Jane McDonald let Mighty Hoopla know she meant business as she took to the stage for the Gay Icon slot at the weekend festival, and fans couldn’t contain themselves
Jane McDonald made a splash as she took to the stage at Mighty Hoopla. The singing legend took to the stage today at the festival, performing during the Gay Icon slot, and she certainly made it clear she meant business.
While Jane has been singing since 1998, in recent years she’s won over a new legion of fans thanks to her travel show, Cruising with Jane McDonald, which saw her end the programme by covering a popular song, including Cake By The Ocean, originally sung by DNCE. But this is something Jane, from Wakefield, West Yorks, has embraced.
Today, as she made her festival debut, not one to shy away from her love of cruising, Jane arrived on stage – in a cruise ship. Waving at the crowd, she exclaimed: “Hoopla!” before belting out her opening track, a cover of Queen of the Night by fellow singing icon, Whitney Houston. She also performed her rendition of Dance Yourself Dizzy, ” originally sung by her late partner Ed Roth’s band, Liquid Gold.
Mighty Hoopla shared a clip of Jane’s entrance on Instagram, and it’s safe to say that it has gone down a treat. Her former Loose Women co-star, Denise Welch, who also performed a surprise set at Hoopla on Saturday, exclaimed: “Brilliant, OMG.”
“Glasto legends slot right there,” said one person, tagging Glastonbury organiser, Emily Eavis. A third person typed: “Truly iconic.” Radio star Clara Amfo typed: “Very good!” “Such a hun! Iconic, a total national treasure, love her,” said another.
While another went on to write: “What a legend. Jane McDonald was 35 when she first appeared on our screens and now she’s headlining Hoopla aged 63. It’s never too late to chase your dreams. @thejanemcdonald I want to be you when I grow up!” There was more calls for Jane to perform at Glastonbury, with one fan exclaiming: “The best ever!! Glasto legends slot when!!”
In recent years, one area of Jane’s career that has brought her huge satisfaction is becoming an icon in the LGBTQ+ community, even though she’s not entirely sure why it happened.
Speaking previously to the Mirror, Jane said: “Everybody is welcome at my shows. I just think, ‘Come and have a good time.’ I’m not judgmental in any shape or form and maybe that’s it. I’m also very ‘camp’, so I’ve been told. But this following that I have is hugely important to me. I’m thrilled to be honoured and accepted into the community.”
And Jane has certainly been keeping herself busy, following the release of her 11th studio album, Living The Dream, in March. The record marks Jane’s first dive into the country genre, recorded in Nashville.
Later this year, Jane will also be touring with her new record, and she admits that she’s not sure how she will be able to sing Beautiful Soul, a track dedicated to her late beloved partner, Ed Rothe. She said: “Beautiful Soul is… how I’m going to sing that, I don’t know. It’s about him not being here any more. I’m supposed to be able to move on but it’s taking me a bit longer.
“It’s about how he can’t compare to the stars; he outshines them. It’s a very, very personal album. And I’ve finally been able to write about my love for Ed.” But her upcoming tour will feature tracks from her latest album, as well as some of her biggest hits, possibly her Disco Medley from her Live at the Palladium album.
“I’ve got my dream singers now, and it’s a different league. The production is joyous,” she says. “Yes, it will be emotional, but the joy you’ll feel at the end will be incredible.”
“There are still things everybody can sing along to,” she assures us. “There’ll still be some fan favourites in there.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
