大象传媒

Since then life has been one big whirl of singing engagements and community projects PLUS, she's still teaching!

In a few weeks time she'll be performing in her own concert in Stevenage, so we caught up with her to find out more about that - and life since the X-Factor!

You鈥檙e doing a concert at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage aren鈥檛 you?

Beverley: Yes, what an amazing opportunity it has been for me. I鈥檓 taking the whole studio so I鈥檓 really hoping that lots of people will come along and it will be completely full. It鈥檚 called Beverley Trotman鈥檚 Soul Kitchen so I鈥檒l be singing a bit of gospel, a bit of jazz, and I鈥檒l be taking songs from the show [the X-Factor] so that people can still identify with it, and mixing it all together so there鈥檒l be something for everyone hopefully. Joining me on the day will be the Luton Community Gospel Choir as the support act so that will be brilliant. It will be a really good show with a full band, backing vocals, everything!

So what鈥檚 your set going to be like?

Beverley: Obviously we鈥檝e got my 鈥淔eeling Good鈥� in there, then we鈥檝e got 鈥淚 Have Nothing鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檓 Every Woman鈥� all the big songs from the X-Factor. Then I鈥檝e also got a couple of songs by Kirk Franklin. One if them is called 鈥淚magine Me鈥�, which is a real American gospel type of song and an amazing song by a lady called Jill Scott who is a 鈥渘eo soul鈥� singer and is just amazing. There鈥檚 a song called 鈥淟iving My Life Like It鈥檚 Golden鈥� and that鈥檚 how I feel at the moment. I鈥檓 able to be living my life, working two days a week as a teacher and then singing the rest of the week 鈥� it鈥檚 amazing, it really is great. And that song kind of puts it all together for me!

It does sound like you鈥檙e living the dream! So is this concert just a one-off?

Beverley: At the moment I鈥檒l say it鈥檚 a one-off but there will hopefully be another one in February which will be at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable. I鈥檓 really hoping that this one will be very successful and that people will come out and support me, but there鈥檚 a great possibility of another one.

It sounds like you鈥檝e been very busy since leaving the X-Factor last November? You did the X-Factor live tour as well didn鈥檛 you?

Beverley: Yes, it was a six week tour and that was brilliant. Being able to sing at the 02, Wembley Arena, and all the other different places all over the country, was just phenomenal. Everybody really enjoyed it and got into it. The competition was over, we鈥檇 found the winner so everybody was just able to sing and have a really good time.

Singing at venues like that when you have been singing since you were very young must have been a real dream?

Beverley: It was just wonderful and if I鈥檓 honest I could have sat down and said, 鈥淚鈥檝e done it now, I don鈥檛 need to do anything else鈥�.听 But that never seems to happen, you just keep going. It was brilliant and I guess it spurs you on to do more.

Well, obviously you haven鈥檛 stopped and said 鈥渢hat鈥檚 it鈥�, so can you tell us what you鈥檝e been doing since you finished the X-Factor?!

Beverley: The wonderful thing for me is that because of my Christian background I鈥檝e been singing at quite a few big Christian festivals, Spring Harvest being one of them. I also sang at a community event called Brighton Goes Gospel where anyone off the street can come along, take a 15 week course in gospel music and then at the end there鈥檚 a big concert and I was the special guest for that.听 Also I had the great privilege of singing in Liverpool鈥檚 Anglican Cathedral with about 600 primary school children! That was just amazing. I also supported Lemar at Gleneagles in Scotland. That was something else! My room was the size of my house! Then I was also one of the judges for a competition held in Bedford. All the big schools in Bedford hold a concert where young musicians come together with their bands and just go for it. It was a brilliant competition, we chose a very worthy winner and the prize was to sing at the Bedford River Festival.

And then there鈥檚 other little things like I鈥檓 going to a couple of school fun days and opening the fete at the Hitchin hospital and starting off the Relay For Life for Cancer Research!

Your life is just a whirlwind!

