'At 56, I'm not invisible, I'm just getting started'

Mica Paris has had huge success, from singing for royalty to mentoring Amy Winehouse, but she won't stop there

- OLIVIA BUXTON

Mica Paris has no plans to fade into the background – even if her last role in EastEnders technically left her behind bars.

"EastEnders was a while ago now," she laughs. "Would I ever go back? Well, I'd need to be freed from prison first. I'm not even getting good behaviour!"

The singer and actress appeared in EastEnders in 2020, joining the soap as Ellie Nixon, the manipulative grandmother of Raymond Dawson – the son of Denise Fox and Phil Mitchell. Her character only appeared from September to November 2020, before being written out when Ellie was arrested.

“I didn’t plan any of this acting stuff,” Mica says. “I was nervous at first, but everyone rallied around me. I had such a laugh with [EastEnders actors] Steve McFadden and Diane Parish. They were all fans of my music, which helped, and made me feel right at home.”

Now, Mica is busier than ever. She’s celebrating 40 years in the industry, 37 years since her debut album So Good, and marking it all with a new album, a duet with Chaka Khan called Stand, and a string of live gigs.

Born Michelle Antoinette Wallen in Islington, north London, in 1969, the singer grew up in south London’s gospel scene before breaking through at just 18 with her first album So Good – a debut that made her one of Britain's brightest Black female stars.

Since then, Mica has sung for King Charles, received an MBE for services to music, entertainment and charity, presented her own BBC Radio 2 show, mentored the late Amy Winehouse, and performed everywhere from Wembley to Dubai.

But these days Mica’s message is just as fierce as her vocals – and she’s got strong opinions about the current state of British music.