AS someone who played a part in creating a modern-day singing superstar, and who is currently paying tribute to another, Joanna Eden has some pretty impressive singing credentials herself.

Described as 'the UK's answer to Diana Krall and Norah Jones', Joanna has played her jazz influenced original music all over the world, and has also supported world class artists such as Jamie Cullum and the Buena Vista Social Club.

But it is perhaps as the singing teacher of Sam Smith that she has become known all over the world.

"He was the first student I ever had," she tells me. "I was singing in a wine bar and Sam's parents came up to me and said their boy just loved singing and asked whether I would give him lessons. I told them I didn't really teach but I had a six month-old at the time and desperately needed to do something else so I agreed.

"He was just nine at the time but you could tell he was something extraordinary even then.

"In some respects we both went on a bit of a journey and actually I felt a bit bad charging his parents because it didn't feel like teaching at all. We simply found songs that we liked and sung them together. It was very unstructured but then years later he told me he really liked the fact it was so unstructured and that may be if it was a little bit more formal he wouldn't have enjoyed it so much."

Following the multi-award winning singer's meteoric rise to fame, Joanna has found herself in the limelight too.

“I had no idea that Sam was mentioning me wherever he toured," she adds, "until I was asked to do an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. The interviewer encouraged me to Google my name with Sam’s, and when I did, hundreds of results came up, all over the world.

"The family have been so sweet about it to the extent when Sam was getting all this attention they would see me in the street and say, 'come on Jo, you need to make the most of this'. She still comes to a lot of my gigs, which is really lovely."

Born and brought up in Lincolnshire to a musician dad and a drama teacher mum, to say Joanna was a precocious talent would be an understatement indeed.

Not only did she write and perform her first song, Happy December, aged seven, she could read music before she could write, and studied piano from the age of four.

"I wouldn't say our family was particularly showbizzy," she says. "My mum and dad were the first in their families to do something like that but we did have a piano in our house, which I was rarely off.

"Funnily enough I was painfully shy when I was growing up. I was the kid who used to sit in the theatre and wish I was those kids up on the stage but I was just too nervous.

"It wasn't until college and I joined a band that I eventually got up and performed in front of people."

The indie band changed it's name a few times but finally called Precious, they all moved to London to 'seek our fame and fortune'.

"When the band started dissolving," Joanna continues, "I thought 'what am I going to do now' and after years of listening to my dad's jazz records I decided to have a go at that."

Now based in Saffron Walden, Joanna is a regular at jazz clubs all over the country and further afield.

Her latest venture, which she'll be bringing to the Colchester Jazz Club this weekend, is Joanna's heartfelt tribute to the music of iconic Canadian singer/songwriter, Joni Mitchell.

In her show, Joanna recreates Joni's masterpieces, taking the audience on a journey through the myriad of ideas, textures, themes, voices and emotions of the singer’s work while tracing Joni’s influences in some of her own songs.

"I've got a confession to make," she announces. "I was never really into Joni Mitchell. People kept on telling me I should but I just didn't bother. Even in Time Out I was listed as a Joni Mitchell-type singer but it wasn't until one day someone tied me down and we listened to the album Blue. I was hooked straight away.

"I think it was just the fact it was really honest songwriting. Clever. I mean really clever, but most of all just honest. I loved it."

Joanna put the show together just last year and with acclaimed pianist Chris Ingham, also doubling on guitar, and fast-rising bass guitarist Lewis Andrews, joining her on stage.

"It's a real challenge," she adds. "Not many singers could do Joni's songs. Kate Bush, the Bee Gees may be, so I knew I had set myself a real task. What I really love about Joni's songs is there's no showboating. If she's drifting her voice really high, it's for a good reason."

There's also the challenge of not upsetting Joni's legendary legion of fans.

"I got an e-mail from jonimitchell.com," Joanna begins, "and I thought 'here goes, they're going to ask me to stop' or I've done something wrong, but they actually asked me if it would be ok to list my gigs on their website, which as you can imagine I was absolutely thrilled about."

Joanna Eden: Joni and Me

Colchester Arts Centre,

Church Street, Colchester.

Sunday, June 5. Doors 7pm, music 7.30pm.

£12, £10 concessions. 01206 500900.

www.colchesterartscentre.com