SMALL MERCIES
Former M People lead singer Heather Small is renowned for her powerful and soulful voice. She talks to ALEX GREEN about returning to live gigs
HEATHER SMALL has one of British music’s most striking voices. Since the late 1980s, the West London-raised singer has enjoyed success as part of millionselling dance outfit M People and as a solo artist.
Now after an enforced period away from live shows due to the pandemic, she is finally back performing to audiences.
“It’s what I do and it’s where I am most happiest,” she explains of a recent clutch of concerts around the UK. “I have missed it so very much. It’s hard to explain because it’s intrinsic to who I am – singing, performing. I have done it for such a long time and for it to be taken away from you...
“When you see how a lot of people in the creative industries have been treated, it’s so sad and disappointing more than anything.”
Heather, now 56, was still a teenager when she found her voice while listening to the music of legends like Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin.
Her first brush with fame came when she sang the vocals on Black Box’s smash hit Ride On Time.
The song topped the UK singles chart and soon Heather was working with Manchester DJ Mike Pickering on a project they called M People, producing hits including Testify, Moving On Up and One Night In Heaven.
A decade and more than 10 million record sales later, the group went on hiatus and Heather released a solo album, Proud.
There was another solo album and a stint on Strictly Come Dancing (she placed ninth) and time spent away from the spotlight raising her son, James, from her relationship with former rugby league player Shaun Edwards.
Despite nearly three decades on stage, Heather still admits to suffering nerves.
“It’s just so exciting,” she offers. “I mean, also terrifying. Everybody knows I’m a bit of a nervous performer but when I get the mic in my hand, I stride forth.”
Heather is emotional as she reflects on the last few months, following the lifting of restrictions.
“When I first got back (to performing live), there were people in the audience who were crying... because my performance was so bad,” she quips.
“No! Just the relief and the release and the joy to be doing something that equated to a usual behaviour.
“There is nothing like music and live performance outside – singing, dancing, music, that festival aura. It is amazing.
“It’s freeing and also it’s inter-generational. Especially the last thing I did. Literally there was a woman, she must have been in her 80s, and there were young children who were eight. “She had specifically come to see me perform and her daughter was pointing at the end of the show. I just felt this rush of warmth and joy. That is the power of music and the power of getting together. It’s like a common feeling of wellbeing. Usually what I do is I see people at their happiest. I see people at their best. You do miss that.”
During lockdown, Heather launched a clothing brand with her younger sister, Cheryl, who has bipolar disorder. Through Proud Sista, the duo aim to celebrate both biological and non-biological sisters and raise awareness of mental health issues. Cheryl was diagnosed with bipolar aged 14 and credits her older sister with helping her through. Heather may not have produced much new music in the past decade but she has made up for it with a hectic touring schedule and charity work for the likes of Barnardo’s, Asthma UK and BeatBullying.
In the first months of the pandemic, she took part in a campaign with the World Health Organisation promoting global solidarity, offering up a cover of Sister Sledge’s We Are Family. There are times when her instincts as a mother and activist cross over.
She advises: “There will be a situation where a parent might think, ‘Oh, my child’s just going through a rough patch’. But even so, it might be the start of the their first episode.
“There are so many things to watch out for, and so it’s best to talk and also go to the doctor. Is it something you will have to live with long term? Is it just something that you’re going through in a short period? Just to talk and not to be embarrassed and not to be ashamed.”
Heather Small tours the UK in March 2022. Tickets on sale now