The Russian embassy denied a visa to one of my singers and I was stuck with less than 48 hours to departure time without a singer for the gig! I began to panic as I exhausted my list of contacts and came up empty. That’s when Jo said “You’re gonna have to go there yourself and sing”. “You must be joking!” I said, “I’m not a singer”. But I knew he was right. My agency’s reputation was on the line. And besides, I knew a lot of jazz songs – I’d been listening to them for years now. What’s the worst that could happen?

So with that, I packed my bag and hopped on the next flight for Moscow and prayed that no-one at the event would call me out as a ‘fake’. Thankfully no one did. And it went down better than expected!

I enjoyed singing so much that when I arrived back in London, I would sit in on Jo’s gigs and sing a tune or two.

But my music education began in earnest, when I began running the Jazz Talent Jam – a monthly jam session for advanced jazz players. We had a packed house each month and the house band was always top notch. People like Guy Barker, Gary Husband, Robert Mitchell, Mike Mondesir, Jim Mullen, Anita Wardell, and so many more amazing British jazz musicians joined the house band each month to create an evening London had never seen before – a jam session featuring literally the best British musicians on the scene. That’s when I began singing in earnest.

Now, music has taken me across Europe and the UK singing at festivals and clubs. My debut album topped the iTunes Jazz Chart when it was released. And I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people.

And I’d love to meet you too! Come down to one of my shows and say ‘Hi!’.