Superstar Tina Turner has added two concerts at Birmingham’s NIA to her world tour next year as she comes out of “retirement”.

Turner will bring her tour to Birmingham for two dates at The NIA on April 7 and 8 April 2009, her first shows in the city since 1996.

Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday September 26 and are sure to sell fast.

Tina Turner is the most successful female rock artist of all time with record sales exceeding 180 million.

The singer, now 68, said: “After performing with Beyonce at The Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, the response was overwhelming. Everywhere I went people were asking me when I was going back on tour.

“So after a lot of thought and planning we announced an American tour. Now Europe beckons and I don’t want to let down all my loyal fans over there.”

Turner has been described as “the most dynamic female soul singer in the history of the music”. At the Grammys in front of millions, Beyonce called her simply “The Queen”.

Turner’s previous worldwide trek in 2000 attracted over three million fans to 123 stadiums around the globe over the course of nine months. One Last Time, the tour DVD of that elaborate, pyrotechnics-filled production, was certified platinum.

With sensual, soulful and powerful vocals that have been part of music history for over four decades, the singer’s explosive live set will include everything from early career singles River Deep Mountain High, Proud Mary, and Nutbush City Limits through to solo superstar smashes Let’s Stay Together, What’s Love Got to Do With It, We Don’t Need Another Hero and The Best as well as 90s comeback hits such as I Don’t Wanna Fight, the theme song to the James Bond film Goldeneye.