True divas are hard to come by nowadays. Most women entertainers associated with the term are of the foot-stamping, tantrum throwing variety as opposed to ones who take the form of a beloved songstress whose vocals can light up any dance floor.
England's Tara McDonald is a member of the latter camp and her vocal talents will be the highlight of the latest Hed Kandi party this weekend. Although she's considered a bona fide diva of the house music world, she's quick to play down this description.
'I'm just doing the job that I love and sharing that with people. I try not to think of myself as being any different from anyone else. I think that's a better way to stay grounded,' she says.
At the age of nine McDonald (right) got her first break. Her mother had enrolled her in a children's performance workshop and this proved a prescient move.
'I got up and sang at the end of one of the classes and the man that ran the group thought I had a good voice and suggested I audition for a musical in London called Les Miserables. I ended up getting a part and started working ... [and] I've never stopped [since],' says McDonald.
Being in the spotlight felt natural to McDonald and it was only a couple of years before she won an international singing competition and was subsequently chosen to be a child ambassador for Unicef.
This led to McDonald recording her first solo album and her first music video in Africa to promote the children's charity.