TWO decades in the music industry is no mean feat and for Lighthouse Family frontman Tunde Baiyewu, who didn’t ever plan a singing career, it’s something of a surprise.

Speaking to the Gazette, he said: “I didn’t even plan it. I went to college where I worked in a bar while making a bit of money and figuring out what to do.

“I met Paul Tucker and that was it, the Lighthouse Family was born.

“Even at the time I remember thinking I’m not sure about this singing malarkey. I do kind of have a natural voice but yeah, it’s been a long time.”

Twenty years later, however, and it turns out Tunde is pretty good at this ‘singing malarkey’.

Huge success in the 1990s with singles Lifted, Ocean Drive and High was followed by the Lighthouse Family taking a break in 2003 with Tunde and Paul following separate projects. A short reformation in 2010 resulted in a popular comeback tour the following year.

“It was a great tour and we reconnected with our fans,” said Tunde, 44. “We were planning to make another record but that project kind of collapsed and Paul wanted to do more live shows whereas I wanted to do a combination of live stuff and another record.

“So I spent five months out in Portland making my album, Diamond in a Rock, which as the same suggests is about discovering something of value in what we think is the darkest and most difficult of situations.

“It’s a soulful album, it doesn’t sound over-produced and it is exactly what I wanted it to be. Don’t expect a Lighthouse Family sound because it isn’t but the songs could have ended up as Lighthouse Family records.”

As well as his own headline tour in November, Tunde is marking his 20th year of making music by supporting fellow nineties band M People on their 20th anniversary greatest hits tour including a date at Bristol’s Colston Hall on Friday, October 11.

“I was approached by their agent and it made sense,” he said. “I have done a couple of things with them before and maybe we will reminisce about the 1990s.

“I am really looking forward to it. It will be the first time for me playing my songs from the new record live and that is always an exciting thing.

“I spent months in the studio but playing them live is always a different thing, especially seeing the faces of the audience.”

Tunde will play a mixture of material from his new album as well as Lighthouse Family classics.

Asked if there is any chance of making that record with Paul Tucker, he said: “Things can always happen.

“In a band situation, the moment you have more than one person being in control or having to contribute to the creative process everyone has to make little compromises every now and then.

“As a solo artist one of the things I am really enjoying is to be able to be creative the way I want to be. And when you taste that level of freedom it is incredibly difficult to go back.”

Tunde plays the Colston Hall on October 11 before M People’s 20th anniversary tour takes to the stage. Tickets are on sale now.