Posted: Sunday 7th September 2008

This summer, the ever more beautiful Sarah Whatmore is back with a new single, Smile, after a break of six years.

Smile is the result of Sarah's collaboration with songwriter Greg Fitzgerald (Kylie Minogue, Hall & Oates). Fitzgerald saw Sarah perform at the Royal Albert Hall and was mesmerised by her voice, despite her microphone failing in front of a full auditorium.

Smile, released on 22nd September, is a mellow smouldering ballad that laments being let down by a lover and the heartache that follows the breakdown of an intimate relationship. Interspersed with a vocal sample from the Hall & Oates 70's track Sara Smile, the song has a distinct soothing quality despite the emotional complexity of the lyrics. Inspired by real emotion, the tone is ethereal yet vigorous; "At thetime I was really down," recalls Sarah, "I'd met a guy but when it ended I was heartbroken - and it was at that point I started writing my best stuff."

The singer now 26, from Salford in Manchester, made headlines back in 2001 when she appeared on Pop Idol and refused Simon Cowell's marriage proposal on national television. Although Sarah did not make it to the final, she was offered a management and recording deal with Simon Fuller's company, 19. Two singles were released, both reaching very respectable chart positions - When I Lost You (no 6) and Automatic (no 11). Then, unsure about the direction her career was going at that time, Sarah took the bold decision not to release her debut album choosing instead to concentrate on her writing. Of this decision she says: "I just wanted to disappear and write. I was determined to make my own mark, I just didn't know how long it was going to take."

Now she has reappeared, the new single 'Smile' marks the start of Sarah's ultimate comeback. Her album Time To Think, due out early next year, demonstrates the full scale of Sarah's silky, pure voice and her ease across a wide variety of sounds. It is testament not only to her vocal versatility but also the writing talent with which she is blessed.

19 Recordings release Sarah Whatmore's single Smile on 22nd September, followed by her album Time To Think in early 2009.