The 1980s were coming to a close when Lancashire lass Sonia Evans first hit the nationwide music scene, joining a Stock, Aitken and Waterman's Hit Factory lineup which already included Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley. Now, some 24 years later, and as passionate about performing as she ever was, Sonia still regularly takes to the stage around the country and beyond.

Her next major outing will be at the Henley Rewind festival in Temple Island Meadows, when Sonia takes to the stage on Sunday 18th August.

"It's a great nostalgia thing to do. I've only ever done one Rewind before but I've done a lot of other festivals with various other bands. There was one this May in Bradford at the Provident Stadium and it was phenomenal, there were about 15,000 people there, the weather was glorious. The Henley event is going to be even bigger and I can't wait. These festivals just take everyone back to their youth and bring up all the memories when you listen to these songs from the past - it takes you back to that time. And I've noticed that, at these events, all the people there know every song word for word; it's really amazing! When I'm done on stage, I'll probably just go and stand right in the front row and become a fan all over again"

Looking back from the present to the past, Sonia reveals that her musical future may well have been inevitable...

"My grandmother was an old music hall singer. She had 13 children and almost all of them had this big belty voice, and I also grew up around two older sisters who sang, so there was always music in the house. From a young age, I went to drama lessons and singing lessons so it's always been a major part of my life and something that I wanted to do - maybe the only thing I can do!"

Her youthful actions certainly demonstrated her desire to get into the music scene - as a teenager, she took matters into her own hands and got in touch with one of the most prominent men in the 80s music scene.

"I found out Pete Waterman was in the area, doing a roadshow for teenagers, and of course I loved all the material from Kylie, Jason and Rick so if there was any producer to be in with, it was him. I tracked him down to a studio and approached him - he was eating a burger at the time - and told everyone around 'don't worry, I know him'. After I introduced myself, I told him 'if you don't sign me, you'll be missing out - you've got to listen to my voice'. I pestered him and pestered him until he said 'ok kid, I'm doing a live show next Saturday so you can sing there and we'll see what everyone thinks of you.' Thankfully, when I did that show, the crowd went crazy for me so he signed me - I was very, very lucky!"

With the power of PWL behind her, Sonia's debut single, You'll Never Stop Me Loving You, went straight to number one, making her one of the youngest female artists to ever achieve this. No doubt she'll be belting it out amidst her set on August 1h?

"Oh, absolutely - I've got about 15 or 20 minutes, so I'll do the big number one, as well as Listen To Your Heart, which was a top 10 song. I'm also going to do a medley of songs from the 80s and a nice ballad that the crowd can sing along to - there's going to be a good mixture in there."

Another career high for Sonia was her performance at Eurovision in 1993, held in Millstreet Ireland, where she finished second overall - certainly an impressive feat, given the UK's recent Eurovision performances.

"It was phenomenal to be asked to represent the UK. I was devastated at the end that we came so close but didn't win but we just had a ball out there in Ireland. I was signed to Simon Cowell's label at that time, so he came out with us and, I tell you, he was exactly the same back then as you see now, even down to the open shirt! He just oozed charisma and seemed like a star whenever he walked into the room, even though he wasn't a singer. But he's a lovely man, very funny and he was always very fair to me."

One of the criticisms that many made of Waterman's 'Hit Factory' of the 80s was that none of the acts could actually sing and the success was all in the production, but Eurovision gave Sonia a chance to disprove this theory.

"In the lead up to the show, there was a showcase on TV every Saturday with me and Terry Wogan, where we would whittle down the songs I might do. It was live, so it gave me a great chance to show people I actually could get up there and do it!"

While she's clearly still passionate about her music, Sonia becomes even more animated when talking about her family.

"Yes, I've got a little kiddie and she just turned three - she comes to all the shows with her little headphones on! She knows all the words already and dances to everything. In fact, she cries when I'm on stage because she wants to be up there with me. She's so cute! There might be a performer in there and I'd love for her to learn the piano but I want to make sure she gets a good education because there are so many artists out there in this day and age. I want her to have something to fall back on but I'm sure she'll be intelligent. Her Dad's very intelligent so hopefully she'll take after him!"

It seems that the festival circuit has a distinct family feel to it - Sonia talks about the vibe backstage amongst the artists.

"It's a chance to catch up - everybody knows most people. I've met Kim Wilde and Billy Ocean a few times, I spent hours and hours on a bus with Peter Cox of Go West and Lee John of Imagination when we were doing Reborn In The USA, so I'm just looking forward to seeing everybody again. It's exciting backstage and everybody is so supportive of everybody else."

As for any particular acts that Sonia is looking forward to?

"I did a lot of work with Go West, so I'm dying to see them again. Peter's a lovely gentle bloke, absolutely gorgeous. I'm looking forward to Matt Bianco, Aswad... all of them really! And every song's a hit song, so you can't really go wrong, can you?!"

And what of the future? Sonia reflects on her previous experience on stage and wonders about the potential of further acting work to complement her singing appearances.

"Well, I've got my acting diplomas and I did do a number of West End shows - I did Grease with Shane Ritchie, A Slice of Saturday Night, and What a Feeling with Luke Goss and Sinitta - we took that into Europe - so I try and keep my hand turned to a lot of different things. I'm looking to try and get back into acting now. Ideally, I'd like to get a really meaty part on the telly, something like playing a real cow...!"

That would certainly take some major acting skills, since Sonia comes across as exceptionally affable and incredibly thankful for the career she has had thus far.

"I've earned a good living from doing what I love. I still gig all the time, around the country and abroad so it never really stops. I just love it; it's not like a job at all. I feel so lucky to do what I do."

Rewind Festival is at Temple Island Meadows, Henley-on-Thames on August 16-18. Book tickets at www.rewindfestival.com

ROSS WILLIAMS