"The kind of music I've been involved is eclectic but it's also had to overcome problems of getting into the charts," says Grant.

And it has. Grant's kept the hits coming – Electric Avenue, Baby Come Back, Gimme Hope Jo'anna and Hello Africa. But his jolly, synth-led pop defies the more serious aspects of Grant's career: his astute business mind and social commentary.

The seemingly jolly music in songs such as Gimme Hope Jo'anna detracts from its lyrics, which reveal the realities of apartheid South Africa. "Invariably when I write that's what happens, you know," says Grant, who played as part of Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebrations.

Grant attributes his sense of perspective, in part, to his upbringing. Born in Guyana but raised from the age of 12 in London, Grant says moving to another country as a child "gives you perspective of life – you know it must inform your music."

"It was a massive culture shock – in Guyana there were very few walls and lots of fields and space to operate as a kid and then you come here and it's just walls. Walls and walls and cold basements, so that was a culture shock to me."

In Britain Grant established his music career at 20 years old in The Equals and opened Europe's first black-owned studio. "That's what started in 1969. At that time even the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had no idea what was going on in those circles."

Now Grant lives in Barbados with his wife of 40 years: "Generally wives don't know how to put up with the behaviour of men but a wise wife knows how to put up with men and she keeps her man."

Far from the exotic terrains of Barbados, Grant also bought a church in Sheffield: "It was Chapeltown Methodist Church. I thought it was a beautiful building and it was starting to decay. I was trying to restore that but I ended up selling it."

Eddy Grant plays at the Carling Academy 2 on July 10.

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