THERE is something quite strange about hearing Cleo Higgins expressing doubts on whether she is sexy enough to perform a Michael Jackson song in the Thriller Live touring show.

The former lead singer of 1980s band Cleopatra says: “The Way You Make Me Feel is one of my solos, but that’s my most nerve-racking because even though everyone says, ‘You’ll be fine’, I’m shaking on the inside thinking, ‘Am I sexy enough. Am I doing the role in the right way?’”

But the Jackson family endorsed concept of Adrian Grant, who started Jackson’s UK fan club in 1988, includes the idea that one of four singers featured in this tribute to The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson should be female. As a result, the first UK tour in 2007 featured North-East star Zoe Birkett, who is currently in the lead role of Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, which tours to Sunderland Empire in March.

“Michael Jackson is multi-dimensional and it’s not as simple of putting on a white suit and pair of sparkly socks and imitating him for two hours in a show. It’s a very difficult job to present to the world all the elements of Michael Jackson. I think this is why they placed a female in the show. I personally wouldn’t mind not having one, but I understand when I’m in the show what a difference it brings. It brings a sense of sexuality, sassiness and vivaciousness that Michael was. There’s a presence and importance especially if the female is a big fan of Michael Jackson that I am,” says Higgins.

“Maybe I’m being biased but being a massive fan it’s great that you can bring all that enthusiasm that you have to the stage and most of the time the audience really appreciate that.”

Thriller Live is still male-dominated, Higgins explains, especially in terms of the stage visualisation using a main male dancer and three male singers.

“I’m kind of stuck there in the middle, but I have a lot fun and my character ebbs and flows through the show like a rollercoaster. I come in very happy-go-lucky with songs like Don’t Blame It On The Sunshine with a colourful, geeky costume and then my character alters into being sassy as the disco era adds glitz and glamour. The show goes through 50 years of music. It’s a lot that he did and even to enjoy what he did, you can’t stay in one box,” she says.

As a fan of Jackson from the age of 13, Higgins thought she knew all of his songs on albums like Bad and Thriller, but discovered that a lot of the lyrics were quite different to what she thought.

“Michael wasn’t necessarily the clearest vocalist of the lyrics he would sing and we loved him for that. I’ve been in the music industry all my life and it’s quite frustrating when you’re a Jackson fan, or one of Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey and Otis Redding, because they don’t necessarily sing that clearly. I’m in and out of studios and they’re saying, ‘What is it you’re singing there?’. I say, ‘Forget what I’m singing, you can read the lyrics’. No one asked Michael Jackson what he was singing, they just figured it out. I think his uniqueness is lost now because everything is so clean and polished,” Higgins says.

She feels that the “rough around the edges” performances by Jackson made the performer a creative genius who couldn’t be put in a category or a box by the industry.

“I think that’s why he had so many generations of fans. Not just the generations he’s come through, but the way he brings something unique to every single one of them,” Higgins says.

The Birmingham-born, Manchester-based mother-of-two enjoys the Thriller Live finale plus Blame It On The Boogie and her new-look start to the touring show which sees Higgins singing The Jackson Five early days medley including songs like Who’s Loving You.

“I feel like I’m bringing it home because that’s one of the first songs I sang on stage,” she says.

Higgins explains that the show was never scripted to talk about Michael Jackson’s personal life, but focuses more as a concert of his musical career involving hits like I Want You Back, ABC, Can You Feel It, Off The Wall, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Beat It, Billie Jean, Dirty Diana, Bad, Rock With You, They Don't Care About Us, Dangerous, Heal The World, and Thriller.

“When the audience realise this, they relax and celebrate with us. The comments that come back is that they have had such fun, and this is the whole purpose. Michael Jackson told us before he left us that we need to seriously fix this planet before it’s too late. If we don’t fix it in four years then it’s irreversible. And that was in 2009. Now, we’re watching the UK being flooded to high heaven. What’s going on? He was always looking to help and guide others to do better. But I’m one of the heal the world people types,” she says.

Higgins looks at her challenging appearance on BBC1’s The Voice, in 2013, as a move forward and she went on to audition for the lead female role in Thriller Live, which recently passed the $150m mark in terms of box office, and admits she doesn’t know who put her name forward.

“I’ve auditioned for many shows now because I never want to stay in one category. However, I am a businesswoman at the end of the day and I am definitely trying to make my career with my own music. So walking away from this show wouldn’t be as upsetting as it might be because I’m about to release my own work. So, watch this space. I might not be here in the show for the rest of the year, but I’ll be around.”

* After opening in the Lyric Theatre in London on January 2, 2009, to rave reviews, Thriller Live has celebrated its sixth birthday in the West End, embarked on a world tour and a sell-out UK arena tour, played more than 3,000 shows globally to three million fans, visited 30 counties and entered the West End record books by becoming the longest-running show in the Lyric Theatres 125 year history.

* Sunderland Empire, January 25 to January 30. Box Office: 0844-871-3022 ATGtickets.com/Sunderland

York Grand Opera House: February 1 to February 6, 0844-871-3024 atgtickets.com/york

Darlington Civic Theatre: February 29 to March 5. 01325-486555 darlingtoncivic.co.uk

Lyric Theatre, West End, booking until September 4. Book online, nimaxtheatres.com or call 0330-333-4812