�“I’m going to give them everything, I’m to let Dagenham have it,” might be bold statement coming from anyone else, but coming from the UK’s own Queen of Soul it would be foolish to expect anything less.

An exuberant, chatty Beverley Knight was speaking about her Dagenham Town Show headline slot on July 16, when she vowed to bring the party and touch the borough’s inner soul with some “bombastic” R&B action.

Clearly excited, the platinum-selling British soul diva had a still undecided set-list but promised something old, a slice of new, a little borrowed and certainly something blue, to entertain the expected throng.

“It’s going to be interesting – I’ve never been to Dagenham,” she said.

“I’ve got a good friend who lives in Dagenham and when I told him he was like ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe it.’ I’m excited about it. Nervous, but excited at the time.”

Beverley burst onto the music scene in 1994 with her debut single which was followed by her debut album The B-Funk the year after.

Since then she has notched up an impressive array of hits over 17 years, touching on various genres from country to funk, and has worked with music legends such as former Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore and Ronnie Wood, which means she has a wealth of material to choose from.

She said: “It’s going to be a mix. I always pick the set list close to the time.

“It will be songs that are my own such as Shoulda Woulda Coulda and songs off the new album, Soul UK. But they’ll be emotive songs that get people going, that get people jumping.”

Beverley is always adding new strings to her bow and has presented a radio series about gospel – “music that not many people in the UK have heard about” – and even has her own cosmetic range. Her work for charity, which includes being an ambassador for Christian Aid and supporting the Stop AIDS Campaign, was rewarded with an MBE in 2007.

But whether it’s taking vocal influences from Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin or indulging in a spot of Prince worship, music is always at the forefront.

The new album Soul UK comes out on July 4 and features covers of British classics by the likes of George Michael, and Soul II Soul, and some are likely to get an airing on the night. “You do treat them with care because they’re other people’s songs,” she says.

“But I wanted them to sound like they could have almost been mine. I think I achieved that, I’m really pleased with the way it turned out.

“I think Essex people have a lot of soul in them and these are songs I think they will be familiar with.

“With outdoors shows there’s definitely more of a festival feeling.

“You get the chance to be more, you know, bombastic, to put on a bigger performance; I’m really looking forward to it.”