Ananova:

Beverley Knight says fans are going to be shocked by her new rock sound after taking inspiration from Iron Maiden and Led Zepplin.

The R'n'B star releases her new single Come As You Are this week, after an absence of nearly two years. Her fourth album Affirmation is due out on June 28.

"I thought, 'I'm a Midlander'. It's the home of Iron Maiden and Led Zepplin. I grew up with rock music so it was time to bring that into my music," she said.

"I'm excited because the album has a very different kind of sound to what people are expecting. I thought 'aha, you don't know what's coming'."

Beverley says she's looking forward to getting back on the road and is planning a tour later this year.

"I will be doing the V Festival. It's going to be great especially as Massive Attack and N.E.R.D are on the bill. Then, I'm doing a one-off show at Somerset House on August 7 which will be astonishing. It's all going on."

Beverley says that although she wants her music to dominate every corner of the globe, she isn't planning on becoming the next J-Lo.

"I can't act for anything, I can act up, but I think going to leave the mass media stardom to those who can do it. I'm a musician from beginning to end.

"I'm aspiring to be someone who has a sound to her name rather than being in a genre or a box."