True fans of the legendary band, The Carpenters, will be transported back to the 70s when Kim Dickinson returns to High Wycombe this month.

Yesterday Once More: The Music of The Carpenters sees Kim, 39, recreating the voice of Karen Carpenter with such captivating emotion that if you close your eyes, she could be mistaken for Karen herself.

As a massive fan of The Carpenter duo, Kim performs all the songs that made the biggest selling group of the 70s famous.

Kim, who has been singing for 20 years, started out playing country music and recorded her first album in 2000 in Nashville. Her album achieved number one in the Independent European Charts and the Nashville Showcase, but after listening to The Carpenters and being stunned by Karen’s breathtaking voice, her career took a different direction.

The singer was around 12 years-old when she first started listening to The Carpenters.

Kim said: “I first heard of them from my dad. He had one of their albums and I was determined not to like them, but Karen’s voice was just beautiful and I've been a huge fan ever since. I was just so touched by her amazing voice.

“I was a fan of the Carpenters when it was really uncool to be one. Everyone else in my class was obsessed with Bros, but then there was me, who really liked The Carpenters instead!”

Despite being a huge fan of The Carpenters from a young age, Kim doesn’t see her show as a tribute act.

“I don’t think of myself as performing a tribute as such; I’m not trying to be Karen, I just see it more as purely a celebration of their music.

“I love the fact that their songs are never small; they’re full of emotion and so meaningful. They all tell a story and Karen sings with such emotion in her voice.

"With a lot of singers these days, you just can’t understand what they are singing about, so I really admire the Carpenters songs.”

Kim doesn’t try and imitate Karen’s style or mannerisms; instead she brings her own charm to the classic songs: “It’s a really classy show. I wear a lovely ball gown and I have a five-piece band to sing along with. I'm quite lucky because the lads I am performing with at the moment are a great bunch.

“My favourite song to perform changes with every show! But at the moment it’s ‘A Song For You’. Everyone has covered it and The Carpenters never released it as a single, but I think it’s a really wonderful song.”

Kim admits that becoming a singer wasn’t planned. Her first love was horse riding and she aspired to become a jockey, but after an accident that meant she had to take time out to recover, a family friend overheard her singing in her bedroom and suggested that she take singing more seriously.

“When I was getting better from my accident, I began listening and singing to music more. I never had any desire to become a singer before that, so in a way, it was the beginning of a new direction for me.”

With a natural and uncanny likeness to Karen Carpenter’s voice, Kim has wowed audiences around the world with her shows and hopes that ‘Yesterday Once More’ can go international too.

“I've toured in Europe and Australia before this show, and we’re hoping that we can take this show to Europe as well because I’m really loving it.”

Despite travelling the world with her music, Kim’s favourite performance was much closer to home.

“My favourite gig so far was probably in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. We went there as an opening act for the Beach Boys and we ended up getting a standing ovation, it was excellent.”

Kim has lived in Omagh since she was 11 and whilst she loves touring, tries to balance her love of music with her personal life.

“I absolutely love touring, but I make sure I'm only away for two nights in a row because of my little boy, who is six. I lived in Liverpool until I was 11, so when I'm touring, I love to be able to come over to England again and see family and see where I grew up, and I’m really looking forward to visiting again.”

Kim has graced the stage at the Wycombe Swan before and is excited to return with her new show on January 16.

“The audience were brilliant and really lovely in High Wycombe last time; it’s always nice coming here. I can’t wait; I'm really looking forward to it.”

Tickets to see Kim perform in ‘Yesterday Once More: The Music of The Carpenters’ are priced between £17 and £19 and are available from www.wycombeswan.co.uk or by calling the ticket office on 01494 512000.