The Beyonce-loving comedian talks to Alex Bellotti about why singletons needn’t stay at home on February 14.

Usually attitudes towards Valentine’s Day are split into two camps: the couples who feel obliged to enjoy the day together and the singletons who moan and try to forget about it. For comedian Luisa Omielan, however, there’s a third option.

On February 14, the Kentish Town resident is hosting Single Ladies Valentine’s Ball at Islington Assembly Hall – an event which will see her perform her acclaimed stand up show ‘Am I Right Ladies?’ before the venue opens up for a night of partying with a DJ set from Olly Stock.

“I like Valentine’s Day,” says Omielan. “Fair enough, it’ll be nice one day to have someone to do it all with, but my argument is ‘F*** it, I’m going to do it anyway, I’ll do it by myself.’ Have a good time, get dressed up, have a laugh and some fun. Don’t be at home crying thinking you’ve failed at life just because you haven’t received a card on Valentine’s Day!”

The 32 year old’s current show follows her hugely successful debut, 2012’s ‘What Would Beyonce Do?’, which enjoyed a string of sell out nights and cemented her “slightly American” approach of brash, self-confident, yet touchingly honest comedy.

‘Am I Right Ladies?’ continues in the same style, but it’s “more of a manifesto” and encompasses vignettes about her love life, housing situation and career prospects as well as moving ponderings on self-worth.

“I talk a lot about mental health, the pressures of body image, the pressures of having sex – things that I’ve found challenging over the last couple of years, things that I want to deal with or perhaps don’t want to deal with.

“It’s a really honest show, but I think that’s what stand up should be. It should be a chance to be open and discuss things that need discussing, like mental health, eating disorders and depression.

“Comedy gives you such a safe playground to poke at different angles and say, ‘Look, guys, it’s kind of ridiculous that we’re all doing this.’”

Such subjects come from personal experience. Omielan speaks candidly about her previous battles with depression; about how initially she kept her feelings to herself before speaking to other people and realising there were many others going through the same experiences.

“I started putting it in my show and it really resonated with people and galvanised everyone,” she says, adding that she now preaches a message of self-empowerment. “Having a career, marriage and kids all before you’re 30… I’ve always found it ridiculous sometimes that I feel s*** about these things.

“So what if my thighs are touching, why am I crying? I haven’t got a thigh gap and I still feel amazing. My message, I guess, is that you’re all good – wherever you’re at now, it’s all good.”

Whatever the state of your love life, it’s hard to think of a better message for Valentine’s Day.

Luisa Omielan’s Single Ladies Valentine’s Ball takes place at Islington Assembly Hall on Saturday February 14. Tickets: £20. Visit islington.gov.uk/assemblyhall/