Knight gets backing to launch label

Beverley Knight has secured a "healthy" six-figure sum from venture capitalist fund Icebreaker to launch her own record label.

The 'Made It Back' singer, who left EMI in 2007, set up Hurricane Records with co-managers Alan Edwards and Dave Woolf, and will release a new album in September.

Speaking to Music Week, Woolf said: "We had an absolutely open mind but having seen people do it themselves we thought it seemed like a sensible option for someone who had a fanbase and a brand.

"More people are choosing this route, which doesn't say it is right for everybody but it is for Beverley, who wants to be in control of her career and destiny as much as possible," he added.

The new record will coincide with the release of a range of cosmetics branded with the star's name at Selfridges in London.