Heather Small chats to Canal St Online

Heather Small needs no introduction, the unmistakable voice that brought us such classics as Movin on Up, Search for the Hero, Proud and How Can I Love You More defined the dancefloor for more than a decade.

Heather is gearing up to hit the road across the country with dates in the North West including the stunning Stockport Plaza in March. Canal St Online caught up with Heather to see how preparations are going.;

1. How are rehearsals going?

Everything is good. I did the set in the summer for festivals so know it really well and I’m happy, its uplifting, its joyous, it’s a celebration, you come to dance, you come to sing.  I wanted that kind of atmosphere. It will be worth the journey out. I will make sure of that.

2. Does performing become ever less nerve wracking?

No (laughs). I always say “I’m going on tour, doing these shows it will be fantastic I can’t wait.”, then (the show comes) I say “Why did I say that?”. But on the day I get in front of the audience and I have my band with me and it’s truly the best place to be, I feel blessed.

It never becomes routine, That’s a sad place to be. Its my passion, I’ve wanted to sing since I was a girl. To get up there and be recognised as a singer is a dream come true. I take it as a privilege.

3. Is it special playing in Manchester?

Of course. My manager is putting the tour together it’s going to be beautiful venues, it’s the feel of the venue, it’s not about how many people are there, it’s about how people are enjoying it and it doesn’t matter if it’s an audience of one I’m going to do my absolute best for it to be an enjoyable evening. If people are making that effort, I’m going to make that effort. I will never become complacent. The audience will enjoy it and I will do too.

4. Do you ever try and predict which songs will do particularly well on a night or do you wait and see what happens?

You’ve got to be in the moment. It is exciting for me. I’m a better singer than I was before so I approach the songs differently now.  Even though it might sound familiar it’s not going to be exactly the same, there’s more ease, more experience in the whole rendition. I think to myself the audience will enjoy the set because I enjoy singing the set. I’m doing a few covers, that people will know, they are uplifting. I look forward to it and the audience has anticipation anyway. You want to fulfil their patience. I’m supposed to get up there and excite the audience, I work hard, I don’t expect people to act adoringly or lovingly just because they know me. I want that love because they realise that I love and respect them and they realise that I am doing my best up there and I don’t want to be anywhere else.

5. Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Yes I do. I have this whole relaxation routine I do when I’m on my own, I listen to my relaxation CD because I’m proper old school. You have to pace yourself because you don’t want to peak too early. So on the day, I might train but most of my energy is conserved for that time when I’m on stage, I save everything I have. As the day goes on I do some vocal exercises, not too much as I’ve learned you don’t want to overtire your voice. You get to the point where you will peak at performance time. 

I don’t sightsee, people don’t pay me to come and walk the streets and take photographs, they come to see me do my thing on stage, that’s what I always remember. If I have a few days in a place then yes or I will come back. I just want to celebrate my time doing this thing called music. An audience will forgive anything but a lack of commitment.

6. When did you realise you had a gift?

When I was young I used to enjoy singing, it made me feel good but you don’t know if anyone else likes your voice. I used to sing in my bedroom and my uncle walked past my bedroom door and said “Is that you singing Heather?” and I said “Yes Uncle” he said “You sound good”. I admired him all my life, I found out later he was choirmaster at the church and that meant a lot to me that someone that I loved and admired and respected was endorsing me in that way.

7. You’re playing smaller, intimate venues, is that more or less daunting?

When I was younger being so intimate and close to an audience was terrifying, I didn’t want to look at the audience. It’s different now, I have more tools in my tool box and am more at ease on stage and I think I’m singing better than I ever have and am able to translate that joyous feeling a little bit more now. I had the fear beforehand but when I’m on stage I’m in total control. A lot of people have seen me before and they expect a lot, before I tried to build a reputation, now I have a reputation that precedes me and I never want to let those people down. I do my absolute best, the audience never let me down either, they come, they sing, they make me feel like I can fly and so consequently I do.

8. You have songs that really mean something to people such as Proud and Hero, how does that feel?

It’s quite humbling. Anything you do, you do for you first, (to make sure that) it meets your standard, then you find it meets the standards of so many other people, it’s flattering. At the time that you write, you have to be true to yourself, you have to find something in the words and the songs that absolutely strike a chord with you otherwise you can’t relay them in a way that will mean anything to anybody else. If you can’t sing them with any kind of passion and empathy, how can expect anyone else to find something in that song.

People say you’re going to be the first song at my wedding or the last thing that people will hear when I have left this earth, it’s very humbling. Every time I go out there to sing those songs, I always remember that they mean something to people, mostly it is happy memory or it might be a difficult memory but it’s a memory that you want to hold onto and don’t want to forget. That’s why I sing with commitment. Hero and Proud mean more than just dancing around to people, these words have struck a chord and I always want to do them justice. They are like children, you don’t love your children any less because they have more experience and take on a life of their own and they have taken on a life of their own but you watch like a proud parent. 

9. What has been the proudest moment of your career (pun intended)

Professionally, the fact that I still love to sing and that people still love to hear me sing. That’s an achievement. People come out and cheer me on when I’m doing what I love to do.

10. You did Strictly, would you ever consider doing another reality show?

I’d turned them down many times, my mother and my sister are huge fans, my sister was ill, and she said, when they ask you, will you do it for me? I said well if you get better, I will. She did get better and I did it.

That was a surreal experience. I’m a nervous performer as it is but going out live every Sat night to do something that wasn’t what I was known for, that was disconcerting and I was so, so nervous. But Mon - Fri, absolute dream, I loved the dancing, absolutely loved it. loved the salsa, I still keep my hand in and I met Brian Fortuna who will always be like a baby brother to me and Mark Foster who is one of the kindest sweetest people you’ll ever meet. So I made some lifelong friends.

(Will we see her in the jungle or Big Brother house?) Hell no (laughs). I don’t like the diet they have in there, I’m a vegetarian. With Strictly you were learning a skill and people were imparting knowledge and you could see the professionals and they were amazing. (The other shows) are like picking over people’s bones and blood and guts, unless you’re prepared to put your entrails out there on live TV. I like people to hold onto dignity and self.

11. Are there any plans to work as M People?

Right about now, I’m happy doing solo stuff. I think I’m going to get back into writing. I’d like to record some new material, why not? In time. I’m going to do this tour, I’m going to sing live as much as I possibly can this year. That is my fix, what I love to do.

You meet people and they don’t seem as happy as when they first started, you can get too involved in the business side of it, it can make you hate what you loved to do but that’s never happened to me. I’d rather walk away and take time out before that happens.

Someone well known once said to me, when you get older you have to drop the keys and I looked at them like, what you talking about? If I have to drop the keys or I forget the words its time for me to hang up my bike. No autocue for me honey.

For more information on the tour and to book tickets, please visit www.mpeople-heathersmall.co.uk

By Chris Park for Canal St Online

Published: 5-Feb-2016: (3533)