Songstress Katie Melua is preparing for a gig on an oil rig that will earn her a Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater concert performance.

The concert, taking place today, is to be held more than 90m below the sea on the Statoil Troll oil rig, in Europe's largest offshore gas field.

Melua and her band have been having medical checks ahead of the performance.

The concert will be watched by Guinness adjudicators and the rig staff. It will also be televised in Norway.

Melua is the UK's biggest selling female artist and, surprise surprise, has a land-based concert coming up in December. She is reported to have described the stunt as "pretty cool". ®

Related stories

• Elasmobranch scanner tech ready for War on Terror (27 June 2007)
• Music industry settles digital royalties quarrel (29 September 2006)
• Creatives slam British Council copyright report (28 September 2006)
• Steve Irwin fans turn on stingrays (12 September 2006)
• Fish out of water (6 April 2006)
• Iran test fires 'world's fastest' underwater missile (3 April 2006)