Clara Amfo: We ask Beyoncé every four weeks to come into the Live Lounge

Radio 1’s Clara Amfo is closer to the music than any other daytime Radio 1 DJ as the reigning queen of the Live Lounge.

2016 has been a huge year for Clara and Radio 1’s Live Lounge, with performances from Justin Bieber, The 1975, Usher, Emeli Sande and so many more huge stars from the world of music.

But who are the stars she really wants to have play session in 2017? What did she really think of Justin Bieber and how did she keep her cool when Usher turned on the charm during his LA Live Lounge?

We asked Clara to spill all, and spill she did…

"It changes all the time. The standout Live Lounge performances of the year definitely include Christine & The Queens and her cover of Beyoncé’s Sorry.

"She really got into it. She made so much effort with the arrangement of it, she got into the character - she decided not to take on the role of Beyoncé, she decided to be the guy that Beyoncé was cussing for the whole song. I really enjoyed the sexy, 80s funk vibe."

"Emeli Sande was fantastic. Her vocal is so clean and so crisp. She's such an emotive singer. She's not one of these people that use the most radical production, but there's just something about the way she sings it really gets to you live."

"It's so hard. I know this is so #FirstWorldProblems, because it sounds corny, but with the Live Lounge it's like being a mum and having loads of kids. You love them all the same but for completely different reasons."

"Brendon from Panic! At The Disco, that was arguably one of the best interactions I've had. People may or may not know, I think Beyoncé’s alright, you might say I’m a superfan, been to every one of her tours, I love her. I didn't get a chance to get any merchandise from the last tour and I really wanted this particular jumper. When he walked in and he was wearing it I was like 'Noooooo! I wanted that so bad!'.

"When I was interviewing him I was listening to what he was saying but secretly I was looking at that jumper thinking 'I need it, I want it' and I think he picked up on my vibe subconsciously and said 'You know you can have this' and I was genuinely shocked. The fans went nuts and said 'You'd better not wash it' but no, I put it in the wash the next day at 30 degrees - save the planet and all that."

"Slaves are always a laugh. I love those two. I love the dynamic between those two, I call them the punk Chuckle Brothers. The way they interact with each other is hilarious to watch. They're very dry, their sense of humour, and they're just very unapologetically themselves. Their covers are always great.

"Last Christmas they covered Last Christmas by Wham and it was great. Some people loved it and some hated it. That's what I love about Slaves; they're such a polarising band."

"The one thing I definitely got is that he loves music. He really does. You can tell that's his solace and you can tell that is his happy place."

"I could tell he is a nice guy and I could tell he loved it."

"I thought I was the ultimate professional. I've loved Usher since I was a teenager. I am a lifelong fan and he was in a cheeky mood that day. He's cheeky, he knows what he's doing, and he knows how to switch it on.

"He's a charming, good looking guy but the bottom line of everything is that he's got a fantastic singing voice and he's a fantastic artist."

"I got back to work the next week and I think the first thing Nick Grimshaw said to me at work, he put some sexy music on purpose and said '...So Clara. Let’s talk about you and Usher then'.

"I got quite a rinsing for about a week but then people got over it. But then, when we came to repeating stuff again it flared up all over again."

"Beyoncé, Rihanna and Adele. So, Beyoncé we like to ask her team at least every four to six weeks if she'll come in and once every four to six weeks we get a response saying 'Thank you for asking, but not at this present time' but I’m keeping hope alive.

"I think Beyoncé is the most open she's ever been in her career. She can still give you a bit of Miss World, there's a guard there, and she lets you see what she wants you to see but with that she's still quite open with it."

"Rihanna just doesn't give a f*** which I love; she's my type of girl. I'd like to hang out with Rihanna in the club. She reminds me of my mates."

"The thing I like about Adele is from watching interviews and when she was in with Nick to play Hello was that she has this lovely open feel of not changing and not being someone she isn't.

"Whether she's playing a massive stadium or is at the Grammys, performing for presidents she's still swearing between songs and I loved that. We saw that at Glastonbury and I’d like to see that in the Live Lounge."

"I remember before I worked here, I listened to the session she did with Fearne Cotton. I listened to it back online and was really impressed. Obviously, vocally she's great but I just liked her vibe as a person."

Listen to Clara on Radio 1 between 10am - 1pm every weekday