Watch Emeli Sandé’s live session here - featuring a cover of Common People by Pulp

Virgin Radio

13 May 2022, 06:32

Emeli Sandé joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to perform live at the top of tower and to chat about her new album Let’s Say For Instance.

The singer will be playing a string of live performances starting this month and ending in June following the release of her latest record and single Brighter Days.

Speaking to Chris about the new track, which she wrote and recorded during lockdown, she said: “Well, when we made the song we just wanted to give a bit of hope, and a bit of music that is uplifting. Yeah, it was the first time I'd been back in the studio with all the team who produced it, and we just wanted to do a song that would bring people together.

“You know, we didn't know if we're gonna get to perform live again. But we thought if we get to, we want to write a song that will be perfect for live performance.”

She continued: “We wanted to try and encourage people to imagine something better. Often it's hard to get out of, you know, negative thought patterns until you say well let's say for instance, it's not as bad you know, the will be brighter days. All of that I want the listener to finish the sentence themselves.”

Like a lot of musicians, Emeli found herself in limbo when the world came to a stand still when the pandemic started and performing live again after two years away was a bit daunting.

She explained: “I genuinely thought I would have to kind of retrain into something else or go back to school or something because you couldn't perform live you couldn't really do anything. So I just feel so grateful now every time I get to sing be on stage, I'm just don't take it for granted.”

What is has taught her is that you have to cherish every opportunity you get on stage.

She added: "It can all be taken away again. So I think that's the biggest lesson I've been taught. Be in the moment, be present and just be grateful that we're all together.”

Now that she can finally get out there again, it’s fair to say Emeli is excited to get back on tour. Not even the prospect of being back on a tour bus phases her!

She told Chris: “I try and be classy, but you know, a few days on the tour bus then that goes out the window.”

She added: “It’s cool. I mean, I like being on it because it rocks you to sleep with the vibrations of the bus, it’s really nice.”

Emeli might just be the only person who thinks that way!

The Heaven singer is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of her debut album this year, which was a huge success and came after she quit medical school to chase her dreams of becoming a musician.

Speaking about her time at university, she said: “I did four years and then came here [London] and started writing for people for a year and then thankfully got signed. And yeah, here I am. 10 years later.”

She added: “In lectures, my mind would definitely wander and on the side of kind of the notes. I'd be trying to rhyme stuff. And so at that point, I thought maybe I should try and follow the dream I guess.”

During her live session for Virgin Radio, Emeli sang some of her biggest tracks, including Heaven and Next To Me, both from her debut album Our Version of Events. The latter debuted at number 1 on the Irish Singles Charits, topping the Scottish Singles charts and peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

She also sang Read All About It, which she wrote with Professor Green, that topped the charts when it was released in 2012.

As well as performing some of most well known songs, Emeli treated us with a cover of Pulp’s 1995 hit song Common People, putting her own magical spin on it.

Emeli’s fourth studio album, Let’s Say For Instance, is out now. For tickets to her May UK tour, visit emelisande.com.For more great live sessions and interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.