Rebecca Ferguson: Nile Rodgers took me under his wing when I was losing hope

The singer described the co-founder of disco band Chic as ‘a fascinating person to be around’.
PA Wire
Hannah Roberts30 March 2024
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

British singer Rebecca Ferguson has said Nile Rodgers took her under his wing at a time when she was “losing hope” and “really needed someone”.

The Liverpool-born singer, who found fame on The X Factor in 2010, discussed her friendship with the Chic co-founder, as well as her new record Heaven Part II, and said she has been “through so much” since the release of her debut album.

Speaking to Anita Rani on BBC Radio 2, she said: “He’s (Rodgers) just someone that took me under his wing at a time that I really needed someone in the industry to take me under their wing.

“And I’m so grateful to him for that.

“He believed in me when I was starting to lose hope and that, to me, was just everything and working with him, he’s such a genius, just the way his brain works is so fascinating.

“I was talking about him the other day.

“He literally draws inspiration from everything, whether it be the wind or nature, rain, like whatever it is.

“He’s just a fascinating person to be around.”

The 37-year-old, who has previously criticised music managers and agents she claims manipulate artists, said that being vocal about her experience in the music industry has brought her “a lot of peace”.

He's just a fascinating person to be around

Rebecca Ferguson

She said: “I feel like the minute you get completely authentic and completely honest, and you stop holding secrets, you just become totally free.

“I felt like it was the best thing I’ve ever done.

“Just acknowledging what has happened. Being vocal, speaking out, it brought me a lot of peace.

“Suddenly I just felt unafraid and I did feel like it was empowering.”

She added: “I hope the conversation continues as well and that the music industry starts to improve.”

Ferguson previously called upon media watchdog Ofcom to conduct an investigation into reality TV shows to “ensure the future safety of contestants”.

In 2023 she posted a screenshot of an email to her X account which she said she sent to ITV and Ofcom in 2021 making a “formal complaint” in relation to the treatment of contestants on reality shows but said “my concerns appeared to be fobbed off”.

A spokesperson for Ofcom said they “listened carefully to the extent of her concerns about the treatment of contestants during her time on The X Factor in 2010″ when they met her virtually in 2021.

A statement from ITV said the broadcaster was “committed to having in place suitable processes to protect the mental health and welfare of programme participants”.

Ferguson also gave evidence to MPs on the Women And Equalities Committee as part of a 2023-2024 report into misogyny and discrimination in the UK music scene.

The singer said her new album serves as a nod to her debut album Heaven, released in 2011, and explained it is the record “that people should have got after the first”.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in