MAIL MUSIC INTERVIEW: I WAS TOO SHY TO CHAT TO FANTASTIC GUYS IN FRANZ

Lulu is on first name terms with music legends Elton John, Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Sting.But the Scots singer was too shy to say 'Hi' to her new heroes... Scots rockers Franz Ferdinand.She rubbed shoulders with the group - singer Alex Kapranos, guitarist Nick McCarthy, bassist Bob Hardy and drummer Paul Thompson - at the GQ Awards.The Franz guys walked off with the gong for Best Band... on the same night they also scooped the £20,000 Mercury Music Prize.'I'm absolutely thrilled for Franz Ferdinand. Their music is fabulous,' Lulu told me.'I was at the awards but didn't get the chance to speak to the band. My mate Elton just walked over and started chatting to them.'I was dying to talk to the guys. sat at my table thinking, 'Will I go over or won't I?' But I was too shy.'As a fellow Scot was bursting with pride. They're so exciting. There's nothing manufactured about their music. They're real.'Franz have got the whole package. Their songwriting is brilliant and their look is great, too.'

Lulu hasn't been so excited about a Scots rock act since she first saw the late Alex Harvey sing Shout in a Glasgow nightclub in the 1960s.It inspired her to cover the song which became her debut hit in 1964 and she hasn't looked back.She said: 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing first time I watched Alex Harvey.'He really fired my imagination - he was cool, real and raw. He wasn't precious in any way.'Franz Ferdinand are the modern successors to that whole style. There's a good old-fashioned Glasgow word that sums Alex and Franz up perfectly... gallus.'I'd love to record with Franz Ferdinand. They're my favourite new Scottish group.'

Lulu - who looks positively stunning at 55 - hits the road soon to play the Magnum Centre, Irvine, on November 26 and the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, the following night.In 2003, she embarked on her first concert tour in 20 years and enjoyed the experience so much she hasn't stopped gigging since.Lulu said: 'I was a bit concerned how the tour would go. I thought unless you've got an album in the charts nobody will come and see you but the tickets sold like hot cakes.'From the first night I was on a roll. My voice - touch wood - is still in good nick. I felt was singing better than ever.'Lulu, brought up in Dennistoun, Glasgow, celebrates her 40th year in pop this year.She's had more than 20 hit singles including songs such as The Boat That I Row, Me, The Man Who Sold The World and Independence.In 1967, she starred in the movie To Sir With Love opposite the legendary Sidney Poitier and topped the US charts with the title song.Two years later, she won the Eurovision Song Contest with Boom Bang-A-Bang and she captured the elusive UK No.1 slot in 1993 when she duetted with Take That on Relight My Fire.

She's also shared a stage with 60s icons The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Monkees and Roy Orbison. Not to mention working with Elton John, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Sting and The Bee Gees. Is there any famous name she'd like to add to that prestigious list?'Yes there is, I'd love to record with Brian Wilson, of The Beach Boys,' revealed Lulu.'He's a genius, simple as that. First of all, he hears vocal harmonies nobody else does. As a writer, he was so ahead of his time.'

Lulu has been married twice - to hairdresser John Frieda, father of her son Jordan, and to the late Maurice Gibb of The Bee Gees. She is currently footloose and fancy free.The singer doesn't feel that at 55 she can't compete with today's young breed of female pop stars. In fact, she still identifies with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Joss Stone despite being old enough to be their mum.Lulu said: 'Christina has a technical ability and vocal range which is unbelievable. I sit with my teenage nieces listening to her albums and we can all relate to them.'I took them to see Britney play live. I can appreciate what she does without rushing out to buy her album. She's made some fabulous records. also think Joss Stone is a brilliant singer.'What's Lulu's view of the recent controversy when Britney was accused of miming during her sell-out UK tour?It was fuelled further when her mate Elton dissed Madonna for lip-synching, too.Lulu said: 'I don't think Britney is able to dance around for 90 minutes like a maniac and sing perfectly at the same time. It's impossible.'I caught Madonna's last tour and couldn't tell if she wasn't actually singing or not.

'I like to bop around on stage myself but I don't let dancing get in the way of my singing. The voice is first and foremost.'Lulu reckons if she'd kicked off her pop career in 2004 she'd still have been a success.'I'd probably be marketed differently now,' she said. 'I used to be called 'cute' so people would give me songs to suit that image so musically, I recorded material not really suited to my voice.'But my major selling point was that voice. could always cut it on stage.'In 1964, I wasn't out for fame or world domination. It was enough just to sing.'When I got my first hit with Shout that was a bonus. I had no idea it would lead to all this.'Lulu has also recently added another string to her bow. She's a DJ hosting a show every Sunday on Radio Two.She said: 'I just sit with my favourite records and the first song played was I Just Wanna Make Love To You by Etta James. Not a bad start, was it?'I get to play music from all the different eras - from Michael McDonald to James Blunt, Kiki Dee to Jamie Cullum. It's a real eclectic mix. I'm having an absolute ball.'