Andrea Corr is to launch her solo career - three years after her family's band, The Corrs, decided to split.

Her new album Ten feet High is being produced by U2's Bono with her first single on the way next month.

Corr explained to the Mirror how the break-up came at a perfect time for her. She said: "A couple of years ago when we finished a record, everybody was either pregnant or with small babies - except me - and they needed time to raise their children.

"But then our manager came to me and said: 'We need to talkabout this solo record, would you do it?'

"I had already written songs and I thought: 'This is fate. I am supposed to do this.'"