After so much heartache, singer Jo Birchall has finally got something to smile about (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

After so much heartache, singer Jo Birchall has finally got something to smile about

2:14pm Friday 22nd July 2011 in London gigs By George Nott

In 2004, everything was going right for singer Jo Birchall. She had a record deal with Decca, an album on the brink of release and had returned, sun-kissed and energised from the trip she’d taken to Nashville to record it.

But very quickly things went very wrong for Jo with circumstances conspiring against her to ensure her music would never see the light of day. Until now.

The story begins with Jo sending a demo to Gary Barlow of Take That. Impressed by her songs and her performances on Pop Idol (she reached the semi-final) Gary signed her to his label and she was soon offered a deal with industry giant Decca. Before she knew it the chirpy Liverpudlian lass was touring with Westlife and flying to the United States to record her debut.

“It was a wonderful time,“ remembers Jo, “things were going great, it was pretty amazing.“

Then, disaster struck. Decca was subsumed in a merger and Gary’s energies went towards reforming Take That. As her professional future slipped away, at home things were even bleaker – both of Jo’s parents were diagnosed with cancer.

“It was a complete shock,“ explains Jo. “I didn’t realise what was going on. During the whole time they were full of encouragement for me to continue. It kept them going too.

“I was going back and forth between London and Liverpool feeling lost. I didn’t want to get that phone call.“

Although her mother went on to make a recovery, her father sadly passed away.

“I like to think he’s up there looking down at me, hearing my songs,“ says Jo.

Urged to move to London by her ever-optimistic mum, Jo made her home in Winchmore Hill.

“It was so hard, after being on that high, to find myself starting from scratch, working at a pizza restaurant. But I never thought that was the end, I never thought of giving up.

“I thought there was no point going through that rough time just to throw it away.“

Then, while walking with a friend in London, came a well deserved stroke of good luck, a true case of serendipity.

“This guy stopped us in the street because he needed directions to a studio. We walked along with him and struck up a conversation about my music. I gave him my card, I thought – I’ve got nothing to lose.“

The man was Craig David’s manager, who put Jo in touch with two other men – Adam Hollywood and Nick Phillips.

“I didn’t know who they were at the time, I went along to a meeting with them and they seemed interested.

“When I got home, I Googled them straight away and... wow!“

Jo had just met with the former manager of Warner Music and the former chairman of both Warner Music and Universal Music, the same men who had helped guide the careers of Madonna, James Blunt and Michael Bublé.

“If I’d have known, I probably would have been too nervous. A bit of luck at being in the right place at the right time.“

Long overdue, Jo’s album Something To Say is due for release next month. It features one track from her never-released debut, along with tracks inspired by the emotional rollercoaster of the past few years.

“I’ve been at the lowest of the low but now things are really looking up,“ says Jo. “After all the ups and downs I feel my luck has changed and I’ve been given this opportunity. I’m so excited.“

Jo Birchall’s debut album, Something To Say, is released next month. Details: jobirchall.com

Watch the video for Jo's debut single Wonderful: