Singer Mari Wilson says famous beehive was not 'just what I always wanted' ahead of new album

With her towering beehive, soulful voice and quirky fashion sense, Mari Wilson took the 1980s pop scene by storm. Yet with six hit singles under her belt, including her signature track Just What I Always Wanted, she stepped away from it all to explore a different path.

But, aged 71, the woman dubbed Neasden’s Queen of Soul has rediscovered her pop groove with a brand new album, Girl About Town, the first original material she’s released since 2008. Explains Mari: “I know people might say ‘where did Mari go?’ but I didn’t go anywhere - I just moved into a different space.

“I had the very best time writing and recording this record and I'm excited to be releasing new music at this stage in my life. It came out of lockdown. There was no plan, but also no pressure, which is probably why it was so much fun - a joyful mix of pop, soul, and jazz . It’s based on a lot of life experience. At my age, I knew I had stories to tell.”

Mari’s story started when, growing up as the youngest of three children in the London borough of Neasden, she was immersed in music. She recalls: “My dad worked for London Transport, but there was always music in the house. I have a brother and sister and we’d all sing together - Beatles songs, stuff by the Bee Gees, James Taylor. We could all harmonise - we were like the Von Trapps!”

By her mid teens she was determined to make singing her career, saying: “I told my headmistress I was going to be on Top of the Pops. I was a bit naughty at school and used to read Melody Maker in class, but I’d say ‘I don't really need to know about Henry VIII because I’m going to be on the telly.”

She began performing in local venues, developing her distinctive voice and look. Her signature skyscraper hair was inspired by her sister, who shared her bedroom. She says: “She had short hair but used to put this false piece on top of her own. She used to do her eyes like Dusty Springfield too.

“I wanted that sort of glamour. It was a combination of my sister’s look and the style of old stars like Lana Turner. The more well known I became, the bigger my beehive got. I was five feet six tall and my hair was about eight inches from the top of my head. Then I’d wear three or four inch heels. I must have looked quite intimidating. A lot of my clothes came from jumble sales. The first dress I wore on TV cost me 20p and was blue Lurex!”

She cut her musical teeth performing in local venues and in September 1982 Mari, who has a 29-year-old daughter, realised her dream and performed on Top of the Pops. She recalls: “I remember seeing my dressing room door with my name on it and inside a mirror with the lights around it and I thought ‘yes, this is just how I expected it to be.’

“And then, of course, you’d meet the other pop stars. There was a bar upstairs where everyone would hang out. Boy George could be quite intimidating back then, but ultimately we were all in the same boat.”

She recalls an occasion when she was truly starstruck, saying: “It was 1983 and I was a nominee at the BPI Awards - the forerunners of The Brits. It was in the ballroom at Grosvenor House in Park Lane and as I walked in I saw Paul McCartney and his wife Linda.