Maria-Louisa Evangelou lives in Palmers Green and went to St Anne’s High School for Girls. She talks to Laura Enfield about seeing her first musical, Motown and forgetting lyrics to a song.

When did you first start performing?

My nan took me to ballet school when I was two, but singing is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I drove my mum crazy until she gave in and finally took me for singing lessons. My uncle is also a professional musician and my mum used to play a diverse range of musical genres to me from a young age classical, jazz, pop, soul and Latin.

What inspired you to do it?

I actually can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else. However, when I was taken to see a musical for the first time called Mamma I Want to Sing based on the life story of singer Doris Troy that just confirmed it for me. It had some great gospel and soul songs in it and the theatre was just filled with this wall of sound of these amazing voices and I was mesmerized the whole way through.

Best gig to date?

Spellbound Edmonton Festival last year as it was the first time I really got to showcase what I had spent so long working on.

Any singles or albums released?

We’re just finishing off an EP, which will be launched at our gig on March 14 at the Dugdale.

What can people expect from your gig at Dugdale?

A set of originals as well as some re-worked classic and current songs. There will be a six-piece band playing along with me too and maybe one or two surprises.

Are you signed?

Not yet, currently looking to be and also looking for management.

What’s your day job?

I teach singing and piano.

Who has influenced your music?

My dad has a great Motown collection of records and I grew up listening to a lot of that! So a lot of influence from there as well as jazz singers like Billie holiday, Nina Simone, Etta James and Smokey Robinson. I also really love Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Ray Charles people like Sade, Noisettes the list is endless.

What’s the most embarrassing thing to have happened to you on stage?

I forgot the lyrics to a new song I had written and had to sho wap and scat my way through the melody till I could pick it up again.

Where can people hear your music?

I’ll be doing an acoustic evening of Jazz at Forty Hall on May 17.

soundcloud.com/maria-evangelou and my website www.mariaevangelou.com will be up soon.

The Dugdale Centre, Thomas Hardy House, London Road, Enfield, Friday, March 14, 8pm. Details: 0208 8076680, dugdalecentre.co.uk