I was disappointed at first because of the way the voting went. In the beginning, the UK was getting twelve's, and I really thought we were going to win; and then we started getting threes and twos and so it faded away. But I was really very pleased and touched to have come second. I was surprised I was even in the building anyway! It's such a big deal to be the kind of artist I am, and to be taken as seriously as I was, and still come out of it with a modicum of credibility.

Of course. All publicity makes a difference. To me, Dana International embodied more of what the competition is about. It's a kitsch competition and many of its followers are gay. It didn't hurt to see her win - it was pretty much inevitable, actually. She had a hell of a time over here - the press wouldn't leave her alone, she had about ten bodyguards around her - and Imaani was running around in jeans, chilling out with everybody! So yes, it changed the evening, and made it even more exciting, so more people tuned in.

It got to number 15! My first top twenty hit in Britain and I'm very pleased about it. Obviously we all wanted the top ten, the number one. But for myself it was a big victory, and it gives me more to work for. I mean, what do you do if your first hit is a number one? Where do you go after that? But it did really well abroad. I was number one in Turkey and a couple of other places, and had a great response in Belgium and Holland. It's been brilliant - my career has totally moved on.

I've just started promoting my new single. I've finished the video and the record is ready to go, so I'm pretty much back on the roller-coaster now with TV and gigs and that sort of thing. I've been stunned at the response to my gigs abroad. I've been as far as Beirut with Where Are You and 16,000 people sang the lyrics back to me! Shocking! And I was getting off the plane thinking 'What am I doing here? Who's going to know me in Beirut?'

Totally. The British public know me now, but they still need a little bit of cajoling - I'm going to have another go at them this year with my new single. As soon as I leave town though, it's a different story. Turkey, for example, is ridiculous - the paparazzi are there as soon as I get off the plane. But I can still come back to England and nobody bothers me at Heathrow, which is kind of cool.

I love it! The paparazzi are scary because they will go to any lengths to get what they want. But I do enjoy the public coming up to me; I love signing autographs and meeting new people. I still feel really grateful that people even want to know, you know? I'm just some girl who's been singing a long time, and it's my job. Other people have jobs and they don't get the attention I get, so I'm grateful. It's good for my ego! All singers' egos need caressing, you know!

It follows on thematically from the last single and we kept to a dance formula. But it's a little harder. We've got a great Todd Terry mix of it coming out in the UK, which I know everyone's going to love. It's Imaani getting a bit more mature because it was all a bit strange, a bit quick and new for me last year. I'm getting used to being in the spotlight. It's a great summer song and a good dance tune, and hopefully it'll catch everybody out!

It's a real situation. It's obviously a relationship song about somebody who's tried really hard to keep a relationship together. And we all know how hard that is! It covers the arguments and the disappointments and it's saying 'Hang on, I still really want you around to tell you the things I want to tell you, but you went away before I had the chance.'

But it's happier than the last song, because Where Are You was about yearning and searching, which I'm not doing anymore. Now I'm looking for answers to real problems in life. It's more immediate. It was written by some great friends of mine and they knew I'd instantly fall in love with it. I love the melody.

I'll be doing live appearances across Europe. And lots of TV - so getting back into people's homes is my first mission! And then back on with the album. I'm about three-quarters of the way through recording now. We're aiming for release later in the year, autumn time, but it's not certain yet.

I've been really busy running around with Where Are You, which had an incredibly long shelf-life for a single - it was 6 months in the charts in Holland, which is ridiculous for one single! So I've not had time to sit down to write and record.

There will always be collaborations because I love co-writing, I love having someone to bounce off when I'm creating something. I like to have someone else's opinion before I show it to the world, so maybe I'm a bit more insecure than your average writer. I've been lucky to work with some very talented writers and artists and now I'm searching for someone to do a duet with - if I can find the right person!

There are a few producers I'd like to work with, though not necessarily American - I'm more interested in keeping a British sound. Maybe some of the artists I've respected over the years, like Jazzy B or Omar. And there are plenty of new, up-and-coming artists who impress me, like Another Level, for example. So we'll see!

As an artist, I'm definitely larger than life. When people meet me in real life, they always say 'God, you're really tiny, aren't you!' The persona is really a fantasy of mine - one that I'd love to be all the time, but I can't. I put Imaani on with my make up in the morning and I take her off at night. It gives me a chance to be someone completely different. I'm really lucky to have a job that I love.

Personally, I'm a quiet girl, still very serious, very boring! When I take Imaani off in the evening, I sit in front of the telly and watch comedy programmes, maybe a bit of Frasier. I read a lot. I still don't really like to go to parties. I think if I make music seven days a week, I don't really want to be hanging out in clubs in the evening.

Yes and no. I always wanted to sing, I just never thought it would be possible. I was raised in a small community in Derby, with an attitude of 'get your education, young lady' and all that sort of thing! So singing was just a far off dream. I was in the choir at school and my friends used to make me sing for them. I knew I had something, but the reality of it happening was a big shock. And I'm still getting used to it now, eight years later!

No. I'd still be singing, still trying to get the message across. I had a career before the competition and before my deal. But Eurovision has done a lot for me; 100 million viewers saw me sing that night! The whole of Britain knows my name now, because of that great burst of light that I came in with, so it's done me good. I wouldn't be doing exactly the same as now, but I'd be heading that way, only a bit more slowly!

I'd like to thank the BBC for supporting me. I also want to say 'thank you' to everybody who's tapped into this site in the last year and everybody who's written to me asking what I'm up to. You've been waiting patiently, but the next single's coming - and I'm still here!