Beverley: It has been really good but I鈥檓 keeping my feet on the ground because I鈥檓 working two days a week as a supply teacher and for me that鈥檚 brilliant. I can work and I can also do my teaching, because I trained pretty hard for that and I have no intention of just throwing it away right now! Two days a week for me works really, really well and the rest of the week I鈥檓 singing somewhere! It鈥檚 just brilliant! The opportunities have been really good for me.

It must be hard to fit the teaching in but is that what keeps it all real?

Beverley: I definitely think so. I left Icknield [Primary School] purely because I felt I鈥檇 joined them and then had to go and do the X-Factor. I thought if I do supply, then that way I wouldn鈥檛 feel as guilty if I have to say 鈥淚鈥檓 really sorry but I can鈥檛 be in that day鈥�. And being a supply teacher gives me the opportunity to meet so many other kids and I go into different schools and that鈥檚 brilliant!

One of the other things I鈥檓 doing at the moment is that I鈥檓 in talks with the Luton Music Service. The intention is to provide a service for all the schools in Luton where they can have a gospel choir. I worked for them for four years running a gospel choir in Luton way before the X-Factor but now we鈥檙e just taking it that little step further. I鈥檓 around in the daytime now so I can go into the schools and build up the choir and then have a really fantastic event at the end of it. That for me is the thing that keeps me sane and real and happy. I just think it鈥檚 really important to feed back into the community, that鈥檚 just the way I live my life.

It must be great for the kids when you turn up as a supply teacher and they know who you are?!

Beverley:听 It is very exciting but we just calm it all down very, very quickly and then just get on with the day!

Beverley Trotman

It sounds like the X-Factor has really changed your life, but you鈥檝e been singing all your life so why did you decide to go for it at that particular time of your life?

Beverley: There were a couple of major things that happened for me. In 2006 on Mother鈥檚 Day my mum died. She was my grandmother really, but she was the one that brought me up. My natural mother died when I was four. So when my grandmother died I kind of took it quite hard, and it was quite a tough time for me.

I had also just started to get to know my natural father (who I wasn鈥檛 brought up with) during the previous two years on and off, but he died in June of the same year.

I know it sounds really simple but I just thought, 鈥渨hat can Simon [Cowell] say to me?鈥� I鈥檝e been through so much this year alone and pain and hurt.

[I didn鈥檛 do it before] because there was always the fear that actually they [the judges] won鈥檛 think you鈥檙e very good. It takes a lot of guts to stand up in front of those people, you鈥檙e open, and you鈥檙e vulnerable and they can say what they like to you, so I didn鈥檛 go for it before purely because of fear, and I guess with the death of those key people in my life, the fear just kind of went.

I suppose when you鈥檝e been that low you feel that you couldn鈥檛 feel any worse, but, the judges were nice to you in the end weren鈥檛 they?!

Beverley: Well, absolutely! After the first audition I was in shock because you don鈥檛 know what they want. It鈥檚 a TV show so you鈥檙e never sure what they鈥檙e looking for. Being that little bit older I tried to analyse it and thought well I could get to the third stage and that will be it for me, and then I could go back to school and say, 鈥淗ey guys I tried it, you can try something!鈥�. But it just kept going and kept going and I really appreciated the opportunity!

It sounds like that from going in with a 鈥渓ife鈥檚 too short鈥� attitude, it was a very positive experience?

Beverley: Well, that was the experience for me, but there were a lot of elements to it. There were still times in there when you could get quite down and things would happen and you鈥檇 think 鈥淥h my goodness, why did I do this?鈥�! But, as a summary, I would say to anyone, 鈥淒o it鈥� because you鈥檙e experience will not be mine. I鈥檝e come out of it and I鈥檝e held my head up very high and I鈥檓 very proud of myself. People stop me in the street even now. I was stopped yesterday in the Arndale Centre by an older lady and she said to me 鈥淵ou have made me feel so proud鈥�. My grandmother hasn鈥檛 been around to see it, and she hasn鈥檛 been around to say that to me, so to have an older person say that to me in the town centre is just amazing.

