Katie Melua feared breakdown would stop her making music

Singer Katie Melua has said she feared her acute psychotic breakdown would leave her unable to make music.

The 40-year-old said she now wanted to make music “until I die” after the 2010 incident, which left her in hospital for six weeks and forced her to take a break from her career.

Speaking on the Origins With Cush Jumbo podcast, Melua was asked if she ever considered quitting music, to which she replied: “Oh no, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to do it.

“I was afraid that, what if for whatever reason I’m not allowed to do it, or I can’t do it. I was worried about that, but thankfully that didn’t happen at all. It was my saviour.”

She added: “I really want to make records until the day that I die, honestly.”

The Nine Million Bicycles singer said she had learned to look after herself better, saying she had found out what “small warning signs might be”. Melua also added that her child had “massively” helped her to stay focused.

The British singer, who was born in Georgia, said: “I remember one of the therapy tools that I got from hospital was like take one day at a time.

“And I really like that because I think I can kind of really fantasise and go off and the future records that I’m going to make, but, no, (focus on) what is in front of me today and just sort of take one step towards that.

“Although I do find myself (where) we’ll be in the playground and (my son’s) coming down the slide and I’m like, oh, that could be good inspiration for like a stage design.

“And then I’m like, stop thinking about work, you’re here with your two-year-old son, I’ve got to be present. So I have to always tell myself to be really in the moment.”

Melua began her career in 2000 and has gone on to release nine studio albums, two of which topped the UK albums chart, and has achieved three UK top 10 singles.

The NHS says the three main symptoms associated with a psychotic episode are hallucinations, delusions and confused and disturbed thoughts.