Linda Perry could be intimidating. She is direct, uninhibited - even in front of strangers - and she knows what she wants.
The former vocalist with 4 Non Blondes hit town for the first time to promote her debut solo album, In Flight, and stage an acoustic gig.
It's her first venture since bidding farewell to the now-defunct San Francisco rock group whose hit What's Going On topped radio station play-lists worldwide.
'I left the group in the middle of the second album. They wanted to do the same thing as with What's Going On and be safe. But I wanted to move on and do something different.
'I did not break up the band, I just left,' Perry said.
She said she would be a much happier person if she could completely detach herself from the 4 Non Blondes tag and to do that she has dragged herself away from the sad-parting blues.
'I could have made an album with hits in it but I didn't. I wanted to make one with substance,' Perry said. 'In the '90s, a lot of albums have 10 filler songs and two hits. But In Flight is an album and the songs fit each other.' Gone are the screeching vocals and distorted guitar of the 4 Non Blondes. There is a strong voice and simple arrangement.