Lisa Stansfield

Lisa Stansfield Goes Deeper

English singer Lisa Stansfield is known for a string of radio hits including “All Around the World” and “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up.”

Her latest album Deeper is a return to form and the single “Never Ever” reached number six on the Billboard Dance chart. Following a string of sold out dates in Europe, Stansfield stops in Chicago at The Vic Theatre on Oct. 21.

JN: (Jerry Nunn) You are finally coming to Chicago!

LS: (Lisa Stansfield) I’m really excited. I’m worried that the fear of playing somewhere that I haven’t played for years will creep up on me. The fear has not got me. I’m just so excited. There is talk that people want me there so I am going to just do the best I can. 

JN: When was the last time you have been to Chicago?

LS: It must have been 20 years ago. It won’t be too cold in October is it?

JN: No.

LS: Chicago has boiling summers, more than New York, isn’t it? Freezing in the winter, boiling in the summer. 

JN: Hopefully you have some time to enjoy yourself in the city. 

LS: Sometimes I have days off but this has been a whirlwind. We are all over the place. 

I can’t wait to play and see the audience there, to see what they are like and how they react. 

JN: How do you treat European audiences differently than American audiences?

LS: I haven’t played America in so long I am going to treat them the same! [laughs]

JN: Same set list?

LS: Yeah. I will still say funny things because everybody speaks English. I have a sense of humor and sometimes play places that don’t speak English. I tell funny stories and they can’t even understand me. I’m always wondering why they didn’t find that funny. Maybe I should just sing the song…

JN: Your humor is always funny to me. 

LS: Aw. Well, the music is very good so no one will be disappointed in that respect. We want to make it fun and everyone to be a part of it really. I am not the sort of artist that wants everyone to sit down and be very serious. 

We are paying the Royal Albert Hall next year, but I want to get everybody to dance around. 

JN: Do you like people to yell out send requests?

LS: We have a fixed set anyway, but people will always ask if I am going to do a certain song. It is ridiculous when you have been around 30 years and have so many songs! 

JN: Is there a song you have to do every time?

LS: I always have to do “All Around the World.” One song that we haven’t done for 20 years is “You Can’t Deny It.” It was a really big hit on the soul chart. We haven’t performed it for years and years so it is going to be really strange. 

JN: What cover songs will you perform?

LS: “Ghetto Heaven” because that is on the new album. I don’t like saying what covers we are going to do so it will be a nice surprise. I don’t like spoiling stuff. 

JN: Do you meet fans after the show?

LS: If we are not going straight off I like signing things. 

JN: What do you want to tell people about your latest album Deeper?

LS: I went down the R&B route. There are a lot of genres of soul music on the album. I wanted it to be like getting ready to go out on a Friday night. I would put my makeup on and play a few tunes before I went out. That is where I feel the album has turned out. 

There’s a real diverse and eclectic mixture of different sides of soul music. I think it is one of the most exciting albums I have ever done. I am very proud of it. 

JN: Are there certain songs from Deeper that you like to play live?

LS: We do quite a few actually. “Butterflies” is great live. Oh, and “Hercules” too is very good live.

JN: You will have a full band with you?

LS: Yes. We are working it out now, but we should have a 10 piece.

JN: I told Rick Astley you said hi. He told me you used to party with him a lot. 

LS: He’s a great guy and brilliant. God almighty, I got really drunk with Rick Astley. [laughs] I have fallen on the floor many a time with Rick Astley. It wasn’t having sex. It was being completely drunk. 

You think he’s squeaky clean? Well, he might be now, but he wasn’t then! 

JN: What are your plans after the tour?

LS: We are going to make another record. What is really lovely is that we have been doing our own videos and films. We decided to do it on our own terms. We didn’t want to do it in a cookie cutter sort of way. We are going to do it as we go along. We are having a great time and just in our own studio at home. 

JN: I look forward to seeing you in Chicago. 

LS: I will come to your house for dinner and do my washing. I will just bring over my clothes for your laundry if you don’t mind! [laughs]