'Enjoy the ride': Corinne Bailey Rae shares her new philosophy on life after pain of losing first husband eight years ago

PUBLISHED: 15:29, 12 May 2016 | UPDATED: 18:34, 12 May 2016

At 29, she lost her first husband to an accidental drugs overdose just weeks after winning her first Grammy.

Now, eight years later, Corinne Bailey Rae is sharing what she's learned from that tragedy as she promotes her third album The Heart Speaks In Whispers.

'Life is full of things that you can't predict. Don't spend time wishing your life away, waiting for things to be perfect,' the British singer tells People. 'You're here right now. Enjoying the ride is very important to me.'

Living in the present: Corinne Bailey Rae says her new album The Heart Speaks In Whispers is about listening to the inner voice and celebrating 'now'. She's pictured in Manchester, England, on Thursday

The 37-year-old added: 'I used to plan a lot. But I've realized the vanity in that.'

Following the death of Jason Rae, Corinne says she felt as if she had 'lost everything.'

'I was in so much pain. I was numb,she explained. 'You feel like the pain will last forever, like, 'What's the point of any of it?''

Tragedy: In 2008, the British singer lost her first husband and fellow musician Jason Rae to an accidental overdose of alcohol and methadone. They're pictured in 2007

Gradually, though, she moved forward, finding love again with musician and producer Steve Brown, a friend she'd known for years, and allowing her personal grief to inspire her music.

The couple, who wed in 2013, collaborated on her new album that's released Friday.

'It's all about listening to the inner voice,' she said on BBC Breakfast on Thursday.

The first single from the collection of new songs in called Stop Where You Are, a musical exhortation to live in the present.

New perspective: The 37-year-old R&B singer, pictured performing in London last month, said her new album was inspired by the grief she felt at her husband's death and her realization of the 'preciousness of life'

New love: In 2013, the Grammy winner married musician and producer Steve Brown who worked with her on her third album that's released Friday. They're pictured in 2015 in a photo posted to social media

Corinne explained: 'There's so many times in life when we can hold our happiness away from ourselves... when I get that job, I'll be happier; when I get a partner I'll be happier; when I lose that weight, when I go on holiday....'

'All the time we're thinking about this time in the future that we'll be happy.'

'I really like the idea of ritualizing the present and celebrating now,' the singer said. 'You can miss your own life if you're always planning ahead.'

Enjoying the ride: Corinne said she's learned that it's easy to push happiness away by focusing on the future while not appreciating what you have now

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Friday, 13 May 2016

Corinne Bailey Rae shares her new philosophy on life after pain of losing first husband eight years ago

'Enjoy the ride': Corinne Bailey Rae shares her new philosophy on life after pain of losing first husband eight years ago