Revealed, Lulu's guilty pleasure... HEAVY METAL: Scottish pop icon plans to unleash her inner rock goddess 

  • Singer, 68, hopes to duet with 'progressive metal' band Brutai
  • Her nephew, Felix Lawrie, is the frontman of the group, and calls her Auntie Lu
  • She took Felix, 27, to see his idols, Black Sabbath 
  • The star went to see Brutai perform in London last year and was hooked 

Lulu is now considering working with a young metal band

Her musical career may have been built on a string of pop hits such as Shout and To Sir With Love.

But singer Lulu has revealed a surprising passion - for heavy metal.

Not only has the 68-year-old Scottish pop icon been hanging out at loud rock gigs, she is even considering working with a young 'metal' band.

Athough the musical style is at odds with songs like Boom Bang-a-Bang - which she performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 - Lulu has told the Scottish Mail on Sunday that her new-found enthusiasm springs from her nephew, the frontman for a group about to begin their first UK tour.

Lulu, born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, went to see Brutai – whose lead singer is her 27-year-old nephew Felix Lawrie – in London at the end of last year and admits she was hooked.

She now hopes to join forces with the 'progressive metal' band and work on a duet.

Speaking from New York last week, she said: 'I went to see Felix and Brutai a couple of weeks before Christmas in London and they did a twenty minute set in a very cool club and it was fabulous, absolutely amazing.

Rock of ages: Lulu with her nephew Felix, who is frontman of heavy metal act Brutai

'I thought, 'Wow, this is the new, these are the children who are growing up and going to take over'… he could be really huge.

'You never know but I've got a feeling. It takes a lot of hard work, luck, perseverance and persistence and lots of knocks and you cannot be discouraged so we'll see.

'As far as Felix is concerned you could never discourage him with his work ethic and the fact he keeps it real.'

As Brutai embark on their first ever UK tour this week (they play Glasgow's G2 on Tuesday), Lulu added: 'I wanted Felix to gig with me on tour the year before last but he couldn't because he had commitments with his own band. I think one day we have to get up on stage together and perform something even if its just for prosperity.

Brutai will embark on their first ever UK tour this week, and Lulu said she wants to work with them one day

'Heavy metal was never my first choice – for me it was rock n roll and soul and gospel.

'But I did absolutely go mad for Led Zeppelin. I had worked with Jimmy Page from the age of sixteen, and John Paul Jones was my MD and arranger for many years. Then I heard this insane, in a good way, but mystical song and I couldn't believe Robert's voice and John's playing. They actually both became very very close friends and that came from the respecting their talent.'

'Auntie Lu' – as Felix calls her – earned brownie points when she took her nephew to see his idols Black Sabbath perform at Hyde Park, and introduced him to the band backstage.

Felix, whose father - Lulu's brother - is award-winning songwriter Billy Lawrie, said: 'I've got an amazing Auntie Lu who has always been there when I needed her - despite the difference in the fields of music we work in.

'I've possibly helped to make her look at heavy metal music more. I don't think she would be as open-minded to it if I weren't her nephew but me and the guys are trained and have been brought up in musical families so have a pop sensibility.

'Auntie Lu can hear and appreciate heavy metal bands that also have melodies.'

Lulu's background may be in pop, but she is now keen to work with a heavy metal act

Lulu also took her nephew to see rock legends Black Sabbath. She is friends with Sharon Osborne and was invited to watch the band.

Felix said: 'I was just trying to hold it together trying to keep cool and not act like too much of fanboy. I'm a big fan of them.'

'She's always been there for advice and help in the industry and is a great singer so has given me tips here and there. '

He added: 'We did speak about me going on tour with Auntie Lu some time ago and she thought it would be pretty good me doing a couple of numbers on stage. I went to her house with my acoustic guitar and recorded some sessions but it needed a bit of work and we ran out of time because I was in the middle of recording albums. We are both perfectionists. It's a Lawrie thing.

'Being from the family I am from, self-confidence and hard work is in my genes. But I only realised once I started how tough it is. I think that the heavy metal releases any anger I have as I'm generally a very happy smiley person.'

Asked if she would like Brutai to cover one of her songs, Lulu said: 'Felix can do whatever he likes. I wanted him to gig with me on tour the year before last but he couldn't because he had commitments with his own band.

'I think one day we have to get up on stage together and perform something even if its just for prosperity. He is a very gentle soul, but suddenly he growls and it's very funny. Hopefully he won't get so famous I won't be able to get any time from him.'

Lulu appears on Gary Barlow's new show Let It Shine as a judge. She said: 'Its been brilliant working with other young people through the Gary Barlow show. Music is music is music and it's healing and if you're fortunate enough to have a job in the music world you count your blessings and thank god every day.'

Lulu was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire in 1948 and grew up in the Dennistoun area of Glasgow with her parents, two brothers and a sister.

She began singing on stage at 12 before signing to Decca Records in 1964, when had a hit at the age of 15 with her version of the Isley Brothers' 'Shout'.

In 1967, she made her film debut in To Sir, With Love for which she also sang the theme song.

In 1969 she married Maurice Gibb of the BeeGees and also won the Eurovision Song Contest for Britain with 'Boom Bang-a-Bang'.

She also performed the title song for the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974.

In 1977 she began her second marriage, to celebrated hairdresser Frieda.

After more albums, TV and stage appearances through the 70s and 80s, she joined Take That in 1993 on the hit 'Relight My Fire'.

In 2014 she performed at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

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