SHE made her name as singer with synth-pop duo Yazoo and became a major international artist with her 1984 debut solo album Alf. The 48-year-old from Billericay has released seven studio albums, and had a successful sixth-month stint in the West End musical Chicago in 2001. Her new album, The Best Of Alison Moyet, is released next week and she'll be appearing at the Royal Concert Hall next month.

You grew up in Basildon, are you still an Essex girl at heart?

Yeah I think so, my family are still there and it's what's at the bones of you, really. It was never an ambition of mine to leave. I was never one of those people who were desperate to get out.

You left school at 16, was that to concentrate on music?

No, not really. I just used to flunk at everything and had a problem with concentration. I lost interest in school, so left and went from job to job – which you could do then because there were loads of rubbish jobs around. I was playing in a couple of bands, but never imagined I'd be doing that full-time. It was always going to be a semi-professional thing as far as I was concerned.

So how did you form Yazoo?

There was a very strong pub-rock scene in the 1970s. I knew Vince (Clarke) because I was in a class with a couple of the Depeche Mode boys at college. Vince's best mate was a guitar player in my punk band, and when Vince left Depeche and was looking for a singer, I came to mind because I was a little face on the local scene. He called me up and asked me to demo Only You with him, and then he said: "The record company have heard it and want you to stay on the record." The label were really happy and said we should do an album together. Within a couple of months I went from college to having a single out, making an album and being a pop star. It was an incredibly strange and surreal experience.

Were you expecting Yazoo to break up?

No. We were only working together for 18 months. At the time we never even had time to go for a drink together. . What I never accounted for was becoming a solo artist.

Are you happy with the choice of tracks on the Best Of album?

Obviously you have to include all of the hits because that's why people buy them, but for me the interest is hoping to bring some people to the later albums. To my mind they have better singing and better songs on them.

Any songs you've become sick of singing?

Oh yeah, I'll never sing Invisible again. On the whole, though, I've started to reintroduce early hits like Is This Love.

What appealed to you about acting?

The fact you're constantly learning something new, which is important to keep you working in any field. Also, that you have to be a team player and don't have to be the centre of attention.

Is it true you're a Southend United fan?

My 16-year-old pet Labrador is called Tilly after manager Steve Tilson. He was a midfielder when I got him as a puppy. I've been very lax in attending for the last couple of years since I've run out of babysitters. But yeah, Southend are my team and always will be.

Alison Moyet, Royal Concert Hall, Monday November 23, 7pm, £25/£30, 0115 989 5555.