All rise: Gabrielle

Britian's soul queen Gabrielle — often referred to as the lady with the eye-patch — is an ace at putting together heart-stirring concerts. You'd be surprised to hear, then, that the iconic pop singer, 41, with hits including Dreams and Out Of Reach, has to battle a serious case of nerves each time she faces her fans.

"People say it's hard to get me on stage... but it's harder to get me off once I am on it," said Gabrielle, in an interview prior to her gig on Friday at the Du World Music Festival at Dubai's Burj Park. But she believes that being nervous is a good thing.

"I am good after the first two songs. It shows my blood is still pumping and that my adrenaline is still running high — our idea is to give it our best shot. The moment I decide I don't enjoy doing these shows I won't do them any more."

But such a scenario seems like a distant possibility as she's armed with a concrete concert plan for her date with Dubai on Friday.

"For my shows, I always love to sing Rise and Out Of Reach — it's a ladies song and you get those voices singing along. It's those reactions I am after … I love another track called Heartbreak — it's different from what I normally do," said Gabrielle.

The singer, who burst into the pop consciousness with her million-selling debut album Find Your Way topped up by her hit debut single Dreams in 1993, is a celebrity who has courted fame and success on her own terms.

"I am happy with the way my career shaped up. I wielded total control on what I did. Being a mother means taking time out and just being there for my two children. I don't have regrets over anything," said Gabrielle, who is currently working on a new album and plans to get cracking on it soon.

"Whenever I write new material, I am always wondering whether it's going to be good enough and how it's going to be received. And my attitude right now, is not to over-think things and just write songs from the heart."

Don't miss it

Catch Gabrielle and acclaimed jazz guitarist George Benson at the Burj Park on Friday. Tickets, priced Dh500, Dh300, Dh225 and Dh195, are available at Virgin Megastores.