It’s not often you can truthfully say this of a singer, but here it is: Gabrielle is unique. She’s unique as an artist, with that instantly familiar shimmery voice and those tender-tough lyrics and way of phrasing that makes every song feel deeply intimate. And she’s unique as a “star,” in the sense of having achieved a great deal without becoming an in-your-face, look-at-me “celebrity.”

Gabrielle’s career got off to an incredible start in 1993 when she broke the record for the highest chart debut by a female with the single ‘Dreams’ (it went in at 2, before rising to Number 1). A 23-year-old club singer from Brockley, South London, she was the archetypal outsider: she didn’t possess the sort of belting voice you’d expect of an R&B vocalist, and she was self-conscious about a childhood injury that left her with a drooping eyelid. “There were so many other girls with better voices and a hell of a lot skinnier than me that I thought I had no chance,” she says now. Turning flaws into virtues was the trick. An eyepatch made her visually striking and the voice made her distinctive – and her differences contributed to her becoming Britain’s most successful soul singer. It’s why the likes of musicians like Daft Punk and Talvin Singh have chosen to remix her work.

Despite taking a few years off in between albums, Gabrielle incredibly returns to greater success. In an industry where longevity is becoming increasingly rare, the hits have been unstoppable: ‘Give Me A Little More Time’, ‘If You Ever’, ‘When A Woman’, ‘Out Of Reach’. And then there are the albums; the triple platinum ‘Gabrielle’ and the quadruple platinum ‘Rise’ and ‘Dreams Can Come True’. It’s no surprise this success has seen Gabrielle pick up a few awards over the years. Brit Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Female Vocalist, MOBOs for Best Single and Best Album and in 2008 she was awarded an Ivor Novello for Best Song Collection.

It’s nineteen years since ‘Dreams,’ a span that has seen Gabrielle outlive dozens of pretenders to her soul-queen throne and it’s time for another Gabrielle Album. Currently recording in the studio and very excited about embarking on a new sound and adventure Gabrielle says ” I can’t wait to get back out there, it’s time I got back on stage again, it’s what I know and it’s what I love!! ” This will be Gabrielle’s 6th studio album and will be well worth the wait.