freak. I shelled out for a Chanel handbag on eBay and it was still four figures!
Describe yourself in three wordsHappy, nice, talkative.
What don't you like the most about your appearance? My feet. I have corns, they're calloused because I wear heels all the time, and I inherited bunions from my grandma. They're not cute.
If you could bring something dead back to life, what would you choose? Prince. In 2007, I shared a stage with him at his aftershow at the O2. It's still the greatest joy of my life, musically.
Who is your favorite celebrity? David Olusoga, the historian.
What's the worst thing anyone's ever said to you? Someone said to me: "You are 46 years old, you are a woman and you are black." It was said as a verification of my worth and what I could do in life. I was devastated, because I think those are my superpowers.
What do you owe your parents? I'm the daughter of immigrants, so everything.
What does love look like?Fizzy.
Have you Have you ever said "I love you" without meaning it? No.
Which living person do you despise the most, and why? Priti Patel. The way she took the harsh environment and ran with it - I can't tell you how much that pains me.
What words or phrases do you abuse the most? I call everyone "love" and "chicken".
If you could change your past, what would you change? Some of the neuroses of my 20s. I knew I had great talent, but I thought it was unsaleable because I felt lousy.
If it wasn't for you, who would you most be? I would be as fearless as Grace Jones.
When was the last time you changed your mind about something important? I wasn't going to do Sister Act because it meant performing in one show and rehearsing another, but passing up the opportunity to be on stage with Jennifer Saunders would have been madness.
How often do you have sex?As often as possible.
What is the closest death to you? On a flight to Newcastle when we had terrible storms. The plane plummeted rapidly and the oxygen masks fell off. We had to land in Manchester.
What is the one thing that would improve the quality of your life? More time.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Having a career spanning 29 years.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame? Money.
What happens when we die? We join with the ancestors to care for the next generation of people.
Wolverhampton-born Beverley Knight, 49, had her first UK Top 10 hit with the album Who I Am, which was nominated for the 2002 Mercury Prize. , she made her West End debut with The Bodyguard, and has since been nominated twice for Olivier. From July 19 to August 28, she will headline Sister Act: the Musical at Eventim Apollo, London. She is married and lives in London.
What is your earliest memory? Listen to the radio and hear Stevie Wonder sing Sir Duke. I must have been around three years old.
Besides a property, what is the most expensive thing you have purchased? I'm a shoe and bag freak. I shelled out for a Chanel handbag on eBay and it was still four figures!
Describe yourself in three wordsHappy, nice, talkative.
What don't you like the most about your appearance? My feet. I have corns, they're calloused because I wear heels all the time, and I inherited bunions from my grandma. They're not cute.
If you could bring something dead back to life, what would you choose? Prince. In 2007, I shared a stage with him at his aftershow at the O2. It's still the greatest joy of my life, musically.
Who is your favorite celebrity? David Olusoga, the historian.
What's the worst thing anyone's ever said to you? Someone said to me: "You are 46 years old, you are a woman and you are black." It was said as a verification of my worth and what I could do in life. I was devastated, because I think those are my superpowers.
What do you owe your parents? I'm the daughter of immigrants, so everything.
What does love look like?Fizzy.
Have you Have you ever said "I love you" without meaning it? No.
Which living person do you despise the most, and why? Priti Patel. The way she took the harsh environment and ran with it - I can't tell you how much that pains me.
What words or phrases do you abuse the most? I call everyone "love" and "chicken".
If you could change your past, what would you change? Some of the neuroses of my 20s. I knew I had great talent, but I thought it was unsaleable because I felt lousy.
If it wasn't for you, who would you most be? I would be as fearless as Grace Jones.
When was the last time you changed your mind about something important? I wasn't going to do Sister Act because it meant performing in one show and rehearsing another, but passing up the opportunity to be on stage with Jennifer Saunders would have been madness.
How often do you have sex?As often as possible.
What is the closest death to you? On a flight to Newcastle when we had terrible storms. The plane plummeted rapidly and the oxygen masks fell off. We had to land in Manchester.
What is the one thing that would improve the quality of your life? More time.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Having a career spanning 29 years.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame? Money.
What happens when we die? We join with the ancestors to care for the next generation of people.
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