Homecoming show for Tring star Harriet

Born and brought up in the town, the singer and songwriter is making a return to the area for a sold-out date at The Court Theatre later this month.

Harriet said: “We were looking for something in the pop era of The Backstreet Boys and S Club 7 and we happened upon the song Reach.

“It fitted with the theme of the rest of the album.

“It was strange, we did the cover and there was a little struggle getting the high notes, so we changed the melody and ended up with the cover that people really responded to. I suspect because it is a song that people really remember and we have done something really different with it.”

Presenter Graham Norton was given a copy of the song as a surprise, and played it a number of times on his Radio 2 show.

“It was one of his favourite songs and was given to him as a gift, which he ended up playing over a number of weeks,” explained Harriet.

“It’s an incredibly surreal moment when you hear your own work on the radio at that moment. Especially when it is live as opposed to catching up with it at iPlayer, it’s a moment that someone is discovering it and hopefully enjoying it.

“I was driving with my mum who is very supportive and excitable, and we were stuck in a queue on the motorway and one of my songs came on and she wondered how many people were hearing this in this queue.”

There will also be a sense of deja vu when she appears at The Court Theatre on Friday, February 23.

“The last time I performed on that stage, I was part of my jazz band in my teens, and I’m going back many years later. It’ll be brilliantly surreal.”

But despite a supportive crowd made up of people who helped her throughout her career, she can’t help but be a little nervous.

She said: “There will be a lot of former teachers who helped me pass my GCSEs and now they are coming to see me perform.

“There will be a lot of friends and family at the event so it will be a bit more terrifying than if it was a room full of unknowns.”

But she has been overwhelmed by the response that she has had and is thrilled to see all of the people going along.

Harriet said: “I am really looking forward to performing there because the theatre have been very welcoming, putting out welcome home posters all over the theatre. I can’t wait to see the people who have purchased tickets for the show.”