Moyet shows her ‘Other’ side to States

It’s not easy being an Alison Moyet fan, especially in the United States. You’ve had to watch other, less gifted pop/soul singers get the glory. And you don’t often get to see Moyet herself, who seldom hits this country. Her show at Royale on Wednesday is her first local show in a decade.

What brings the singer, known for her time in the synth-pop duo Yaz and a later string of solo hits, over here now?

“Perseverance,” she said from her home in Brighton, England. “It’s difficult being a solo act when you have to rely on your musicians being available, and you need to pay them. I kept nagging them until they finally gave in.”

Her new album, “Other,” has an electronic sound that harks back to her Yaz days, but her vocals have gotten more nuanced over the years.

“People think that histrionic vocals indicate passion. But you know that when you’ve been around the circuit a few times and you’ve been in love more than once, you understand that you get monosyllabic when you’re torn apart. Heartbreak can numb you and put you out of touch, and sometimes I want to sing that way.”

Moyet doesn’t live a typical pop star’s life. For one thing, she’s currently a college student, studying art and sculpting.

“I left school at 11, so I’m not qualified to work behind a till. I’ve always wanted to study art. I’ve spent too much time in my own head, and it takes me out of there. I study art, but I don’t know anything about artists. I make music, but I never listen to it. I write poetry, but I never read books. That’s always been a factor of my character — whenever I

wanted something in my life, I would just participate. That comes from my working-class background. I didn’t even have a record player growing up. The first time my father said he was proud of me was when I was 30 and I rewired a Hoover.”

She also did some musical theater a few years ago, appearing in “Chicago” in London’s West End.

“If I can try my hand at something, I’ll do it, especially if I find the idea appalling. Being an ex-punk, I always thought musicals were pretty tragic, and when they first asked me, I felt nauseated — and that nausea intrigued me to do it, and I had a brilliant time. Not liking something has never bothered me.”

She’s also learned to like the idea of being an artist in her 50s.

“I wouldn’t even say pop music has a worship of youth. It’s more like a strange hunger and competitiveness. But everyone hits middle age if they’re lucky, so why mess up your own bed? I will say my life is fuller and more interesting as a middle-aged woman than it was in my miserable 20s.”

Alison Moyet, at Royale, Wednesday. Tickets: $35; royaleboston.com.