BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 122
C U LT U R E & A RT S
And Chaka. Well, Chaka Khan became family. She’s
godmother to my children. A mother 昀椀gure. A sister. She’s
even duetting with me on my next album, out in 2026. I still
can’t believe it sometimes.
that way: painful, raw, full of tension. But something
beautiful is coming. We just have to push.
Passing the Baton, Holding the Mic
I want to leave something behind: not just music, but
meaning. We’ve had so many incredible women of colour
come before me: Shirley, Joan, the greats. But the legacy
often stops short. The next generation doesn’t always know
who came before them. I want to bridge that gap.
Soul Solutions & Amy Before the Fame
At some point, BBC Radio 2 asked if I’d sit in for Dionne
Warwick: she was unwell one night. I’d never done radio
before, but I thought: why not? I gave it a go. And I loved
it. That one night turned into 24 years.
My show was called Soul Solutions, and it became this
beautiful space where I could speak to other artists: Mary
J. Blige, Bobby Womack, Amy Winehouse. And because I
was one of them, they got me, and I got them. We could go
deep. No 昀氀uff. Just soul.
I recognised Amy’s talent instantly. I put her on stage at the
Café de Paris, and from there, she 昀氀ew. You could see it.
You could feel it.
Gen Z, especially the multicultural, magni昀椀cent young
women I meet, are smart. They’re aware. They’re kind. I
want them to see that this career can be done with grace,
with 昀椀re, with faith.
I’ve had the honour of blazing a few trails, but there’s still
work to do. I’m still writing. Still building. Still believing.
I haven’t “cracked it”. That would be boring. I’m still
evolving. Still dreaming. Still singing.
And I can’t wait for what’s next.
Mica Paris’ upcoming album, featuring a duet with
Chaka Khan, will be released in 2026. Her Sky TV
special Gospel Christmas is expected to air again this
December. Her next performance at Boisdale is 30th of
January.
I wanted to speak to women from all cultures,
especially those aged 30 to 60, and help them
feel good, feel powerful, feel seen.
What Not to Wear, and What to Stand For
From there, I leapt into TV, joining What Not to Wear with
Trinny and Susannah and my best friend Lisa Butcher. Four
million viewers a week. Wild.
That show changed the game for me. It introduced me
to brands, to fashion, and led to me launching my own
clothing line with Simply Be. I even wrote a book,
Beautiful Within, in 2007. I wanted to speak to women from
all cultures, especially those aged 30 to 60, and help them
feel good, feel powerful, feel seen.
It wasn’t just about clothes. It was about owning your story.
Legacy Isn’t a Buzzword — It’s a Responsibility
Now, after 40 years in this business, I think about legacy
constantly. I’m still singing. Still acting. Still producing. I
created a show for Sky called Gospel Christmas: it’s aired
twice and may return this year. That’s the sort of work I
want to keep doing. Uplifting. Rooted in something deeper.
I feel incredibly lucky. So many of the people who gave me
chances were not people of colour, but they saw me. They
believed in me. And I don’t take that for granted.
Yes, it’s been hard being a woman of colour in this industry.
It still is. But if your intentions are good, and you keep
going, the work will speak. That’s why I choose not to
dwell on the negative. It doesn’t help. It doesn’t serve.
We’re all in labour right now, you know? The world feels
Mica Paris performing to a packed house at Boisdale of Canary
Wharf
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BOISDALELIFE.COM
ISSUE 24
