Rebecca Ferguson has hailed her Liverpudlian roots as she prepares to bow out on a high.
The talented singer from Anfield has been in the limelight for 13 years since she shot to stardom with a second place finish on season seven of the X Factor. Rebecca's journey is set to come full circle this year as she will release her fifth and final album, Heaven Part 2, in December.
The 36-year-old is stepping away from recording new music to focus on her fight for better regulation in the industry and she told the ECHO that she credits her Merseyside roots for instilling in her this defiant spirit. She said: "A lot of other people who weren't from Liverpool maybe would have played the game a little bit more, kept your mouth shut and got paid.
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"But it comes down to the roots of who you are and how you've been brought up and what my nana was like. That's the good thing about scousers.
"There's a moral code of how people should be treated. We like to see justice done, we like to see people looked after and we like to support our own. I'm proud to be from Liverpool and I'm proud of us as people that out of everyone in the whole country, we seem to be the most defiant."
Rebecca is marking the release of her final album with a special homecoming show at the Philharmonic Hall on November 18. The singer said she can't want to perform in front of her home crowd, who she praised for always standing by her throughout her career.
She said: "I wouldn't be where I am without Liverpool people and without the fans. Every time I come home, everyone is so nice to me. They're supportive and they wish you well."
The ECHO spoke to Rebecca when she was in Malta to perform a set as part of the Mediterranean Film Festival. Her voice has taken her all over the world but the singer explained why a show in Liverpool is always particularly special.
She said: "We're just up for a good time, we always want to have a laugh and there's always someone up dancing. I'd say the scouse audience and the Irish audience are just really up for a good night out and you get the best crowds.
"I'm glad it's on a Saturday as well because everyone comes to the show and are then 'out out' so it will be amazing. I'm hoping I'll be able to get out afterwards as well but we'll see how the baby is."
The Nothing Is Real But Love singer thrilled fans earlier this year with the surprise announcement that she had given birth to her fourth child. The new baby was her first child with husband, Jonny Hughes, and she explained how she balances performing and campaigning with her family life.
She added: "I just get on with it. I love being a mum and I've been a mum for so long because I had my first baby so young. I would be lying if I said it's not hard because it definitely is. For any working mum, it's hard and there's a balance to be had.
"One thing I am good at it is if I feel like I am going too hard with something, I'll go, no, actually, I need to lay off the campaigning. I need to focus on this area so I'm good at saying I need to give it a rest for a few days."
Rebecca spoke about how she taken up a number of "boring" hobbies to help switch off from her busy life. She said: "When I'm not on stage, I literally am just a mum. I garden loads now, I'm obsessed with it so I have this really chilled life in the house with the kids. I'm proper boring because people won't know I collect antiques and do gardening." She added: "I love a garden, I'll be like Alan Titchmarsh soon."
Rebecca spoke about her campaigning efforts, which has helped enforce valuable initiatives such as a cross-creative industry committee that meets regularly with the government and members of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. However, she said she is only getting started and did not rule out a return to recording music in the future once she has made the industry a better place for the next generation.
Rebecca explained she will also still perform shows from time-to-time - but can prepare for her semi-retirement from music with her head held high as she has fulfilled all of her showbiz dreams. She added: "I've performed on Saturday Night Live, I've performed with Burt Baccarach and I've toured America. I look back on my career and I'm thankful for what I've achieved.
"You're going to get ups and downs and you're going to get crooked people in a crooked industry but I'd like to think I've held them to task so I don't think they've won or beat me in anyway. I like to think I've held their feet to the fire so I'm leaving the industry having cleaned it up a bit and I'd like to think the industry will be a better place after I finish setting up the regulatory bodies and everything I'm working on."
Rebecca Ferguson will perform the homecoming show at the Philharmonic Hall on November 18. You can find details on how to get tickets here
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