Just being Kelly

Sitting cross-legged on her hotel armchair, Kelly Rowland looks relaxed. She is as accustomed to such surroundings as the average Londoner is to their local Tube station. 'London is almost my second home,' she says. But she doesn't have a base here which means that the well-furnished but characterless suites will have to do for now. Besides, the singer has enough personality to embellish even the blandest of settings.

Despite only just meeting, Kelly exudes the sort of warmth that gives the impression you have known each other for years. Establishing a common bond is the key to such a skill and on this occasion it is the London connection. 'I love being in London,' she says. 'I am here about once a month now.' For someone who has spent their working life jetting between different countries it must come as a relief to know one (other than home – Atlanta, Georgia) so well. 'I am comfortable here. I know where everything is. I can find my way around. I even have places I like to eat. One of my favourite spots is Nozomi.'

When Kelly becomes animated by a subject she doesn't hold back (another engaging quality) and food makes her animated. 'Nozomi's is so good. It is like a Japanese fusion. Go try it. Trust me. You won't be mad. The food and drink is great. The passion fruit martini is by far my favourite. Oh and the ambience...I walk in and think I am dead sexy. It's nice.'

She has a soft-spot for shopping too. 'Whenever I come I must visit Topshop. Also, the streets that all the fly shops are on like Sloane Street and Bond Street. London's shopping is great.'

With such an excitable personality it is little wonder that the 27-year-old has a knack for forging new friendships. Since spending more time here she has gathered a wealth of people with whom she can enjoy the city. 'When I come we all go out. My nights out in London are completely different to the ones in the States. They are more exciting. I just let myself go. But I put on a really low hat so that nobody recognises me.'

As one third of Destiny's Child – the best selling female group of all time, according to the World Music Awards – and with a Grammy award under her belt for her first solo single Dilemma, Kelly is inevitably high-profile. But with such status comes a loss of privacy. 'People spot you and stare at you and it does get irritating. You just want to put your little hat on and dance the night away.'

She may make a potentially great pap shot but there are no incriminating photos in the tabloids. There isn't even evidence of her leaving clubs the worse for wear. So what's the secret to maintaining such a clean-cut image? 'I don't think I have ever been a naughty girl just because I am scared of my parents. Beyonce and Michelle get on my back too. We keep each other in line but it is good to know that you have got someone there. The truth is love. When you have people around you that say yes to everything you do, even if it is not good for you, then that's a problem.'

But she is also used to spending much of her time away from her loved ones. 'I do miss home,' she says. 'I feel thousands of miles away and I am. But it is a part of what I do. It's a joy and a sadness at the same time because I am out here by myself. But I do get to see things that otherwise I wouldn't and I take pictures.'

She has learnt to treasure the quality time she has with her friends and talks fondly of the 'ordinary nights in' she spends with Beyonce and 'Jay' (Jay Z to the rest of us - Beyonce's now husband and one of the biggest selling rap artists of all time.) She apologises for not calling him by his full name. 'I am so used to him as just Jay. I look at him as a brother. We all hang out. We have fun like anybody else. We'll be in a nice big room and play board games or cards. It is not about anybody else seeing your relationship or the way you interact with somebody. It's like family.'

And, just as with family, sometimes you have to fly the nest and accept change. Hence the decision for Destiny's Child to part ways. When approaching such a topic there is always the risk that it will touch sensitive notes. Apparently not. 'The split was something we discussed among each other and we finally made the decision to let everybody know about it. Above anything we were supportive of each other's destiny ... no pun intended. I do miss the ladies but at the same time change is definitely a must, as is growth.'