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Emeli Sandé worried about her faith and family before coming out as queer.
The 35-year-old singer revealed earlier this year she is in a relationship with female classical pianist Yoana Karemova – whom she is now engaged to – and she admitted she wasn't sure how she'd reconcile various areas of her life.
Speaking to DIVA magazine, she said: “It's how people would perceive you. I'm a very spiritual person and that's another relationship that you really have to dig into deeper.
“Can I still feel Christian and be with a woman? Do I have to start denying pieces of me that are natural? Also within the Black community. How would my family in Zambia feel about this?
“There are many things I did worry about, but it got to a point where I can't live my life worrying about others so much.
“Maybe just being myself will be the best thing I can do, and that's what I found. At least I know any situation I walk into, I'm going as myself. That has more power than anything you can second-guess.”
The ‘Heaven' hitmaker – who refers to herself as a “queer woman” but isn't sure if she even wants a label on herself – explained her decision to open up about her relationship.
She added: “I just felt this real need to be myself and talk about falling in love. That was the main point.
“It wasn't really necessarily, ‘I need to talk about my sexuality'. It was more, ‘I'm in love and this is the best thing in my life.' “
The response from her family and friends has been “lovely”, with everyone being accepting of her relationship.
She said: “A lot of people that have known me over a few years said, ‘We really felt that you can finally be yourself, and maybe you weren't being yourself in the past'.
“I'm so lucky to have such an open family. Our family has always been a bit different from the norm.”
