Lulu relights her fire
A new tour by Lulu is always something to shout about. MARION McMULLEN finds the singer, 70, is burning with enthusiasm
‘I’M having the best time of my life,” declares Lulu with a big-hearted laugh. The singer with the powerhouse voice has been appearing with Take That on their Greatest Hits tour and joining Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald on stage every night for a show-stopping performance of Relight My Fire.
“I so love these guys,” says Lulu happily. “I have a history with these guys and it’s great to pick up with them on this. We have such a great time on stage and off. They really look after me.”
She chuckles: “The shows, well, it was the best entrance and exit I’ve ever had. I’ve never done so little – just one song – but I wasn’t sipping tea and doing nothing for one and a half hours beforehand. I warm up my voice and get ready. You can’t just walk on. This is a job that requires lots of preparation. It’s a moment and you have to get it right.
“The tour has such a large set and cast that it’s like touring with a small city. It’s sad when it ends.”
The Take That concerts have certainly relit Lulu’s own fire for singing live. She is about to embark on 35 UK dates as part of her On Fire tour. It celebrates the release of her debut smash hit Shout 55 years ago. She was 15 when the cover of the Isley Brothers track shot her to fame and she hasn’t been out of the public eye since.
She will be backed by a huge LED screen for the first time on tour, which will be showing some of the personal and career-defining moments in her life.
“I’m so lucky I have another tour,” she says. “I love to be on the road.
This is what I do. I don’t want to do it 12 months of the year, but two tours a year I relish.”
It’s hard to believe the voice behind hits like To Sir With Love, I’m A Tiger, The Man Who Sold The World and 007 theme song The Man With The Golden Gun now belongs to a 70-year-old granny, but Lulu’s enthusiasm is ageless.
Her career has also seen her write the Tina Turner hit I Don’t Wanna Fight and perform at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“When I first started I never said boo to an audience,” she reveals.
“I would just go on and sing song after song. I’ve certainly been around the block making music and I feel now it’s my time.
“I’ve always been busy, busy, busy, never stopping, but now I’m able to manage my time better. I just pace myself a bit better. I love what I do. I love to make music. I love my job. It’s what I do. It came to me five or six years ago that it’s not about the hair or the outfits it’s about the songs.”
She was married to Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb for four years and then tied the knot with celebrity hair stylist John Frieda in 1977 and had a son called Jordan but the pair divorced in 1992.
The On Fire tour will certainly be a new venture for Lulu. “This is my life through pictures and music,” she says simply. “I’ve so much experience to draw from and I’m choosing songs, some very poignant, and talking about them and telling stories. It’s a very different type of tour.
“I’ve been digging out pictures that relate to the performance and it’s very funny. Sometimes I look at what I was wearing and it’s like ‘Oh, my God, what was I thinking?’
“There are graphics, a big screen and quite a lot to think about.
“I have been blessed. I definitely think because of the life I have had, both the ups and downs, that there is a balance and I always put on an optimistic voice. I live my life from a place of gratitude.
“Sometimes I think I’m 15 and sometimes I feel so tired, but I go to an osteopath and look after myself. It’s all part of the job.”
Singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and national treasure are all labels that have been attributed to Lulu over the years, and the Scottish lass, born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, has stayed the course when many have faltered.
“I’m a wee lassie from Glasgow who would have thought? I’m happy I’m still doing a job that I love and I love, love, love to make music. Sitting in a rocking chair is not for me.”
Lulu has recently had her son Jordan, her daughter-in-law Alana, her two young grandchildren, Bella, aged nine, and seven-year-old Teddy, and two cats living with her for six weeks as they prepare to make the move from the city to the countryside.
“My grandaughter gets bemused sometimes if someone recognises me and asks for an autograph or photo. She asks ‘Do they know you?’ and I say ‘Sort of’ and then she says “Do you know them?’ and I reply ‘sort of’.
“They used to ask ‘Can you sing Nanna?’ but my son has brought them to see me perform and they’ve seen Nanna on tour in a show running across the stage, landing on her knees and jumping up again.” Lulu laughs: “It’s not normal is it? But I love it.”
■ The On Fire tour begins on September 19. Go to luluofficial. com for venue and ticket details.