Having found fame as Tiffany Mitchell in EastEnders, Martine McCutcheon released her platinum-selling debut solo album - and number one single Perfect Moment - back in 1999. This month, the Love Actually star visits the Midlands following the release of Lost And Found - her first album in 15 years.
Lauren Foster caught up with Martine ahead of her tour...
You’re bringing your new tour to various Midlands venues. What can audiences expect from your show?
It’s an intimate night with me on a music and conversational level. It’ll basically be talking through the years, what inspired me to make the different choices that I made along the way, which songs have got a reputation for being one thing but in fact meant something else, and just a real insight into me, my life and my music over the years. I’ve got an acoustic band, and it’s very much about the music and my journey. It’s something I’m really excited to do; I’ve never done anything like it before.
You co-wrote a host of songs off new album Lost And Found with your husband. Was working together always on the cards?
I was concentrating on wanting to be a mum, and that was my main focus, so I never thought it would happen when it did. Because I’d grown up in the public eye, I needed time out to take stock. He told me to write all my thoughts down during this time, and I did. Then it became more musical, and I’d hear stuff that he was doing, love it and want to do a song. The album was never meant to be for public consumption. The music was just to help me get through a difficult time and also to celebrate when I felt like I was ready to go and grab life again. It only took off because he played it to somebody in the industry and they said they knew a label that would want to sign it. It was quite scary to think that all these personal things were going to be out there - but at the same time, what’s lovely is that people have since got in touch and made the songs their own, through their own experiences.
And it’s your first album in 15 years..
Yeah, and I didn’t think there’d even be one - what a lovely surprise! I thought I’d be focusing on TV work, and maybe the music side of things might have gone for me. I’m 41, and it’s very much a young person’s game - unless you’re the Rolling Stones or something. It’s hard to stay relevant in your own little way, but I just want to do my thing because I love it. I do it because it’s part of who I am, and if people buy into that, lovely.
What are you looking forward to the most about being back on tour?
I’m a real people person, and I love feeding off the atmosphere of people; the public have so much good will for me. When I’ve been the critics’ star one minute and their least favourite person the next, the only thing that’s stayed constant is the public, who I very much feel part of - I feel like a very normal person who does a very unusual job. So it’s lovely to feed off the energy of the people I meet. They make me feel a million dollars.
Aside from your music career, you’re best known for playing Tiffany in EastEnders and Natalie in Love Actually. Do acting roles still interest you?
Yeah. I did a movie last year with Alan Davies called The Bromley Boys - it’s out for cinema release later this year. It’s set in the early ’70s; Alan is playing the dad of a young boy and I’m playing the mum. He falls in love with football, he’s very lonely, doesn’t really have any friends, and it’s about how he establishes a little life for himself through the most rubbish football club ever - Bromley. It’s a really sweet story.
Do you prefer acting or singing?
For me, it’s all linked. I feel like I’m a storyteller, and whether that’s through music or acting, I’m happy just to be that person. It sounds a bit cheesy, but I’ve always felt that I’m there to help people switch off from their everyday lives. I feel like that’s my purpose in this lifetime, and if that’s through five minutes of song or a couple of hours of a movie, then great, my job is done.
Would working in soap again interest you?
Yeah, I think that soap is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. You don’t have the luxury of time or a big budget, but it’s quite nice to just get on with it. When you’re doing movies or dramas, you’re sat in a Winnebago for hours on end, just waiting for the next scene, in which you might only have one line or something. I love the process of filming a soap, and I’ve got such amazing memories. The only thing is, it’s such a different time now. Soap was so exciting then, and such a big thing in people’s lives because there was no reality TV - I just don’t know whether people feel as attached to soaps as they used to. I don’t know if it would be like going back to uni or going back to school but with none of the same people there. It would feel weird.
Who have you most enjoyed working with?
The person I loved working with most in my TV career would probably be Barbara Windsor. She’s an amazing teacher and she has your back. She chooses her friends within the industry very carefully, but when she’s got your back, she’s so loyal. She was so ‘pro me’ that I adored her and still do. I’d say in movies, it’s got to be Hugh Grant because he championed and believed in me. In music it would be Andrea Bocelli - he was spinetingling to be on stage with; I had goosebumps all over. I felt like I was going to burst into tears on stage because I was so emotional. He’s just a real star!
How is motherhood treating you?
It’s amazing! It’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love the fact that children help you rediscover a zest for life, an innocence and an excitement for everyday things. Just the love - the love is just out of this world. I always knew I wanted it, so I feel very grateful to have it.
What does the future hold for Martine McCutcheon?
I just want to keep doing what I love. Hopefully doing what I love makes people happy and will touch people in some way. That’s all I want to do in my lifetime.
