Emeli Sande on 'scary' Madonna

Emeli Sandé, the pop sensation whose debut album Our Version of Events is racing to the top of the charts this weekend, has revealed to The Big Issue that watching Madonna working was like watching a surgeon.

The 24-year-old, who has already notched up her first Number One hit single with her Professor Green collaboration last year, appeared on Graham Norton's chat show alongside Madonna, and described her as "very powerful."

"She's kind of scary, but it's only because she's a woman that it stands out. I thought it was inspirational, how she had everything checked, controlled, it was very scientific. I've seen female surgeons be like that, who have to be just as good as the guys, just as serious. To see that in the music industry? I liked it. Everyone showed a mix between respect and fear."

And Sandé, who revealed that the queen of pop told her she loved her "cool hair", added that the same mix is her ultimate goal: "Respect and fear. I thought, 'one day…'!"

It's been an outstanding start to 2012 for Sandé: having already been crowned Critics' Choice for the Brit Awards, her album went straight to Number One in the iTunes chart when it was released last Monday, and is on course to hit the top of the UK album charts this Sunday.

Read her full interview in The Big Issue, with Emeli on the cover (attached), on sale from Monday 20 February and available to purchase from Big Issue vendors UK wide.

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