CELEBRITY CONCIERGE - Interview For B.A Magazine "The Club"

A WORD WITH... LISA STANSFIELD Interview by Tim Cooper

British soul singer Lisa Stansfield has sold nearly 20 million records since rising to fame in 1989. After a 10-year break she’s back this month with a new album, Seven, tours Europe this summer and pops up in the 2014 Brit-flick Northern Soul with Steve Coogan. Lisa talks to The Club about gigs, honeymoons, travel and being anonymous in her hometown

Where in the world would you like to go back to, and why?
I’d like to go back to Miami because the last time I was there my husband and I were on a sort of second honeymoon… let’s just say we didn’t see much of Miami!

Where haven’t you been that’s on your bucket list?
India because everyone I’ve ever met who’s been says it’s one of the most beautiful experiences they’ve ever had. I want to go and do all the tourist things such as the Taj Mahal.

Where have you been recently that’s inspired you?
I went to Jakarta not long ago and the people were so lovely. I was doing a gig, with 6,000 people going bananas, and towards the end they let in all the people who had wanted to come but couldn’t afford tickets. That summed up the spirit of the place for me. There’s a saying in Indonesia: “If we all have nothing, we all have nothing together”

What’s your favourite overseas restaurant…?
It’s got to be Nobu – the original in New York, where we have an apartment. The yellow tail tuna sashimi with jalapeno peppers is really gorgeous. You could bring me five plates because you only get a tiny portion. I could eat that all day!

…and at home?
Probably my local Italian restaurant, Villa Bianca in Hampstead. I’ll always have the spaghetti vongole.

Where do you go in your hometown to escape the crowds?
It’s really cheeky but when I’m back in Rochdale, we go to a massive Wetherspoons pub in the middle of town. I put my hat on and don’t wear any make-up and we go there for a fry-up. And no one ever recognises me. I still spend loads of time in Rochdale, shooting videos and recording – I recorded most of my new album there.


The interview appears in British Airways CELEBRITY CONCIERGE • FEBRUARY 2014
http://theclub.ba.com/february-2014/en/a-word-with-lisa-stansfield/