GOING back to where things all began can sometimes be a daunting task. It can be nostalgic and bring back floods of memories.

For former Queen Mary’s College (QMC) student Tanita Tikaram, going back to the college where she wrote her most famous song has presented a unique and a rather scary opportunity.

“I came back to Queen Mary’s because there was a Norwegian television company who wanted to do a documentary about the song Twist my Sobriety," the singer / songwriter told The Gazette.

“They wanted to go back to where I was when I wrote that song.

“And when I went back to central studio and I thought I wanted to do something that would not only bring things full circle but something that in some aspect would absolutely terrify me.

“The thought of performing at your old school is probably more terrifying to me than playing at the Barbican in London.”

When Tanita was 18-years-old, studying at QMC she wrote Twist my Sobriety – which has gone on to be covered by numerous other artists – and now she is still going strong, having just released her ninth studio album.

And even though her music may have changed and evolved over time, the 47-year-old always knew she wanted be live the life of a performer.

She added: “I did envision myself trying to have a life that wasn’t stuck in an office, I always wanted to be an artist and I did think that having a creative life would give me a lot of freedom and I understood that from a very young age.

“Even when I was at QMC I was going to the theatre in London, saving up and going to matinee shows and started to think what it would be like to have a professional life as an artist.”

Tanita has just released her new album Closer to the People, and even with this being her ninth album she is continually evolving as an artist.

“If you love what you do, you just keep learning new things and encounter new things which inspire you,” the songwriter continued.

“As a songwriter, sometimes you just arrive at things from listening to everything you hear and go through.” Tanita will be playing a one off intimate show at QMC’s Central Studio on February 21.

For details visit qmc.ac.uk/ community/central-studio/ central-studio-events.