A SINGER will take to the airwaves this weekend to discuss her links with the late Eva Cassidy with a veteran broadcaster.

Deborah Rose, of Droitwich, will appear on Terry Wogan’s Radio 2 show Weekend Wogan on Sunday to discuss setting one of Cassidy’s poems to music on her debut single Springtime.

It was written by Cassidy, who found fame with the release of Songbird following her death in 1996, and Deborah received the blessing from the Cassidy family to record it for her forthcoming album. Deborah, who is currently studying for a MA in English Literature at the University of Worcester, describes the moment she heard Eva’s voice as an “epiphany when everything suddenly made sense”.

She said: “I first heard Eva Cassidy singing Over the Rainbow on Wogan's show on Radio 2. “I stopped the car and felt totally overwhelmed and at that moment everything changed for me as a singer and a person.

“I am very excited to be releasing my personal tribute to Eva and it is a dream come to true to be on Terry’s show, the man recognised as bringing Eva to a UK audience.”

Springtime is also set to received airplay on the BBC World Service and the album will include Autumn Leaves which was produced by Eva’s brother Dan Cassidy.

As a singer-songwriter, Deborah’s voice has been described as “one of the finest I ever heard” by folk legend Judy Collins and she has performed with the Tom Hill Blues Trio, Grey Wolf and Bromyard’s jazz virtuoso guitarist Remi Harris.

For more information, go to deborahrose.co.uk.