Louise Redknapp is about to play her fourth gig at Mighty Hoopla Festival when it’s only been running for a decade.
If you’ve ever been to the queer-friendly weekend packed with nostalgic trips down memory lane, it makes total sense. We’re talking three weeks before she returns to the Hoopla stage while she is midway through getting her haircut.
I wanted to resist the temptation to fangirl but failed miserably and told her how I vividly remember seeing the Arms Around The World music video when I was nine years old and being totally mesmerised.
‘That was such a great time to be in music, that’s for sure,’ she says.
Louise was easily one of the biggest female UK artists at the time after breaking away from girl group Eternal right when they were an unstoppable force of nature. ‘Whitney Houston told me she loved my single Stay and she loved the band. I just went red, blotchy and couldn’t swallow,’ she laughs.
After racking up six top 20 singles with sisters Vernie and Easther Bennett and Kéllé Bryan, Louise branched out on her own to enormous success, with 12 top 40 singles and three top 10 albums.
But it was her somewhat unexpected comeback in 2019 that showed she is so much more than a nostalgic act. Stretch marked her first single in almost 20 years, leading the hugely acclaimed album Heavy Love, which was drenched in five-star reviews and marked the return of one of pop’s most overlooked talents.
She’s been greatly underestimated as an artist, songwriter and live performer. But, graciously, she admits she ‘gets it’.
‘I came through the pop channels and back in the day songwriting was the last thing anyone cared about,’ she says.
‘But I felt it was really important to carry on being an artist and pop artist, and also having the credibility of lyrically being quite strong.
‘It’s easier to do now because as an artist you need to bring the authenticity otherwise it doesn’t really cut through anymore whereas 20 years ago, you didn’t need to bring that – it was just about having a bop and a good song. I find it quite hard to sing songs that don’t actually mean anything to me anymore. I need more than a bop.’
Now, she’s released a further two albums and is celebrating the bookmarks of her career with a tour marking 30 years since the multi-platinum record Naked and her latest LP, the sultry dance and bop-heavy (sorry, Louise) Confessions.
‘I feel like I make the strongest music I’ve ever made when it comes to knowing what I like and lyrically, knowing where I want to sit so it’s about celebrating the old stuff, but the tour is about bringing it to the forefront and sitting it next to Confessions. I just want people to absolutely lose themselves for an hour and a half and sing along at the best time, bring back memories and also be inspired by anything new.’
But first things first: The Mighty Hoopla. For a festival that thrives on high-camp energy and a largely queer audience, does she have a special set planned?
‘Of course because it’s like a thank you for years of support,’ she says. ‘We’ve got dancers, and it’s always nice to go out and actually be very performance-led.
‘I always felt I needed to make sure I had a band, make it all about the vocals, but I’ve proved myself enough in that area now so I actually would like to bring a show that is all about full-on entertainment and strength.’
Louise has always been a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community over the last 30 years. When her former Eternal bandmates Easther and Vernie made transphobic comments and refused to play at any Pride performances two years ago, she pulled out of a planned reunion to stand by the community. Louise responded to the row by sharing a picture of the LGBTQ+ flag with the caption: ‘Always and Forever’.
Over the last 30 years, the community has experienced great heights with the legalisation of marriage and a future that looked brighter than it had ever been, to having so much hope taken away and many hard-earned rights stripped back again.
What has Louise learned from watching and experiencing the highs and lows of the LGBTQ+ community in that time?
‘You can’t think, “the job’s done” so you don’t have to carry on being supportive now gay marriage and being LGBTQ is very accepted – I don’t think you can ever rest on that’s enough. It’s about carrying on, waving a flag, sticking together, standing side by side, and actually just growing the awareness.
‘For me, it’s such a positive community to be part of that I feel sorry for anybody that isn’t part of it because not only is there huge amount of loyalty, there’s a huge amount of strength and creativity.’
As for what she’s learned about herself, she’s learned to let go of the fear of failure, ignore the noise of an intrusive media and avoid being caught up in the perils of fame.
‘I spent a life of being worried about not being caught at my best but now I’m okay with it. For a long time I was nervous how I might get pictured or snapped. Would I go out now in an old, dodgy tracksuit with the dog and not really worry? Yeah, there’s no makeup on the dog walk anymore.’
Louise performs at London’s Mighty Hoopla festival this weekend. Tickets for her Naked // Confessions’2027 Tour are on sale now.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.