Tony Cowell chats to Jane McDonald
Singer and TV star Jane McDonald rocketed to stardom in 1998 when she first appeared in the BBC One docusoap The Cruise, attracting over 13 million viewers. In the same year, her debut album went to Number 1 and stayed there for three weeks. Fast-forward to 2018 and Jane, now a national treasure, won a Bafta for her Channel 5 show, Cruising with Jane McDonald. Here, the 57-year-old explains how lockdown gave her time to write music and cosy up with her long-time partner, musician Ed Rothe…
All the songs on your new album you have performed on your Channel 5 Cruising show – so presumably they picked themselves?
Yes, but the funny thing was when the TV producers first suggested I sing at the end of each episode, I was horrified – I just thought, ‘Oh no, please don’t let me sing at the end of every show!’ But in the end, it was the best thing I ever did. People seemed to love it.
Do any of these songs have a particular special meaning to you?
The song Ray of Light does. That song is very poignant to me because I recorded that when my mum, Jean, was really ill and was in a hospice, and I started to listen to the lyrics, which are all about a spirit going into the universe to find where she came from. So, it hit me hard because of mum’s situation. It was a little sign.
A lot of fans connected with you on social media during lockdown, saying how much comfort they got from watching your show...
I’m a glass half-full type of person and I love what I do with a passion. There is so much gloom and doom right now and I think that TV show is so uplifting. So, it was lovely to see those messages because it meant we had lifted someone’s day – and that means a lot to me. The power of music helps people, too, because the energy in a song can really help lift people, particularly right now when the whole world is hurting. Music can define a mood.
How did you cope with lockdown personally – did you find it difficult?
It’s been devastating for many people but I try to find the positive in everything. I found that I was just watching my garden grow, for the first time in years. I had the time to sit at my piano and work on songs. I spent time with my partner, Ed, and I found out that not only do I love him – I actually like being with him. I stopped watching the news because I only wanted a positive light to shine on my world. So, I sat and looked out of the window.
You shot to fame in 1998 on The Cruise – how often do you look back on that period of your life?
I’m not one to look back, really. I believe our futures are mapped out. That show was a fluke. But it happened for a reason. I was lucky enough to live a great part of life outside of the public eye – so when that show happened, my life suddenly changed. I had been singing since I was in the pram, but it took me a long time to find the confidence to sing on a stage.
Who helped you to find that confidence?
My mother, Jean, who died in 2018. Definitely. She was never pushy, only encouraging, and that’s what helped me through. She was always there for me and I will never forget what she did for me.
Your debut album was number one for three weeks in 1998 – do you remember that time well?
I didn’t realise just how important it was. I remember feeling happy for everyone else who had helped make the album with me. The main thing I remember is knocking the Beastie Boys from the Number One slot. That made me happy.
In 2018 you won a Bafta for Cruising with Jane McDonald. Was that a career highlight?
I’m still in shock! I was so grateful to be recognised by
Bafta for my show. When I was invited to the awards I said to Ed, ‘I’m not going, because we are not going to win anything.’ In the end, he convinced me to go and then when they announced I’d won I was so shocked!
In your autobiography, Riding the Waves, you wrote about hitting rock bottom and losing your confidence. Was that tough to write?
It was hard going back and recalling how difficult things got for me. If I’d known how bad my life was to become, I don’t think I would have carried on. I would have taken the easy way out. Basically, I went to rock bottom, but I found my own way out of it. You can’t blame other people for things that go wrong in your life. You have to take responsibility. I didn’t enjoy writing the book but when I started getting letters from people saying I had helped them – then I realised that by being honest, I had done the right thing.
‘I had been singing since I was in the pram, but it took time to find my confidence’