Eighties heartthrob Nik Kershaw released his debut album Human Racing in 1984, achieving multi-platinum sales and launching his career worldwide.

In 1990, after four MCA albums and sales of more than eight million, he left the spotlight to concentrate on songwriting and producing, working with Elton John, Chesney Hawkes, Cliff Richard, Bonnie Tyler, Lulu, Ronan Keating and Gary Barlow, among others.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of his first chart success, Nik is coming to Union Chapel to perform songs and tells tales from his impressive career and take (potentially) awkward questions from the audience.

Hi Nik, what have you been up to today?

I’ve been getting dirty in the garden. I live in a village near Stansted (Felsted).

Will you be in the studio later?

I used to have a studio at home, but I kept getting called in to clear up cat sick. I’m currently working on music for TV. The stuff that goes behind Kirsty Allsop that you don’t even realise is there. It’s difficult because I have to write stuff that won’t take attention away. I have been doing it a couple of years and it’s fun because I get to play with music and work with London Philharmonic because someone else is paying for it.

Tell me about the Me, Myself and I tour

It’s celebrating 30 years. I have been playing music personally for longer, but 30 years in the public eye. Of course there will be old stuff in there but it’s a retrospective so there might be songs in there from last year too. I’m trying to make it less of a gig and more of a show with some visual stuff, movies and photos, and questions from the audience.

Are you worried what you might be asked?

That’s the thing I’m most nervous about.

Do you still get recognised in the street?

Very rarely. It’s quite an event when it does happen. I don’t look anything like I did in 1984 and wouldn’t try to. That would be a bit sad. A lot of people who lasted a long time are very good at being famous. It’s a talent of its own, but I get very embarrassed about the whole thing.

Was it all sex, drugs and rock and roll back in your heyday?

It could have been. That option was always there, but I just wasn’t that interested. I tried the drugs but didn’t get on with them and I was already married when I became famous.

How did you cope with fame?

I was no spring chicken, I was 26 when the first one hit but I was ill equipped to deal with it then.

What do you think of today’s pop idols like Justin Bieber?

They live on a different planet to me. I couldn’t possibly understand what it is like for them. It would be easy to judge Justin Bieber (laughs) because he’s out there all the time.

What do you think of today’s music industry?

There’s a massive thing with online music and people don’t pay for it anymore. People make more money selling perfume than making music and that does make a huge difference to it all. For me it is still about creating great words and lyrics.

How do you go about writing songs?

It’s quite a tortuous process for me, it always has been, because you are very wary of not repeating yourself, but now I haven’t got any record companies breathing down my neck and I only make a record if there’s a record to be made so I only write a song if it’s worth writing.

What’s the best song you have ever written for you or someone else?

Billy from my album (15 minutes) in 1999. It’s the best lyrics I have ever written. ‘Billy is confused, he feels abusive and abused, he’s got one hand on an olive branch the other on his crotch’.

I got very lucky with Chesney’s song (The One and Only), it made me a lot of money over the years, but I eventually got bored with all the politics of getting a song recorded by someone. I’m a bit of a control freak.

Do you know when you’ve written a massive hit?

Sometimes you don’t know until months later. I usually start off with an idea and write and record at the same time so by the time it’s finished I have heard it so many times that I’m sick of it and have to leave it for a few months.

What makes a song top the charts?

If I knew that I would be putting the phone down and doing it now, but partly you have got to be in with the right people who are working on the right programs. I don’t know why my songs were hits. It was just like ‘it’s your turn now’.

Nik Kershaw’s Me, Myself and I Tour – A solo retrospective will be at Union Chapel, Islington on Saturday, September 13, doors at 7pm. Details: unionchapel.org.uk