Speech Debelle wants to write a book

SPEECH DEBELLE has revealed that she would like to write a book - but only if it was about herself.

The surprise winner of this year's Mercury Music Prize said she would "definitely" consider penning a novel or short story.

Speaking to the independent reading charity Booktrust, she said: "I think it'd be too difficult for me to tell a story and it not be true to me. I find that difficult in songs.

"A song like Bad Boy, I've got to keep someone else's emotions and thoughts in my mind and be consumed by them, which I find difficult to do. So that's why I'd have to write about myself."

Debelle, 26, who won the music accolade for her debut album Speech Therapy, praised the writers who have influenced her own work, including Maya Angelou, Andrea Levy, and the rapper Tupac Shakur.

She added: "The first book I read and thought 'wow,' was Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Small Island by Andrea Levy is one of my favourite books from the last few years other than Cupcake Brown, Piece of Cake.

"If I see people reading Small Island, I feel envious of them because I can't go on that journey anymore, it's over for me, I've read it. It's a hilarious and real book, I can really relate to it."

The singer went on to cite her love of reading for her award-winning music which has been proclaimed as powerful, heart-breaking and honest by numerous music critics and a growing legion of fans.

She said: "I think my interest in books has improved my writing. I like the way that certain books like Small Island allows the story to breathe over time. Some things you read only take place over a year but books over a long period of time show how your surroundings change."