CARO Emerald is the epitome of cool. The Dutch-born singer has become a firm favourite with UK audiences with her stylish blend of jazz and retro influences.

Now she’s back on these shores and comes to Manchester on Monday with her latest live show.

“I’m so excited to be touring again,” she said. “We’ve been able to bring a really big tour almost every year in the UK.

“Apparently you like me over there,” she laughed.

Amazingly it is five years since Caro released her last album the chart-topping The Shocking Miss Emerald and Caro admits a follow-up is long overdue.

“Oh, it very much is about time we had a new album,” she said, “and we are definitely working on one. But it won’t be ready for the tour.”

Although fans are going to have a wait a little longer for a new release, Caro promised them something totally different for the live show at the Bridgewater Hall.

“For very tour we want to make people feel as though they have been somewhere special,” she said.

“For the last tour we did Emerald Island which was very beautiful and exotic. This time we are going back to the roots of Caro Emerald,

“So the show will very much have the vibe of the old jazz clubs with a groovy beat. It’s going to danceable and colourful and your going to be listening to all those genres that have influenced the sound.”

Caro, who trained at the Amsterdam Conservatory, is passionate about her shows being a fully immersive experience for the audience.

“That is very important,” she said, “but we have to be careful to steer away from it becoming too theatrical. The danger is you could stray into it becoming a musical which is something that I really don’t like.

“I want everything to be part of a complete experience. It’s not just about the music, it’s about what you see, even when you are looking at the musicians they have to be charismatic as well.

“Of course, the number one thing is playing and having fantastic music.”

Caro has worked with her regular collaborators Jan van Wieringen and David Schreurs to put the new live show together.

“We all have firm ideas about what we want which does lead to a lot of discussion,” she said. “It is very much a collective effort and ultimately the trick for a control freak like me is to trust my people and to just do what I’m good at which is singing.”

Caro is very conscious about the show not looking too staged.

“If it’s staged that is really uncool,” she said. “The most important thing is that you are living and experiencing the music as you are making it. If you are thinking about the next bar or the next line then you are never going to get that quality. If you are a perfectionist like me the danger is that you will never really throw yourself into the show.

“I just need to let go and feel the emotion on stage.”

Caro is clearly very excited about the concept for the new live show.

“When I went to the conservatory to become a singer you had two choices, either classical music or jazz. Jazz is at root of all pop music. That’s why it make such sense to me to give a modern twist to jazz.

“The key thing is to always remind yourself that it can easily become a trick and I really don’t want that. It has to make sense in every way. If it’s too contrived you won’t have that, you’ll sound like a covers band and that’s just not cool.”

Caro Emerald, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, Monday, October 15. Details from 0161 907 9000 or www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk