Portsmouth singer-songwriter Amba Tremain steps out with debut EP launch at The Wedgewood Rooms

Or from her appearance last year on the BBC1 prime-time show I Can See Your Voice.

Or her winning the ITV talent show This Is My Moment back in 2001.

Or providing backing vocals for acts like Boy George or The Lottery Winners.

But now she is finally stepping out under her own name as an all-original artist and has a gig lined up at The Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea, on Sunday, October 16 to launch her debut EP.

‘It is happening!’ she tells The Guide. ‘It's been a long-time coming and even though I've known my income and life is based on performing other people's music, I have always written my own songs. I've always been an originals outfit of some kind, even if it's co-writing with people like Marley (Blandford) and things like that – it's in my blood, and something I desire to do.’

In such a youth-driven industry, Amba was left starting to doubt herself. ‘The longer I've left it, the more I've started to feel a little bit like I couldn't do it any more, but at the end of last year I pushed and pushed and we've come up with an amazing album, and there's so much more to come.’

At the start of the year Amba stepped in as co-lead vocalist on a few gigs with the fast-rising Portsmouth blues-rock band Brave Rival while one of their two singers, Chloe Josephine, was on maternity leave. It gave her the nudge she needed.

‘Doing that has given me the confidence to push myself, and it's opened so many doors and I made a lot of contacts. I have a lot to thank the band for in letting me help out while Chloe was away, but also linking arms with me and bringing me on their journey a little bit too, which was great.

‘Brave Rival and myself, the music that we're making, our audiences are older. Those are the people who are putting their hands in their pockets and buying albums, buying a T-shirt and coming to your gigs. I needed to change my mindset and look at how well they're doing. I feel like I've got a whole new lease of with it.’

But through her work with UVG and as a music teacher, she has always been a proud supporter of up-and-coming musicians.

‘I'm a real passionate supporter of young artists, and will continue to do that for the rest of my days, but now I feel like I've got the best of both worlds. I love nurturing young artists coming through and I love the fact that I get to put my stuff into practice now.’

The Wedge gig is to launch the four-track EP, but there’s a full album pending in spring. Amba released a handful of single last year under her own name, but she says: ‘When I was releasing my solo stuff on the singles, I don't think I quite knew who I wanted to be yet. I love singing dance, I love co-writing with people and featuring on different things.

‘I will always experiment with my music, but the EP and the album and the show we're going to be launching this is a real glimpse of the artist now.’

And backed by her seven-piece band, she adds: ‘It's no longer just about about me – there's an incredible team around me, it's a big band sound.

‘I will always be “soul” but there's so many facets to soul. I am a soul singer, but with that I bring gospel, I bring blues, and we've got touches of soulful rock – I call it heavy-soul, that's the vibe we're going for.’

All of the material was recorded at Amba’s home studio.

‘We did it all here. It's a really organic homemade experience. Sometimes we did 14 hour days, all of us in the kitchen going through tracks, recordings, taking breaks, having dinners together – we've lived like a band family for a few months now. It's all from the heart from all of us.

‘I'm fortunate enough that I have this little home studio, but at times we have been treading on each other, leads everywhere, mics set up all over the place, for weeks. But it's turned out really well.

‘Mixing it is my brother-in-law Jason Gale – he's got such a great ear for that type of music, and I'm using Kev Smith from Foundry Studios to master it. I realised how many amazing friends I had who can help me do this.’

Support comes from Bradley Jago and Chloe Josephine. Tickets £10. Doors 7.30pm. Go to wedgewood-rooms.co.uk.