Emeli Sandé has opened up on how her racial identity affected her as a child.

The singer, who was born to a Zambian father and an English mother, grew up in rural Aberdeenshire and she told the Sunday Times magazine that she sometimes felt like her family were something of a "spectacle" in nearby towns.

The 'Next To Me' star added whilst some people would stare at them, she feels that she wasn't the victim of racism or bullying. Sandé, who performed at the London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony last night (August 12), said:

"Apart from my sister, Lucy, there was nobody else there who looked like me...People knew you in the village. But any surrounding place you'd go to, you became a spectacle. People would stare, and it felt like a big thing."

She added: "We didn't experience racism or bullying, or anything like that, but I was aware of my difference and it took me a long time to work out where I fitted in. And I think I found a lot of my identity in music."