Since Love Really Hurts Without You rocketed him to stardom in 1976, Billy Ocean has gone on to sell more than 30m records.

More golden days came in the late 1980s with hits including Caribbean Queen, Get Outta My Dreams and When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going). Now aged 63, he is still touring and releasing new material and is back on the road promoting his latest album. Here You Are is a mix of original tracks and covers of songs which have influenced him, from Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry, to It Was A Very Good Year by Frank Sinatra.

Billy is releasing the album digitally through his website and welcomes the changes to the music industry since he first started out almost 40 years ago.

He said: “We are living in a great age, when musicians are not that dependent on record companies. At my age if you walk into a record company, most just want you to do the same tried and tested thing and kill your inspiration. It is all just profit and loss to them at the end of the day.”

But in addition to his new material, he is keen to stress he will definitely be singing the old classics during his live shows.

He said: “I do not want to be self indulgent, perform new things and forget the old. The audience associate you with the old songs, so I never leave those things out. I still enjoy singing them and I like to give people enjoyment. It is happy music and I can go out and lift their spirits for a couple of hours.”

Indeed, despite just becoming a grandfather for the first time, he has no intention of putting his feet up and retiring.

He recently branched out into a completely new field, making a cameo appearance in last year’s Keith Lemon: The Film, as the father of Leigh Francis’ comic TV creation.

Billy said: “I’d heard that there was a white comedy character claiming I was his dad and then I got an email inviting me to take part in the film. I’d never seen the show but my kids said do it, so I did and really enjoyed it.

“The character of Keith Lemon is very cheeky and naughty, but Leigh Francis is the nicest, most humble person you will ever meet. I enjoy doing things like that as I think it’s important not to take yourself too seriously.

“At my age now, everything is easier, as the pressure is off. When I was younger, I used to get nervous, but the nerves I get now are an energy rather than negative. I release the music I want to, I get to go to some great places when I’m on tour and my music makes people happy.”

Billy Ocean will be at Chatham’s Central Theatre at 7.30pm on Friday, May 17. Tickets from £20. Call 01634 338338. He will also be at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells on Friday, May 24. Tickets from £26.50. Call 01892 530613.