I felt at home in Ghana

I went for the 2019 Year of Return when they invited the diaspora to come home. I’d never been to west Africa – my family came from Barbados, because of enslavement. This trip was eye-opening because I saw a link between the people of the Caribbean and west Africa: my grandmother used to carry crates of drinks on her head, and in Ghana I saw people doing the same. In Barbados we have cou-cou – which is cornmeal presented in a dome. In Ghana it’s in a ball shape. I don’t like Ghana’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights, but being back where we began resonated deeply. I learnt the word akwaaba, which means welcome.

I was once held for hours by Russian immigration

I’d flown over for the 2016 Kaliningrad International Music Festival. I arrived with my tech team, who were all white, and they went through immigration, but I was stopped. They said I didn’t look like my passport. After three hours, they said: “Have you got an online presence?” I said: “Well, if you type in my name…” The search results went: “Ping! Ping! Ping!” but they kept me for another hour. You’re not allowed to have your phone on, so I couldn’t tell anyone what was happening. I said: “If you’re not going to let me in, just put me on the next plane out. I won’t have you treating me like I’m not a human being.” But their attitude was: “We can hold you, and we will.” When my backing singers and band flew in the next day, all the black members were stopped. There’s no recourse, and you get used to these things – but if they wanted to put me off going back, it worked.

I like the solitude of a spa when I travel

I love to chat, and I find spas calming because they’re quiet, so I have to be quiet too! I especially love the spa at Sandy Lane in Barbados – the showers have five settings and there’s a little rock pool, with jets for your back. It’s like an upgraded plunge pool – it’s warm, and you can wade about. I’ll hang out there and then go for a really good Swedish massage.