Recordbreaker Katie in at the deepend

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Singer Katie Melua has entered the record books after performing the world's deepest underwater concert.

Melua and her five-piece band played for workers on a gas rig 303 metres below sea level.

The concert took place at the bottom of one of the four shafts of the Troll A Platform rig in the North Sea, which belongs to oil company Statoil.

"This was definitely the most surreal gig I have ever done," Melua said afterwards.

The 22-year-old underwent stringent medical tests and survival training in Bergen, Norway, before flying by helicopter to the rig.

"The planning behind the concert has been like a military operation," said Melua, who performed hits including Closest Thing To Crazy and Nine Million Bicycles. "The band, crew and I were put through rigorous training to ensure our safety, including escaping from a submerging cockpit and plunging into the sea in an inflatable life raft."

Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, confirmed the star had set a new record.

After the gig, Melua flew straight back to the UK.

"It's pretty mad to think this afternoon I was playing a concert at the bottom of the sea and then this evening I will be sitting at home in London with a cup of tea," she said.

The concert was organised to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Statoil and was filmed for broadcast on Norwegian TV.

The Georgian-born singer is the biggest-selling female artist in Britain. Her debut album Call Off The Search and follow-up Piece By Piece both topped the charts. She has sold more than six million albums worldwide.

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