NESTLED in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, the principality of Leukerbad isn’t a bad location to conduct an interview, right?

It's a dazzlingly bright Sunday lunchtime.

The air is cool and crisp and the atmosphere, when settling down to chat with Blues star Sari Schorr, is metaphorically and literally chilled, relaxed and - above all - filled with excitement for her upcoming European tour which sees the acclaimed native New Yorker hit Chester Live Rooms this Sunday (October 2).

The only real 'problem' is that I’m not with her in person. Thanks to the miracles of tech, I’m speaking to the Force of Nature singer via FaceTime and can only take in the spectacular vistas she's showing me with such unmitigated glee, second hand.

Ah well. One day. Maybe.

The smokey-voiced Sari is in Switzerland writing songs for a new album, her third solo studio outing, which is penciled in for release in Spring next year with the Manhaton label. Having been shown where she is, it can only be assumed inspiration is surely right there on the doorstep.

"Things are really good right now. That said, though, I did spend around two hours writing a line yesterday," she laughed. "If it carries on like this, my record company will grow very impatient."

Wirral Globe:

Sari laughs a lot. Not only that. A warm, welcoming infectious optimism emanates from her that’s nigh on impossible to ignore and which shines brightest through her vocals.

There's a positive, determined drive there, too: a drive that is, at a time where everything is seemingly embalmed in negativity, welcomingly refreshing.

"I don't believe in writer’s block. I think believing it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sometimes, just moving helps the creative process along when things get a bit stuck.

"Then sometimes, like with Damn The Reason, songs just arrive fully formed. The thing is to just stick at it in the tough times and believe it will come right.

"It's one of the mysteries of the creative process. Nobody really knows how it works, when it works.

"It's just important to realize it doesn’t always work on demand. When Burt Bacharach got stuck on the piano, he’d go to the bathroom, come back and finish the song. Perfume works for me," she laughed again.

In the six years since we last spoke. A lot has happened in the interim.

Force of Nature, her debut album, received rave reviews the world over in 2016 and, in 2018, Never Say Never saw Sari Schorr hit the heights again.

Then, in the midst of the pandemic, Live Over Europe came out and brought the singer’s renowned powerhouse performances to an even wider audience.

"I just wish I'd matured a little bit in between. I absolutely refuse to grow up.

"Seriously, though, it has been a journey filled with gratitude for me, which is something I never really expected.

"Singing and performing has always been my passion and I, basically, signed up to be a struggling artist just to be able to do what I love doing.

"Never in a million years did I ever expect to be where I am in my career right now.

"Finding out that I have the support that I do and the fanbase that I have, it has been just an overwhelmingly amazing gift to discover that. So, yeah. Gratitude is the overwhelming feeling I have.

"I also believe it's the job of all creatives to lift other people up and take them out of whatever might be troubling them, if only for a short space of time. It’s so easy to bring people down, so to be able to inspire people, to make them happy, it’s a wonderful job to have and I wake up thankful for it everyday.

"That's why it's important to spend two hours writing a line to a song. It's okay because, if it’s the right line, if it conveys meaning to just one person, my time’s been well spent."

Covid has had a huge impact on the music industry - and the entertainment industry as a whole over the course of the pandemic.

Bands and artists rely heavily on touring through ticket sales and merchandise.

Venues rely on bands and artists to employ staff to host them when they arrive for a gig.

Lights, sound, caterers, stage designers, costumiers and more besides all found themselves struggling.

Some still are.

Sari explained: "It was so frustrating and worrying. I feel I lost my identity to an extent. I didn't know who I was or what my purpose was.

"The silver lining was that I’d never been home so much and was able to reevaluate. To realign my priorities in a lot of ways. To focus on what I could do for others.

"Early in any career, the pressure to succeed and to keep succeeding is immense. Your attention is so easily diverted to everything surrounding the work rather than the work itself.

"Lockdown took some of that pressure away and allowed a little breathing space. To step back a little.

"When I was allowed back out, I got it in a much clearer way and appreciated it more - not that I didn’t before - but in a more rejuvenated, re-evaluated way.

"It was a time of introspection for me, which has made things easier for me."

In the midst of the pandemic, when calls were empty and the tills stopped ringing at live venues across the world, Sari released Sari Schorr: Live In Europe, which received massive praise from both fans and critics alike.

She said: "I'd wanted to record a live album for a while because studio ablums are one thing but the spontaneity of going on stage, all the little nuances and unexpected idiosyncrasies performance provides, live albums give a little snapshot of what it is like to be at one of my gigs.

"A lot depends on what the audience wants too. What the room is like, what’s happened in the news, what the weather’s like, what time of day or night you are performing.

"The size of the venue. All of these things make a performance unique and capturing it on a live album forever, well, that’s special.

"Live albums are - or at least should be - honest representations of what you do night-afetr-night ona tour.

"That's what I love about them. Each show and each song can be interpreted on different levels each night you sing them. It's that which makes live performance so special."

Sari will be airing her live show at The Chester Live Rooms this Sunday, October 2.

To make the night extra special, she will not be alone. In fact, far from it.

"The wonderful Ash Wilson will be with me on guitar and Phil, his brother, will be with us for the first time on drums. Roy Martin will be taking over during the second half.

"Matt Beable will be on Bass and Adrian and Adrian Gautry will be on Hammond.

"That's the family on the road. The beauty is that these guys are my brothers from another mother.

"My husband came to see us in Italy and he got how much we care for each other and we have each other's backs on stage and off.

"It's going to be a great night and I can’t wait to get out there in Chester and do it!"

Sari Schorr wil be at Chester Live Rooms on October 2.

For tickets contact https://www.theliverooms.com/event/sari-schorr or call 01244 318906. Tickets are just £14.