Wild child singer Sonia is the epitome of what the 80s pop industry was all about.
Signed to Pete Waterman’s Chrysalis Records when she was just 16, the flame-haired singer from Liverpool was rocketed to the dizzy heights of fame with her debut single You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You in 1989, and finishing in 2nd place for the UK in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest secured her place as a national treasure.
In the 28 years that have followed, Sonia has barely stopped to take a breath, appearing in pantomime an incredible 17 times, as well as regular touring commitments, the Scouse songstress is looking forward to her upcoming appearance at Rewind Festival as a chance to catch up with some old friends.
“I’ve played Rewind a few times,” she says, with excitement bubbling up in her voice. “Henley is such a beautiful, beautiful place, such an idyllic setting.
“Rewind is a blast, the audience are always really up for it! They’re reliving their youth all over again with these amazing songs, these iconic songs, that everyone knows word for word.
“The music transcends generations though, I have 80s CDS in my house and my little daughter knows them all and sings along at the top of her voice. It’s brilliant that music can catch on to the younger generation which shows how catchy and brilliant the songs were.
“Everything about the 80s was amazing, the music, the fashion, and they’re all coming back now, it’s come full circle. Music has a way of taking you back to the place you were years ago when these songs first came out. Music reminds you of where you were, what you were doing at that time, what boyfriend you had, what girlfriend you had, music does that to people.”
Sonia was very much part on the ‘in-crowd’ in the late 80s music scene: a staple of the Stock Aitken Waterman posse which included Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley to name but a few.
“I still do shows with Jason and Rick, Hazell Dean, all the old crowd. They’re all doing really well. Rick was at number 1 recently of course, which was amazing for him! He’s so talented and wrote that whole album himself, he’s an amazing guy.”
And life hasn’t even slowed down since the arrival of her daughter Gracie, who is now seven and very much turning out to be a ‘mini-me’ of her famous mum.
Sonia explains: “She’s at school now, but she’s a little performer herself. She loves to sing, and she’s a real whizz on the piano, she’s incredibly talented. I hear her singing along to Adele songs and not one single note is out of place, it’s amazing. I’m not just saying that, I’d tell you if she was rubbish, but she’s not!
“I take her along to shows with me, she thinks it’s normal! She’s very confident and she knows what goes on behind the scenes, I think her friends are just in awe of her.
“She loves the pantos, she basically spends the entire time dressed up as a fairy, she loves it! I’m so lucky to be able to perform and make a decent living out of it, but being able to share it all with her and bring her along and show her this world is just great.”
Sonia’s passion for what she does is infectious. You can tell from her voice that she still genuinely loves to perform, and she has no problem with Gracie following in her footsteps.
She says: “She comes on the stage with me all the time, I do a big medley of songs on the end of the set and she comes on and sings, she gets more rounds of applause than me!
“She wants to do everything herself though, she doesn’t like me showing her what to do! She loves doing her own thing, her own dancing, she just wants to do it herself which is cool, but when she wants advice I’m here for her.
“I think that’s the way it needs to be these days though, I was very lucky hammering on Pete Waterman’s door until I got a record deal, it’s not like that anymore. With X Factor and everything, you need to be an all-rounder. It’s more about the songwriters these days, like Ed Sheeran and Adele, you need to be self-sufficient, and I think she’s got what it takes.
“Of course, I want her to finish school and get a good education to fall back on, but I don’t think we can stop her from going into showbusiness. She’s a little cracker!”
With Rewind only two weeks away, Sonia is definitely looking forward to getting up onstage and showing everyone a good time.
She says: “I’m hoping to do a full set of all my hits and a big 80s medley at the end and just enjoy it.
“If you’re enjoying it and the crowd is enjoying it, it’s so much fun! Seeing all the costumes and seeing everyone getting dressed up, I’m just looking forward to a brilliant day reliving all the memories, it’s going to be fab!”
Tickets for Rewind South are on sale now from £59.50. For more information, the full line-up and to buy tickets visit www.rewindfestival.com/tickets.
