Having first catapulted to fame as a reality TV cruise-ship singer, you would think that Jane McDonald would love to have her own show in Las Vegas.
All the great songstresses have done it – from Dolly to Whitney to Celine and Aretha – and Jane has sung all their songs, too. But in all honesty, the Wakefield lass can’t think of anything worse than a life in Sin City.
“It’s funny, I remember my manager telling me I should really do something out there. So I did Vegas, but it wasn’t for me. It was the fakeness of it all,” Jane said, in her gloriously warm Yorkshire accent.
“I did a concert and had a fantastic time, but I couldn’t have done it night after night. It’s just not real, she says, after coming off a cruise ship. At least I have a home life, and that’s what’s real.”
And that seems to be Jane in a nutshell. From the day the cameras stopped rolling on The Cruise – the “docusoap” which made her a household name – she has gone on to produce 10 albums, embarked on countless tours, and carved out a successful spin-off career as a TV presenter and personality. But instead of becoming a diva, she counts herself as one of us.
For instance, take our conversation about her latest tour, The Singer of Your Song, which visits Aberdeen’s Music Hall next Wednesday. Normally, when the call comes through for an interview, it’s a PR exec at the other end of the line who – provided you are “ready to take this call?” – patches you through to the celeb.
But not Jane. My phone rang, and there she was, calling from her front room with a cup of tea on her lap.
“I’ve done a lot of interviews with big artists over the years I’ve been in television, and I’m just not them,” she explained of the title of her latest tour.
“What I do is I’m a singer of songs. I’ve been told time and again that I’m a cover artist, and yes I am. And it’s my job to do that. If Whitney Houston hadn’t recorded I Will Always Love You, Dolly Parton would have been a much poorer young lady. So I say yes I’m a cover artist with pride.”
What she hasn’t been so vocal about until recent years is that she also writes her own songs, some of which audiences will be treated to on her Aberdeen date. But, true to form, she’ll also be belting out some of the covers for which she is so well known, from James Bond themes to disco classics.
“That’s the advice I give to anyone who wins a reality show: ‘give the fans what they want and they will stay with you,'” she said with a chuckle.
Late last year, Jane stepped away from her 10-year tenure on lunchtime chat show Loose Women.
It wasn’t a decision she made lightly, but it has allowed her to return full time to the life of a musician.
Trying to combine TV with her music eventually proved incredibly difficult, to the point where she was struck down by a virus for six weeks after running herself ragged.
But, exhaustion aside, will she miss the show?
“Of course I will. I was one of the old school, and together we were all known very well as the Loose Women. But it should change, and I’m glad it has. It was the perfect time for me to step away, because I’m so busy this year. And it’s time for the new girls to step in. I think it’s going to be great,” she said.
Her time on the show provided Jane with a daily opportunity to “get on her soapbox” and hammer out a debate with her co-presenters and the audience. But it’s not something she’s leaving behind altogether; a good bit of her live show is about talking with the audience.
“That’s half my show. I’ll finish a big aria, then stop and ask the audience: ‘Did you see what was on the news today?'”
So what insights can audiences expect in the tour?
“Well, I’ve been with my partner for seven years, and so it’s a lot about hope. That’s the thing I’ve put into my songwriting, too. I’ve been through bereavements, a split up, but yet I’ve found love again. And that’s my message – don’t give up. I have a lot of people who have a good weep at my shows.”
And just when I get caught up in the idea of Jane the gospel diva, she brings me back to Earth.
“But it’s all right, because we all end up doing a big disco medley at the end. It’s the campest thing you’ve ever seen in your life.”
And that’s just Jane: the real deal.
Jane McDonald will perform at the Music Hall, Aberdeen, on Wednesday, April 9, at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from www.aberdeen performingarts.com or by calling 01224 641122.