Joan Armatrading is the sort of artist whose name is so familiar that it is possible to become anaesthetised against the greatness of her achievements in the music industry. Her volume of work has been growing since 1972. Since then she has released about 30 albums, and managed to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in 2001, whilst also being made an MBE in the same year. Two years earlier she was asked to write a tribute song for Nelson Mandela, and she performed this to him in April 2000.  With timeless songs like ‘Love And Affection’ ‘Drop The Pilot’ ‘The Weakness In Me’ and scores of others, she is credited with being the first black female singer/songwriter to gain prominence on the British music scene. She has accumulated 18 gold records and 10 platinum records in her career thus far, been nominated for several Grammy’s and continues to write record and tour to this day. She also works for numerous charities, and on a recent album, played guitar, mandolin, bass, keyboards, and strings, while producing and directing most of her albums too. Quite an achievement, looking at the short life spans of most music careers nowadays! Lea Andrews asks her about her music, Ipods and Women of the Year.

L: What performance over the years, sticks in your mind as being the most memorable and important for you?

JA: One of them would definitely be the Nelson Mandela gig, when I played the tribute song for him. He was up and dancing, and he really enjoyed it. It was a really lovely occasion.

L: Are there any particular female singer-songwriters of late who have caught your attention?

JA: I don’t listen to a lot of music, and wouldn’t necessarily sit down and put on the radio. If I did, I’d probably put on a bit of classical stuff. Yesterday I was playing Beethoven’s fifth, because I love that. Classical, Romantic, and Baroque music, that’s what I really like. When I was younger I’d play music more, but even then it was never at saturation point. Maybe some Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Led Zeppelin. But it was never non-stop, because I wrote. And because I write, that’s what I’m doing most of the time. When I was younger I was obsessed with writing, so even if I wanted to listen, I didn’t have time.

L: When you write, do you know if you’re writing a classic early on in the process?

JA: Right from day one, you know when you’ve written a good song. When I wrote ‘Love and Affection’ I knew it was a really good song. I didn’t know it would turn out to be a classic! I’m conscious that a lot of people know that song, and that was the song that made people start to know who I am. Songs like ‘Drop the Pilot’ ‘Willow’ and ‘Show some emotion’, just fall into place, and I know instantly they’re going to work.

L: What part of the musical process do you enjoy the most?

JA: It’s a very organic process, and it has a specific order to it. I love to write, and once you’ve written, then you arrange. After the arrangement, you record it, and then you tour it. I love to go on tour and perform. I love all the parts of the process.

L: Do you still have your own records on vinyl?

JA: Yes, the earlier ones. I haven’t gone out and replaced them with CDs yet. I have the newer ones on CD.

L: Do you have an ipod?

JA: No.

L: Do you have a Digital Radio?

JA: No. I don’t listen to music enough to get the things you’re supposed to get!

L: when you have an idea for a song, what do you record it on?

JA: just an ordinary little tape recorder. Writing music is just something that I was born to do. I didn’t wake up one morning and think, “I’d like to write” or “I’d like to become famous”. My mother bought a piano, put it in the front room, and I just started writing my songs.

L: You’ve just been made president of  ‘Women of the Year’. Congratulations!

JA: Thank you! Women of the year was created 50 years ago by our Founder President, Lady Tony Lothian OBE and a group of visionary women to celebrate the achievements of women. Since then £1million has been raised for charities. The idea was to have women of achievement in a room together. Initially people told her it would never work, and you wouldn’t have even two women of interest. Of course each year now we have over 500 women who come to the lunch. It’s about women who have had great success on a sustained level. It might be a shepherdess, or a scientist.  Someone in the media or a politician. It covers all areas. You don’t have to be rich and famous. You just have to be an ordinary person, doing extraordinary things. I’d like more people to know that it’s there. Women’s achievements still aren’t recognised enough in many areas.

For more information www.womenoftheyear.co.uk