HEATHER Small is to play Salisbury City Hall on Wednesday April 25.

Born in1965, Heather grew up on a West London council estate.

From going to Sunday school and attending the Good News Club, religion and faith became an important aspect of her life.

Growing up in 70’s Britain and not wanting to be stereotyped or treated differently, Heather knew that she wanted to make something of herself.

Even though Heather battled with shyness and severe nerves, she joined her first band Hot!House, releasing two albums in the late 80s.

As Part of M People, hits such as Moving On Up, One Night In Heaven and Search For The Hero achieved massive worldwide success and Heather became one of the seminal British voices of the 1990s, with the band winning the Best British Dance Act Award at the Brits in 1994 and 1995.

Heather has since had great successes with two solo albums and the title track of her Proud album has gone on to become the soundtrack to a whole host of very special events including London’s 2012 Olympic bid, launch of Queen Mary 2 and the Tsunami Relief Concert.

And when Oprah Winfrey was looking for a song to sum up the work she’d been striving to achieve over her twenty-year career, she got in touch with Heather, who somehow managed to squeeze in a trip across the Atlantic to perform on the show right in the middle of her last UK tour with M People.

Well known for her charitable work, Heather was recently made an ambassador for the children’s charity Barnardo’s and is continually involved with fundraising and helping lend her valuable support to projects around the country.

So what gives Heather the impetus to keep moving forward, to keep challenging herself, to keep trying new things and not resting on her laurels?

"If you got the feeling I do when I sing," she smiles. "You’d understand."