“Did I dream that some of my first songs would still be on the radio eleven years later? Well, yes, that really was the big dream from the start – to write good songs that would stand the test of time. I still want to hear my songs on the radio in another eleven years.”

You are 18 years old, you live alone in a rented flat in Glasgow and you divide your time between a colourful city centre hairdressers and the night's more notorious clubs and bars.

Your name is Sharleen Spiteri.

And you have just written your first song – it's called “I Don't Want A Lover”. Many years later, this song will still be played at least once a week on radio stations throughout Europe.

But how did it all start? Sharleen Spiteri and Johnny McElhone are the well-established songwriting team behind Texas. The pair have been writing together for 16 years and counting. Johnny had hits with Altered Images and Hipsway before being thrown into the same orbit as a bolshy, brilliant young hairdresser with a voice that could soar and swoop.

At the start of the new millennium, Texas had recorded five albums and had fifteen million record sales. The fantastic back catalogue includes debut album “Southside”, “Mothers Heaven”, “Ricks Road” and cult comeback album ‘White on Blonde” which sat in the top 40 for over a year thanks to hits “Say What You Want,” “Halo” and “Black Eyed Boy.” Sharleen and Johnny were also rewarded with a prestigious Ivor Novello award for the Best Song Collection.

The follow-up album“The Hush” became their international breakthrough album, taking Europe by storm. In 2000, Texas preceded their Greatest Hits collection with the haunting single “In Demand” - co-written and produced by Dallas Austin, the legendary hitman behind TLC.

Texas returned in October 2005 with new album “Red Book,” which represents two years work for the band, a time that has seen a variety of recording sessions with a group of new and old friends. Keyboardist and programming maestro, Michael Bannister, who has formerly worked with Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai, was immediately thrown into the fray alongside Sharleen Spiteri, Johnny McElhone and guitarist Ally McErlaine.

“RED BOOK is a story book in the sense that I've drawn influence from things going on around me,” says Sharleen. ”The album explores some dark lyrical moments and some light, but the whole thing's meant to be a celebration. A celebration of us actually all being in this thing together.”