Norwich singer Katie Cooper has been touring with legend Lou Reed! Aged only 26 she has worked with heavy-weight artists including Elvis Costello, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Jimmy Page, Brian May, Peter Cox (Go West) and Hayley Westenra.

Katie started touring with Lou after his usual singer, US soul artist Sharon Jones, pulled out five days before the tour to appear in a film with Denzil Washington.

'I got a call from Rupert Christie, Lou’s MD, who I’d previously done some sessions for' she told ATM. 'I went to West London where they were rehearsing and sang for Lou and he hired me straight away! We toured Europe, including Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin and Rome, playing lots of outdoor gigs including quite a few old Roman amphitheatres. We also played an outdoor gig in Turin where we were expecting about 6-10,000 people, but in fact 30,000 turned up. That was pretty amazing!'.

Katie started singing in bands when she was just 11.'My parents are both musicians so it was a natural path to follow'. At 16 she joined Access to Music. 'I have loads of fond memories of ATM - I bloody loved it! And I learn't so much! The level of tuition was very high, especially from my AMAZING voice tutor Chrissy Parsons. Also there were so many different characters on the course. I learn't a lot from the other students as well'.

'Access to Music exposes you to all genres of music and lets you experiment to find yourself as a musician. It also gives you the belief that you can earn a living from something that you love doing. Plus it's affordable so it really does give access to everyone, unlike some of the flashy music colleges around that charge a lot of money but don't deliver very good tuition'.

Katie’s influences range from Pink Floyd to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, via Bjork and Ella Fitzgerald. 'I am currently listening to a lot of jazz, soul, funk and dance music, but my favourite artist at the moment is Prince, especially after seeing his show at the 02 arena' she beams. 'It was amazing to see a living legend! Not many of those around any more'.

When asked what her favourite part of touring was, Katie says 'Wow, there are so many, I loved it! Staying in beautiful hotels in wonderful cities. Playing with a living legend to standing ovations every night and 5 star reviews across the board. Getting paid a lot of money to do something I love with great people. And playing with world-class musicians. But one of the highlights of my day would be going to catering before each gig and having a proper good nosh up and chatting to the orchestra members'.

And the worst bits? 'Missing my husband and my wedding plans. I got married two weeks after getting back from the tour! And not being able to get a decent cup of tea each morning!'.

'What did I learn from the tour? I guess, without sounding like a hippy, I learnt a lot about myself being away from home, plus what it's like to work with someone with that level of fame and notoriety. It has certainly prepared me for working with other big artists in future'.

When not touring or recording Katie teaches at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, runs master classes and sings for corporate functions. 'My goals for the future are to definitely do more touring! I got called for the Kylie gig but then the record company decided not to have backing vocals, which was a shame as it would have been so much fun and completely different to the Lou tour. I love the variety this job allows: one day I'll be doing a jazz gig, the next day lecturing vocal students, then the next recording a cheesy pop session. It certainly keeps life interesting!'.

Any words of advice for other aspiring session singers? 'Obviously you have to learn to be versatile but it's also good to specialise. I get called to do lots of soul vocals because that’s one of my best areas, but I've also had to do rock and folk and other styles too, so you have to have the ability to adapt. Plus if you put yourself up for work for little money, or even for free, you can get your voice heard and get a portfolio of work and eventually it will build up to better and better money. When I started working for Rupert Christie it would be for 50 quid a session, whereas the Lou Reed tour earned me thousand! Be patient, work hard. It will come if the have the talent for it'.

Katie also writes her own material, which can be heard at www.myspace.com/mekatieleone