[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLr3ltX8IV8]
By Douglas Walker
TEXAS singer Sharleen Spiteri says she has been inspired to go it alone by the young Scottish female singers dominating the charts.
The sexy songstress says the quality of material produced by KT Tunstall, Amy MacDonald, and Sandi Thom has given her the confidence to produce a solo record.
The 40-year-old went on to say how she still hasn’t got used to looking behind her on stage and not seeing the faces which have been with her for over 20 years.
The mum-of-one was talking yesterday as she visited a children’s cancer charity she has supported since hitting the big time.
The Glasgow-born singer says she has found it easier to go it alone following the recent success of Scottish female singers.
She said: “I know for a fact that when I hear their music I find it very inspiring – absolutely.
“It’s great that there’s music out there I want to listen to.”
However the modest singer, who has notched three platinum selling albums with Texas, bashfully refused to say whether she thought she was an inspiration to them.
She blushed: “That would be something for them to answer.”
Sharleen’s debut solo album, Melody, is released on July 7 following over twenty successful years fronting Texas.
She went on to say that she is still trying to get used to not having her band mates behind her on stage.
She said: “It’s kind of weird when I look behind and see different faces. I think ‘that’s strange’.
“I don’t miss them though as I see them all the time, they support me in a different way. They are always there for me and ask me how I’m getting on.”
Sharleen split from her partner of ten years, Ashley Heath, in 2005. They have a six-year-old daughter, Misty Kyd.
The yummy mummy is a patron of children’s cancer charity, CLIC Sargent Scotland.
Yesterday (Tuesday) she took time out from her hectic schedule to help celebrate the ten-year anniversary of a villa in Edinburgh provided by the charity for kids receiving treatment.
And she says since becoming a mother she has come to appreciate even more the work they do.
She said: “It was the first charity I got involved with when I became famous.
“I went along to see how they worked and thought they were amazing. The way they help families with care and after-care is unbelievable.
“I didn’t have children back then but since becoming a mother I have appreciated their work even more. You never know what is around the corner.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like to try and cope with having a child with cancer. I don’t how people get through it – it’s amazing.”
