Former X Factor star Amelia Lily talks to MARION SAUVEBOIS about her daunting new role in classic musical

THIS business we call show is notoriously unpredictable as Amelia Lily can attest.

One minute she was in the studio working on her album, the next the musical theatre novice was winging her way through a casting call to replace Marcus Collins as the narrator on the UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

A record 30 minutes later the part was hers. After a marathon four days to master 22 songs, Amelia was thrust onto the stage.

“Opening night in Edinburgh, I was a bag of nerves,” confesses the former X Factor contestant. “I had done musical theatre when I was younger, little shows but never an actual production for work. I had to learn 22 songs – the narrator is on stage the entire time. I was absolutely petrified and I messed up here and there. It has definitely got easier since.”

Many with far more stage kudos would have likely crumbled under such pressure but the 20-year-old was hungry for a new challenge. The tight timescale may have been her saving grace: she simply did not have a second to waste on self-doubt.

“I had the call from my agent at the beginning of February, I remember it was a Friday morning, asking if I would like to play the narrator in the Bill Kenwright tour. I hadn’t seen the show in so many years. I had to remind myself of the songs and the character.

I went to Bill Kenwright’s office on the Monday and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I definitely improvised. They offered me the job 30 minutes later. I didn’t expect it at all; I was really chuffed. The hardest thing for me was learning so many songs in the space of four days of rehearsals.

“But I like a challenge. For me it’s a new experience. “

Practice makes perfect as they say and with 10 shows to perform each week, she certainly had opportunities to hone her craft.

As spectators may have glimpsed from her effortless performances on the X Factor back in 2011, she relishes the thrill and immediacy of live shows.

“The cast is amazing; it’s such a great show and we have great support. It’s such a buzz every night. It can be a tiring lifestyle. I would be nice to be able to go home and sleep in my own bed at night but we get to go to a different city every week.”

Amelia, who was mentored by former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, finished third on the X Factor, the year Little Mix claimed the crown. But despite just missing out on the top spot, she went on to reach number two in the charts with her debut single You Bring Me Joy.

While her breakthrough onto the music scene and our TV screens was a mere four years ago, it seems a lifetime away for Amelia. And yet, she retains vivid memories of the reality talent show, not least her encounter with an astonishingly grounded Lady Gaga. If her stint on the programme did one thing it was to reaffirm her belief that celebrity and stardom are vacuous labels.

“I have definitely matured since then,” she says firmly. “The X Factor feels like a long time ago but sometimes it feels like it was only yesterday. I’ve learned a lot about myself since but the X Factor was amazing and I’ll never forget that experience.

“I met Lady Gaga and that was one of the most incredible moments ever. But I wasn’t star struck; I was mesmerised by her. She spoke very highly of everything and she had a great attitude. The way I look at it, we are all human beings and all exactly the same.”

The tour has momentarily put her recording plans on hold but Amelia will return to the studio when the curtain falls in June. The pop singer is confident she has ‘found her sound’ and is eager to release her long-awaited album.

“It’s taken me a few years to find out who I am as an artist but I’ve definitely found my sound now. I’m writing about my life, what I’m going through and hopefully a lot of people can relate to that. I’ve listened to Pink, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson since I was a little girl. I like leading ladies and this strong girl power. They’re my inspiration.”

Amelia will be joined on stage by fellow X Factor favourite Lloyd Daniels, who will reprise his role of Joseph, and Eastenders’ Matt Lapinskas as the Pharoah at the Wyvern Theatre from Tuesday, May 19 to Saturday 23. To book tickets visit swindontheatres.co.uk or call the Ticket Office on 01793 524481.