Martine McCutcheon performs at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, on Sat 14 April; The Core, Solihull, on Wed 18 April; Regal Cinema, Evesham, on Wed 16 May and Palace Theatre, Redditch, on Thurs 17 May
Having found fame as Tiffany Mitchell in EastEnders, Martine McCutcheon released her platinum-selling debut solo album - and number one single Perfect Moment - back in 1999. This month, the Love Actually star visits the Midlands following the release of Lost And Found - her first album in 15 years.
Lauren Foster caught up with Martine ahead of her tour...
You’re bringing your new tour to various Midlands venues. What can audiences expect from your show?
It’s an intimate night with me on a music and conversational level. It’ll basically be talking through the years, what inspired me to make the different choices that I made along the way, which songs have got a reputation for being one thing but in fact meant something else, and just a real insight into me, my life and my music over the years. I’ve got an acoustic band, and it’s very much about the music and my journey. It’s something I’m really excited to do; I’ve never done anything like it before.
You co-wrote a host of songs off new album Lost And Found with your husband. Was working together always on the cards?
I was concentrating on wanting to be a mum, and that was my main focus, so I never thought it would happen when it did. Because I’d grown up in the public eye, I needed time out to take stock. He told me to write all my thoughts down during this time, and I did. Then it became more musical, and I’d hear stuff that he was doing, love it and want to do a song. The album was never meant to be for public consumption. The music was just to help me get through a difficult time and also to celebrate when I felt like I was ready to go and grab life again. It only took off because he played it to somebody in the industry and they said they knew a label that would want to sign it. It was quite scary to think that all these personal things were going to be out there - but at the same time, what’s lovely is that people have since got in touch and made the songs their own, through their own experiences.
And it’s your first album in 15 years..
Yeah, and I didn’t think there’d even be one - what a lovely surprise! I thought I’d be focusing on TV work, and maybe the music side of things might have gone for me. I’m 41, and it’s very much a young person’s game - unless you’re the Rolling Stones or something. It’s hard to stay relevant in your own little way, but I just want to do my thing because I love it. I do it because it’s part of who I am, and if people buy into that, lovely.
What are you looking forward to the most about being back on tour?
I’m a real people person, and I love feeding off the atmosphere of people; the public have so much good will for me. When I’ve been the critics’ star one minute and their least favourite person the next, the only thing that’s stayed constant is the public, who I very much feel part of - I feel like a very normal person who does a very unusual job. So it’s lovely to feed off the energy of the people I meet. They make me feel a million dollars.
Aside from your music career, you’re best known for playing Tiffany in EastEnders and Natalie in Love Actually. Do acting roles still interest you?
Yeah. I did a movie last year with Alan Davies called The Bromley Boys - it’s out for cinema release later this year. It’s set in the early ’70s; Alan is playing the dad of a young boy and I’m playing the mum. He falls in love with football, he’s very lonely, doesn’t really have any friends, and it’s about how he establishes a little life for himself through the most rubbish football club ever - Bromley. It’s a really sweet story.
Do you prefer acting or singing?
For me, it’s all linked. I feel like I’m a storyteller, and whether that’s through music or acting, I’m happy just to be that person. It sounds a bit cheesy, but I’ve always felt that I’m there to help people switch off from their everyday lives. I feel like that’s my purpose in this lifetime, and if that’s through five minutes of song or a couple of hours of a movie, then great, my job is done.
Would working in soap again interest you?
Yeah, I think that soap is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. You don’t have the luxury of time or a big budget, but it’s quite nice to just get on with it. When you’re doing movies or dramas, you’re sat in a Winnebago for hours on end, just waiting for the next scene, in which you might only have one line or something. I love the process of filming a soap, and I’ve got such amazing memories. The only thing is, it’s such a different time now. Soap was so exciting then, and such a big thing in people’s lives because there was no reality TV - I just don’t know whether people feel as attached to soaps as they used to. I don’t know if it would be like going back to uni or going back to school but with none of the same people there. It would feel weird.
Who have you most enjoyed working with?
The person I loved working with most in my TV career would probably be Barbara Windsor. She’s an amazing teacher and she has your back. She chooses her friends within the industry very carefully, but when she’s got your back, she’s so loyal. She was so ‘pro me’ that I adored her and still do. I’d say in movies, it’s got to be Hugh Grant because he championed and believed in me. In music it would be Andrea Bocelli - he was spinetingling to be on stage with; I had goosebumps all over. I felt like I was going to burst into tears on stage because I was so emotional. He’s just a real star!
How is motherhood treating you?
It’s amazing! It’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love the fact that children help you rediscover a zest for life, an innocence and an excitement for everyday things. Just the love - the love is just out of this world. I always knew I wanted it, so I feel very grateful to have it.
What does the future hold for Martine McCutcheon?
I just want to keep doing what I love. Hopefully doing what I love makes people happy and will touch people in some way. That’s all I want to do in my lifetime.
Martine McCutcheon performs at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, on Sat 14 April; The Core, Solihull, on Wed 18 April; Regal Cinema, Evesham, on Wed 16 May and Palace Theatre, Redditch, on Thurs 17 May