Are you still in touch with Louis Walsh, your mentor in the show?

Beverley: No, they are what they are. They鈥檙e mentors, they鈥檙e TV stars, they鈥檙e with you and they help you and they are really lovely to you while you鈥檙e there but then when it鈥檚 over, it鈥檚 over. I鈥檝e got no problem with that. In fairness to Louis though, I have spoken to him about three times since the show and he鈥檚 wished me all the best so I can鈥檛 be that harsh to him! For them it鈥檚 a job though, and they鈥檝e given me a great opportunity and I鈥檝e taken it and I鈥檓 running with it.

Do you look at it differently now that a bit of time has passed?

Beverley: Yes 鈥� although I knew this when I was in it - but it really is a TV show. You go on believing it鈥檚 a talent show but it鈥檚 a TV show and that鈥檚 fair enough. I didn鈥檛 know that before I went in it, but I realised that while I was in it, and because I realised that I can say that that was the part of my life that led to this, so it was great! I鈥檓 not bitter about any of it at all and I鈥檓 glad that I did it - but it鈥檚 a TV show!

So, when you say it鈥檚 a TV show, you mean that you鈥檙e there for the entertainment of other people and it鈥檚 not about developing you as a person. But I guess afterwards, if it gives you opportunities then it鈥檚 up to you to take them?

Beverley: Exactly, which is why I could never say it was a bad thing. I will always say it was a positive experience, I will always say I鈥檓 glad I did it and I will say to anyone that wants to do it, 鈥渄o it鈥�, because your experience will not be mine. Go and do it because you just never know!听听听听

It seems to be non-stop for you anyway! You鈥檙e doing all this stuff with Luton Music, but what are your hopes for the future? Is it to so more of that or would you like to make albums and stuff?!

Beverley: There are a few things I want to do. I want to make sure that I鈥檓 still feeding into my community. I trained in Luton as a teacher and so it鈥檚 my intention to make sure that I still play my part. There aren鈥檛 that many teachers of colour in Luton and I believe that it鈥檚 really important that there are role models for people 鈥� be they black, white, Asian, whatever 鈥� we need role models and I trained and I鈥檓 not going to throw that away.

The next thing I want to make sure that I do is in terms of music and working with the Luton Music Service, through my church, and also through the Luton Community Gospel Choir. I want to make sure that I鈥檓 feeding into the community on a music level as well.

And yes 鈥� I am going to be recording an album and hopefully I can come back and play it here! So there are quite a few things that I鈥檓 shooting at and they are all in the pipeline and all working at the moment.

You have a wonderful positive energy and are a great role model for Luton because it doesn鈥檛 always get a good press does it?

Beverley: Oh goodness me, it doesn鈥檛. When I was in Scotland at Gleneagles somebody was saying something [bad] about Luton and I was saying 鈥淥h no, Luton鈥檚 great! It鈥檚 about the people and the people are great!鈥� We鈥檝e got such a cultural mix and we鈥檙e working hard to make sure that we鈥檙e altogether and that鈥檚 really important, so wherever and whenever I can, I champion Luton.

What about your family 鈥� how have they dealt with all of this?

Beverley: My family are just wonderful. My husband is the one who is behind a lot of these things. He works full time and is a full time dad but he also manages me basically, although he says he doesn鈥檛! But I don鈥檛 get away with much! But everything he does, I know that he鈥檚 doing it for our family so that things can go forward and be better. A lot of these things are down to him, he is just amazing on every level. And my children are just brilliant, they鈥檙e working really hard and doing well at school and they deal with it. They鈥檝e got their own activities. My son plays football for Luton Town, he鈥檚 just been signed for another season, and again, Luton Town FC aren鈥檛 doing very well at the moment but we鈥檙e still there behind it and championing it and hoping that they will come up again. We鈥檙e Lutonians through and through and we鈥檙e doing all we can!