Howard Jones

It was made for me by Jeff Banks. They're all one-off things. We always did everything ourselves.

It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I'd been watching the Pops since I was nine - religiously every week. So to actually be doing it was mind blowing. I was very nervous. If you watch me it looks like I'm chewing gum but I wasn't! It's a nervous habit that I have. But it felt like it was a huge turning point. I shouldn't have actually been on TOTP at all. Fate stepped in because it was No.40 but none of the other big artists at the time like Duran Duran were able to make it. I think they kept coming down the charts till they got to 40 and of course then the single exploded! It was always my absolute determination to be on there. It was very regimented but - as if I could care less! I would have been there at 5 in the morning.

I guess we were solo artists making records at the same time and that's where it ends. There was never any rivalry on my behalf because I didn't feel I was in competition with anyone. All I wanted to do was get my music out and I was really pleased for everyone else. Competition wasn't really a part of it.

No. I had plenty to say for myself. It wasn't just about the music. I was always talking about being a vegetarian and saying things about how I believed that if I could achieve to become a pop star, anyone could. Previously I had been working in a factory. I played safe. I didn't want it to seem like I was just talking about myself and just promoting my own career. Endless photo sessions can grind you down after a time, but it wasn't forever. It was just for a period in my life.

[laughs] That's where I lived during that time. Me and my wife Jan had an end-of-terrace house in the bad side of town! It was great for us. I used to keep my gear in the front room which was about 10 foot from the road. Each time I did a gig, my banana-coloured Escort van would pull up and block the traffic for as long as we were loading!

I think it takes a different form if you think of people like BT. It's more rooted in the dance world these days. I always thought of myself as an artist who wrote songs and used synths. It wasn't like I used synths and stuck some songs on top. Most people who are involved in electronic music now go into the dance world.

I've done every kind of manifestation of my music. I've done a big band with brass sections and string. Plus piano and percussion. Most recently has been purely synth again and the things I've just finished is all piano. It's whatever is getting me excited, really.

I've put out about an album a year. I have a very active website and I'm involved with lots of other people via my label. But I want to set aside time for my own work too.

I thought it was great to be playing the big venues again. I hadn't done that for a while. I did it completely with my own setup so I felt that I wasn't compromising. I was really happy to do it. It was really good fun. The audiences loved it and I felt that it was the right thing to do. It wasn't selling out, just doing what you do on your own terms. No rivalry between the acts. There was a very good feeling between people. As time goes by, we learn that there's no competition between people and we were just enjoying each other's company. I was with Martin Fry, Tony Hadley and the guys from China Crisis. We got on extremely well.

I sort of do sporadic gigs. I'm about to go to New York to do some acoustic shows for a friend who used to run a club there. Nena ['99 Red Balloons'] is doing a big tour of Germany at the end of March so I'm going to do some songs on stage with her - she's a great lady. Then I shall be working with the Sugababes again on their next album.

Yeah. It's called 'Blue' and it's the second track on their album. Me and my team produced it as well. I really think those girls are fantastic.

[laughs] Well the third verse of the song is the key! Maybe love is just letting people be what they want to be. The door must always be left unlocked...