continued......

Are you as bitter about a certain relationship as those lyrics suggest?

(Laughs) I wouldn't say it's a bitter song, it just describes... you know I'm vulnerable, I'm a little bit angry, I'm... you know I'm never ever regretful 'cos I don't regret anything that I've ever done in my life or my career. And it just, you know, I'm just saying 'here I am, I've been through a bit of a hard time but hey I'm still standing and I'm getting on with things and I've learned my lessons.'

Is it dedicated to your ex-husband?

Well I didn't say it was about anybody in particular. The way I describe that song it is just about a time in my life, I mention no names you know, it's just... take it as you want it! (laughs)

That line "All you loved was Mel B's money" is painfully honest...

Well I have had a relationship where that has been the case. I mean my mum came down to the video shoot and my mum was crying, she was like, wow you know you're there singing about a time in your life when you know you kind of shut everybody off and dealt with it the best I could. 'Cos I'm a big believer in even though you can have your friends and family around, only you can sort yourself out, only you can make yourself happy, you can't rely on anybody else to do that for you.

Was the video fun to make?

The director was Nigel Dick and he's done a lot of R&B videos and he didn't want to kind of describe the song in the video. He just wanted it to be me with my dancers behind me doing my thing and you know just enjoying myself which is what the video shows - a little bit of raunchiness, a little bit of booginess, you know, and it was good 'cos I got to audition 24 dancers. I got to use my friends from college to dance with me in the background so it was like a real girl gang - well not a girl - mixed gang, that I had and it's nice, it's good fun, really good fun. Even though it was filmed in like this old desolate freezing cold power station in the middle of nowhere in Dartford. It was like I didn't even get reception on my telephone, where am I? But at the end of the day you want the best situation, the best place, so you let the person who knows more about that kind of stuff choose it for you. Yeah, I mean two days to get out of it what I got out of it I'm really pleased, really really pleased.

You mentioned your old mates from Leeds are in the video, are any of them still your close friends?

Yes I've got two... well my two best friends that I've had since I was six years old, Charlotte and Rebecca, and they don't even live in Leeds any more, they moved down to London. So when I go back home to Leeds it's like they're not there, 'now where are you?' They like moved down and they're working down here and they're constantly on the phone and it's lovely 'cos they know me for me and they keep me in check if I change or get a bit too loud or a bit too whatever, they're like 'Melanie, stop!' 'Oh OK.'

With such an exciting life, do you feel you've had to leave your roots behind?

Oh I wouldn't say I'd left them behind, no way, I'm Melanie, I'm from a council estate in Leeds, you know I'm still that same girl. And in actual fact I've just done a film, a short 15 minute film where I play a fish wife who's 35 years old who's got a 14 year old son, you know. It deals with like inter-racial kind of society and things like that and he feels as though he doesn't fit in because of his colour. And I'm playing a common council estate fish wife which was really easy to play and it's called 'Fish' and it will probably be out in a couple of months. The director Bruce directed a documentary of mine about a year and a half ago and he's a mate of mine and it was like 'Melanie do you want to do a film?' And I was like 'er yes.' He went 'right, get down here and audition, I've got a few people but I want you to audition too.' I was like 'OK'. And I'm only in like three scenes, it's not like anything major major. But it was really good fun and it's something that I would consider doing in the future after I've had my acting lessons and that and got myself perfected a little bit more.

Has success changed you?

I mean I wouldn't say I've changed, I've just got more stuff on board in my brain as a person and that's just all part of growing up. And as well, you know, I've got a daughter so you kind of take less time to look after yourself, you kind of look after... you know my baby so it's you know.... And all the experiences of travelling the world and stuff make you more worldly.

Your daughter Phoenix Chi has inspired the song 'Lullaby'...

She's gorgeous. She's my life. She wakes me up at 7.30 in the morning, like that, big smile on her face, I'm like 'ohhh,' it's great. I've just had a tattoo done of her actually, Phoenix bird, it's a bit dry 'cos I only had it done about two days ago. There you go. And believe me it was painful, very painful!

Is it true that your sessions with Teddy Riley didn't get off to a good start?

Working with Teddy Riley, he was a little bit weird, I think he expected some pretentious pop star you know big-headed woman to walk through the door. I think he had like Cristalle champagne on ice and all that business and you know he was a little bit hard work and it was the first time that I went out to go and work on the project so it was a bit of a 'I hope everyone's not going to be like this.' But it did get sorted out in the end. You know I just think he finds it difficult to communicate with another artist when they're there in the vocal booth singing. You know you do need helping out, you do need a bit of direction as opposed to 'control your voice.' It's like, 'don't talk to me like that!' But I shouted back at him and kind of sorted it out.

Which songs did you record with him?

I did '123 ABC' with him, 'Pack Your mmm' - I mean I can't tell you the title of it because it involves a swear word, 'Pack Your beep' it's called. It's a really you know angry... not angry, well angry/disappointed/'how could you do this to me?' song. It will have a censored sticker and it is you know... I mean that song isn't exactly what happened to me, it is slightly exaggerated. You know there's lots of women out there that scream and shout at their man if they do something wrong I'm sure.

Tell us about working with Max Beesley...

Well I've known him for about four years and I did a track with him last year. It's the only song on the album that I didn't co-write actually, I'll have to sort that out, and that's called 'Step Inside'. It's got like an orchestra on it and it's beautiful, a very dark and mysterious song. Actually that was one of the quickest songs that I've recorded on the album, that took like something like six hours. Normally like you're in there all day and all night kind of getting every little thing perfected for mastering but that was quite a quick one.

Was it exciting to work with an orchestra on 'Step Inside'?

It was amazing for me to see Max, you know, he did all the score sheets and he conducted like a 60-odd piece orchestra and I've never seen that before and like I had Phoenix with me and even Phoenix was like that. He was doing all the however they do it, I was like... and then to hear them playing such classical stuff to like a dirty fat bass line, it's like 'wow, it's great.' I've got it all on video. (laughs)

And is it true that you and Max are dating?

Yes, we started dating at the beginning of this year, everything's going really well. I mean he's busy doing his films, he's doing like a film in Toronto with Mariah Carey at the moment so he's busy doing his thing and I'm busy doing my thing. We've got a nice happy healthy relationship. He plays the piano when I walk down the stairs in the morning and it's lovely.

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