‘I’d love to transform into Prince. I’ve got so much memorabilia – I’m obsessed!’
Beverley Knight is loving the pop doppelgängers on Starstruck – but nothing beats her first meeting with her idol
She’s a soul siren who has released eight albums and hit platinum sales. And when it comes to awards, Beverley Knight is not short on silverware – with three MOBOs and an MBE to her name.
The singer is also happily married to production technician James O’Keefe, who she tied the knot with in 2012. But she admits there’s another main man in her life – musically speaking.
Despite all her success, she certainly didn’t manage to play the cool star when she finally met her idol since childhood, Prince.
“When I first met Prince I lost the plot,” says Beverley.
“I didn’t lose the plot in front of him but the minute I was out of his eyeshot, I was finished!”
Currently, Beverley – who was born Beverley Anne Smith in Wolverhampton – can be seen on ITV on Saturday nights as a judge on Starstruck, the reboot of Stars In Their Eyes, where she sits alongside Queen frontman Adam Lambert, actress Sheridan Smith and comedian Jason Manford.
While TV viewers enjoy her celebrating the pop wannabes, Beverley’s also busy performing in the West End in The Drifters Girl – a project that was announced in 2019, then shelved when the pandemic hit.
Filming Starstruck last year, in which teams of singers impersonate huge stars such as Marvin Gaye, Freddie Mercury and Cher, took Beverley back to 2007. That’s when she had the honour of supporting Prince during his residency at London’s O2 Arena, as
well as performing at the afterparties. He was so impressed with Beverley he flew her out to perform at his Oscars party. She wowed A-listers such as producer Quincy Jones, getting a standing ovation. Here, the 48-year-old talks about her undying love for The Purple One and his music and how she’s had a ball being a judge on Starstruck…
Hi, Beverley. On you judge pop impersonators, but have you ever been starstruck yourself?
Starstruck
I have met so many icons and had the privilege of singing with so many of them from [David] Bowie to [Carlos] Santana, Prince to Stevie [Nicks] and Chaka Khan. When I first met Prince I lost the plot. I didn’t lose the plot in front of him but the minute I was out of his eyeshot, I was finished! When we eventually sang together, which we did a few times, that was probably when I was at my coolest because I had a microphone.
So if you could transform yourself into another musical icon, who would it be and why?
Prince, all day long! I would lose some of this hair or braid it all down and put a wig on. I would love to transform into Prince. I want to know what it feels like for that minute and a half the contestants are up there. I want to know what it feels like to be a musical genius, a genuine genius of music. I’ve been a Prince fan since I was tiny, I’ve got so much memorabilia, music, T-shirts. My key ring is the Love Symbol. I’m obsessed.
Can we look forward to seeing you enjoying a trio of Princes among the contestants still to perform?
No. But every show, every single time we came into the studio, I’d think to myself,“Is today the day?” Prince is not easy to get down.
Would you be hyper-critical if you judged Prince impersonators?
I probably would! I know Prince’s voice, mannerisms and everything so well. There’d be so much I’d be looking out for. Especially his tone of voice. I’ve never heard anybody who actually sounds like him!
‘To give joy is a wonderful thing. And that’s what we get to do every night’
Can you remember the first time you performed on stage? What song did you sing?
I was about four and it was a hymn. It was in church. The congregation would have been about 600. The stage never held any fear for me. My mum was singing, my sister was, I naturally had to go and join them.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given in your career?
Don’t be so serious. When I was younger, I was so serious about my music. But now I can have much more of a laugh and relax with it, which is why I tell people to relax. Work hard but take time to appreciate everything that you do, because it’s such a privilege to be able to do it.
While fans watch you on screen on Starstruck, you’ve been busy playing Faye Treadwell, the manager of The Drifters, in the West End…
Yes, at the moment I’m starring in
The Drifters Girl, which is fantastic. And I’m absolutely having a ball on it. I can’t even tell you how great it is just to have the West End open again and to be in this space.
As a soul fan as well as a singer, you sound like you’re in your element… Yes.To give joy is a wonderful, wonderful thing. And that’s what we get to do every night. I’m really enjoying being on stage. Because it’s been a long time.
It’s quite a panel on Starstruck. Has there been any competition between the four of you when it comes to picking the winners or when you sang together on the first show?
No, no, no, not at all. Look, I’m known for my voice. And Adam’s known for his voice. And Sheridan and Jason have sung in theatre, so they’re known for their voices and what they do. And Olly is a bloody pop star! So there was no,“I’ve got to prove this or prove that.”Jason was like,“Oh, I don’t want to sing next to you. I’ll sing first you can sing after me.”But that’s Jason
being Jason!
You look like you had as much fun as the hopefuls – particularly you and Sheridan, who were often on your feet for a singalong… Yeah, there were moments like,“OK, wow, that was fantastic!”It couldn’t have been better for me. It was really up my street. It wasn’t about me going,“Yeah, well they can’t sing or they look like a mess” or whatever. It’s a lovely, celebratory show. Because we know everyone who’s going to go on there can bloody well do it!
Saturday, 8.30pm, ITV