Rapper Betty Boo says she did not want to ‘fade away' in her 50s, ahead of tour
The Scottish- Malaysian singer-songwriter, Alison Clarkson, 55, is best known for her 1990s hit single, Doin' The Do and her debut album Boomania.
Speaking to The Times, she said she did not think she would make it to 50, after losing her parents when she was young.
Betty Boo and Alex James perform (as Wigwam) at the Art Plus Music Party 2006 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery (Jane Mingay/PA)
She is going on tour to celebrate 35 years since her hit single Doin' The Do was first released.
Clarkson added: 'When I got there I felt the way so many women do at that age, that I didn't want to just fade away, to settle and not be seen.
'The question was, what would Betty Boo say aged 50? Would she still be feisty? In fact, as soon as I started writing for me, I could channel my teenage self.
'It's crazy that I'm about to do my first tour at 55, but why not? I love a challenge and I love that I still don't fit in anywhere.
'You get 90s tours now and it's all Britpop. The 80s tours are electro acts like the Human League.
'I'm from this exciting time in between that changed the future of pop. No-one's ever been able to put me in a box. I wouldn't have it any other way.'
Clarkson's sharp rise to fame in the 90s descended just as quickly with the release of her second album in 1992, titled GRRR! failing to find the same success that Boomania had.
She was was also dealing with a lot of grief at the time, after losing her father in the 80s and caring for her terminally ill mother at the height of her career. She also cared for her nanny.
She said: 'I never thought I'd make it to 50 because neither of my parents did.
'That's one of the reasons I didn't have children. I didn't want anyone to go through what I had.
'My priorities completely changed.
'Without sounding too deep, part of me died. I didn't feel like a pop star. I didn't have the headspace for it while dealing with so much grief.'
The singer is also behind the hit songs Hey DJ – I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing with the Beatmasters, and Where Are You Baby?
Since the 90s she has released two more albums, Boomerang which came out in 2022 and Rip Up The Rulebook which was released last year.
She took home the Best British Newcomer at the Brit Awards in 1991.
Betty Boo Boomania 35 tour starts on June 5, with shows in Edinburgh, Cambridge and Southampton.
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