Katie Melua signs-up with Grand Prix Masters

Britain’s biggest selling female artist Katie Melua will be the headline act at the close down of the Grand Prix Masters of Great Britain on Sunday 13th August at Silverstone. Alongside other soon-to-be-announced acts, Katie will perform live in front of thousands on a purpose-built paddock stage. Katie is currently in the middle of promoting her album 'Piece By Piece' in the USA and has taken time out of her touring schedule to appear at the Grand Prix Masters of Great Britain.

"I'm a bit of a thrill-seeker," Katie confesses. "And I do love speed. The thought of being at the Grand Prix Masters at Silverstone, and being part of a huge crowd watching some of the greatest racing drivers in the history of Formula One, is really exciting,” added Katie.

Katie’s reaction, however, to the prospect of riding in the 200mph two-seater race car with former world champion Nigel Mansell can be described in three, simple words: "Bring it on! I can't wait. Will I be scared? I hope not. I'm sure I won't be. I've been driven around a circuit in a Jaguar by a professional instructor at 145 mph and loved every second of it, although I really felt the g-forces on my neck," she explains. "I guess being driven by Nigel will be a step up from that to say the least while giving me a unique insight into what happens inside the cockpit of a 600 brake horse power Grand Prix car.”

Nearly six months after the European Release of ‘Piece By Piece’ the album is still one of the top selling albums in Europe! Once again Katie was announced the highest selling female artist in Britain in 2005 selling more than 1 million albums. Katie has now sold more than 6 million albums worldwide since November 2003. European sales on ‘Piece By Piece’ have eclipsed those of ‘Call Off The Search’ and in March 2006 she was presented with her 2nd IFPI Award for European sales in excess of 2 million copies. This year Katie has been nominated for two Brit Awards in the “Best Female” and “Pop” categories and for the “Best International Female” at the Edison Awards in Holland and for the “Best International Female (Rock & Pop)” at the Echo Awards in Germany. Katie’s 10 week European sell-out Arena tour included 18 dates in Britain and a further 28 dates across continental Europe with a total audience exceeding 150,000 people.

“It's the first time I've done anything like a Grand Prix before,” enthused Katie. “I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to go and watch the racing, and then go and perform in front of the fans. It's just about the perfect day for me."