Thea Gilmore is the Bruce Springsteen-approved singer-songwriter who worked in a recording studio before she was discovered by her collaborator, producer, and now husband Nigel Stonier.

She released her first album as a teenager and recently released her tenth, Murphy’s Heart.

Gilmore plays Komedia, Gardner Street, Brighton, on Wednesday at 8pm. Tickets are available on 0845 2938480.

Is there a performer who made you think “I want to do that?”

I guess [Bob] Dylan was the turning point. Or actually, if I’m really honest, when I met [producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist] Nigel Stonier for the first time and heard his music, I thought: “Hell that’s a cool job … I’d like to give it a go.”

Do you remember the first record you bought – what was it, and where did you buy it?

Yes. It was a tape (yes a tape!) of Inner Sense Percussion Orchestra and I bought it at their show in Banbury. It was also the first live gig I ever went to.

Tell us about any guilty pleasures lurking in your CD or film collections – something you know is a bit naff but you can’t help yourself…

Oh God, where do I start? I’m a huge Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan. All my guilty secrets are TV and film-related … bad American TV and made-for- TV films are my favourite way to relax.

Do you have a favourite film?

That changes all the time, but the one that I always come back to is 12 Angry Men [1957]. It’s just incredibly subtle, and a film that would not stand a chance of getting made these days.

Is there a TV programme you couldn’t live without?

Grand Designs. Partly because I’m a secret Kevin McCloud fan, and also because I’d love to build a house one day.

Do you have a favourite album?

Also very changeable, but I think The Future by Leonard Cohen is the most lasting of them. It is a constant source of lyrical inspiration to me.

Is there a song or individual piece of music you always come back to?

Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows … it’s just the most glorious piece of writing I’ve heard. I never get tired of listening to it.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m very slowly reading a book called The Great Perhaps [by Joe Meno].

At times like these it takes me forever to finish a book.

Do you have a favourite book?

I don’t do favourites when it comes to books, but one that sticks in my mind is The Glass Room [by Simon Mawer]. It’s very powerful and extremely moving.

Is there a live music or theatre experience that stays in your memory?

I remember seeing Measure For Measure at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre when I was still in primary school and thinking: “I actually understand this”. I have a feeling my love of words was solidified in that moment.

You’ve released ten albums at only 30 years old – how have you kept the work rate up?

I’m just lucky, I think. And belligerent. And I’m surrounded by supportive people.

And you write about people (and indeed yourself) very incisively … are there any songs you’ve heard back and thought “Eek, that’s a bit close to the bone”.

Yes. And at least two on Murphy’s Heart.

So I’d probably better not expand on that.

How did you hear Bruce Springsteen’s a fan of your work?

I know his co-manager Barbara Carr.

She arranged for me to meet up with him at a gig in Manchester. It was one of those great life moments, having Bruce Springsteen tell you he’s just bought another one of your albums … priceless!