AS she prepares to headline the Lytham Festival next Friday, Emeli Sandé admits that there is something special about performing in the open air.

“It always feels as though the crowd’s energy is different and a lot more relaxed,” she said. “Then you have nature’s backdrop so it really can get quite magical.”

Emeli will be at Lytham with George Ezra and Rae Morris.

“I just love the festival season,” she said. “You are performing in front of people who are not necessarily your fans, they are just music lovers so I feel you have the freedom to try new things and you have an opportunity to introduce your music to new people. I love that freedom - it brings a different energy to the performance.

“Because it is a festival and in the open air there are elements which will always be quite unpredictable. Once you accept that you don’t have control over everything, all you can really do is give your best performance and really dig deep to reach out to everyone.”

It’s hard to believe that it is nine years since Emeli first burst on to the scene with the single Diamond Rings, a collaboration with Chipmunk which went top 10. Her debut album, Our Version of Events cemented her reputation as a true artist.

A live album, recorded at the Albert Hall went to number one and she released her second album Long Live The Angels in 2016.

Two years on, Emeli revealed that she is hard at work on her next release.

“We’ve been working on the new album for several month,” she said. “I’m eager to get it out as soon as possible but there are all sorts things to consider so when I get the green light, it will come out.

“We’re at the production stage at the moment. I feel like the songs are there but we are just trying to find the right direction to take them in but we are getting closer to the finished work every day.”

Emeli Sandé isn’t your average pop star. For start she was training to be a doctor before she switched careers and chose music over medicine. She has performed at the White House and also at the 201 Olympic Ceremonies in London.

“I have been taken by surprise, I’ve been on such a journey from entering the music industry,” she said.

“I can’t wait to bring more and more music out. You start to realise the power of music and the more you focus on what you are communicating through the music, it’s incredible what can happen and how far you can reach.

“Before this I was studying to be a doctor and I was really passionate about healing people one way or another. I think when I went into music I took that mind frame with me.

“Music is such a powerful thing and I think we should all be responsible with it because you can use it for different things. I think the most powerful thing with music is that it has that power to bring people together and hopefully help them through certain parts of their lives.”

The crowd at Lytham may well be treated to a couple of new songs from Emeli’s forthcoming album.

“We have a few songs which have been playing at shows recently so there may be a couple that we can play at festivals and see how people like them,” she said.

“You get such an honest reaction when you do a song in front of a crowd for the first time. You do get your answer pretty quickly whether it’s a hit or a dud.”

Emeli Sandé plays the Lytham Festival on Friday, July 20 along with George Ezra and Rae Morris. Details from www.lythamfestival.com