“I want to conquer the world!” Beverley Knight has been inundated with job offers after appearing as a Starstruck judge as her singing career skyrocketed
Beverley Knight has been inundated with calls from casting directors after appearing as a judge on Starstruck.
The singer, 50, is on the judging panel of the ITV talent show, in which superfans turn into their idols, alongside former American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, country singer Shania Twain and comedian Jason Manford.
And Beverley, who won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical on Sunday for her performance as Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia, is delighted with the huge boost the singing competition has given her career.
She said The sun: ‘Starstruck has opened the door, a lot of casting directors are asking to meet with me now, so it’s a really exciting time.
“It feels very comfortable and it feels like the right time. Although I’m 50 and have been in the business for 25 years, I feel like I’m just getting started. I want to make people smile and make them happy. And I want to conquer the world.’
Success story: Beverley Knight, 50, has been inundated with calls from casting directors after appearing as a judge on Starstruck
Each week, Beverley and her fellow Starstruck judges watch members of the public compete as their favorite singing idols in a bid to be named the best in their group.
Tribute acts from Sam Cooke, Adele, Frank Sinatra, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Meat Loaf compete for the prize in this weekend’s final.
Beverley insists she might not have been able to handle her role as a juror and the ensuing job offers had they come earlier in her career, and admits she may have doubted herself.
The star started writing her own songs at the age of 13 and sang in church before signing her first record deal at the age of 21.
She has had a string of top 40 hits and won a number of MOBO Awards, and toured with Take That as a support act for their 2006 reunion performances.
The hitmaker supported Prince during his 2007 residency at London’s O2 Arena and received an MBE for her contribution to British music.
However, she insists she has had to fight for her career at times, competing with younger singers like Lizzo and Lashana Lynch.
She gave an emotional speech on Sunday when she won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her role as Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia at The Old Vic.
Dream team: The singer (second from left) is on the judging panel for the ITV talent show with (LR) former American Idol star Adam Lambert, singer Shania Twain and comedian Jason Manford
Born to perform: Beverley performs in Starstruck, where superfans turn into their idols, with her fellow judge Adam
Award: It comes after Beverley won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her performance as Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia on Sunday
Born to perform: Beverley took the stage with the musical’s cast to perform a song for the show during the awards ceremony
The singer and actress looked stunned when her name was announced at the ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
In her acceptance speech she said, “Emmeline Pankhurst stood on this podium and said I was inciting this meeting to rebellion and she told the women in the room to be militant in your own way and that was in 1912.
The following year she banned the socio-political union.
“A hundred years later, we’re on this podium, we’ve reclaimed power for those women. I want to thank the Old Vic with all my heart for giving us a second bite.’
She added: ‘Big up Wolverhampton youth theater who gave me a chance when I was 11 years old’, saying ‘you don’t need to retrain when you’re younger’.
Emmeline became the leader of the women’s suffrage movement in Britain, and her actions were widely praised for helping women gain the right to vote in 1918.
Speaking of the part in the One Show before, Beverley revealed, “Most of the show is sung. It’s in the Old Vic so people going to see shows in the Old Vic would expect something more traditional.
‘This is anything but. I’m not rapping, but I speak rhythmically and sing like people know me to sing.’