Jaki Graham talks Beverley Knight, Wolverhampton influences and new music

The Birmingham/Wolverhampton soul star and role model enjoyed chart success back in the 1980s and helped inspire another local star – Beverley Knight – to follow suit. And though fashions have changed over the years, Jaki remains very much in demand. She was the first black British female solo artist to have six consecutive Top 20 hits and firmly maintains her position as Britain’s most revered queen of soul.

Jaki started her career in the late 1970s but has remained active and on next Friday releases her new album, When A Woman Loves.

“When a Woman Loves has been a long time coming. My fans have been wanting new stuff. I’m glad I’m finally able to deliver and I hope they all enjoy it,” she says.

Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, When a Woman Loves is the beautiful result of Jaki’s personal and, at times, challenging life journey. It highlights her resilience and strength of character. With song contributions from Michael McDonald (Through The Rain, Someone Like You and Song Inside Me), Eric Benet (News For You) and the late Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire (Eye To Eye), the album is a celebration of Jaki’s 40 plus years in the business.

This 14-track record offers up a versatile mix of retro, soul and funk as it tells a story and takes the listener on an eclectic, soulful ride, which Jaki herself is proud to call upgraded old-skool. “I’m hoping that the songs are ones people can relate to. It’s stuff I relate to with a positive spin on it. It’s old skool.”

Fans of old definitely won’t be disappointed as Jaki seamlessly picks up where she left off, re-introducing her outstanding vocals that have matured and amassed even more power. When a Woman Loves is an exquisite testament to Jaki’s timeless artistry and proof that Jaki still knows how it’s done.

When Jaki started her career, the internet didn’t exist. But it has made the world smaller and brought artists closer to their fans. Jaki has embraced the change with help from her daughter, who managers her. She laughs at the way things have altered. “My daughter brings me up to speed with things like Pledge and Facebook Live. I don’t get it but she does. All I know is that people all over the world are engaging with me on social media. It’s another world.”

Jaki looks back on her career with pride: “Listen baby, every time I hear I’m reminded about what I achieved in the 1980s I think ‘oh my gosh’. I didn’t have the record company support. They didn’t know how to promote me. Their priority was Sigue Sigue Sputnik. The radio stations and public took me to heart. I thought I might be a one-hit wonder but here I still am.”

Jaki has strong connections with the region, having gone to school in Ladywood, and spent much of her life in Handsworth. She moved to Wolverhampton in the 1980s because she had friends in the area. “Wolverhampton adopted me. Wolverhampton gave me an honorary doctorate from the university. They’ve been wonderful to me. It’s a wonderful city.”

She’s proud of her friendship with Beverley Knight and admires the career of her soul sista. “I see Beverley every now and then we hang out. Beverley told me a story from way, way back. We were in the department store in Wolverhampton and she was ten and by then I was in the charts. She got excited because I was the lady off the telly. I gave her an autograph and spoke to her. It made a really big impression on her. To be something like a role model is amazing.”