55 In-spire LS
How have you dealt with the ups and downs of the
industry and/or any disappointments?
Initially, I dealt with the disappointments quite badly.
It's true when they say you need a thick skin to survive
in this industry! It can be quite hard not to take things
personally. I used to get very upset when things weren't
going well, but experience is a great teacher so the more
I learnt how to shake off the disappointments, the more
confident I grew. Now, when I get a knock, I can pick
myself up a lot quicker. There are definitely a lot of ups
and downs to contend with but maybe that's what makes
it exciting. I'm happy to say that at the moment, there
are mostly ups!
So, talk to us about your debut album Sweet Sticky
Fix! What a fantastic title for an album! What
inspired the name choice?
Sweet Sticky Fix is the name of one of the songs on the
album. I wrote it while I was over in Brooklyn working
with Truth and Soul. I remember that we had already
composed the track but I needed to come up with a
lyric and melody idea, so I stayed up all night in my
hotel room trying to get the song out. I already had the
temporary lyric of `Sweet Sticky Fix' because originally
that was the first thing that had popped into my head.
After a few hours of trying some different ideas, I went
back to that first line and built the song around those
words. What does it mean? Um...that's something I like
to leave open to interpretation, but suffice to say that the
mystery and intrigue surrounding its meaning is exactly
why I chose that song title as the title of the album.
The album has received rave reviews from every
angle including support from the BBC and a variety
of news publications including; The Independent on
Sunday and The Metro. How does it feel to see such
admiration so early on?
It feels amazing! I poured my heart and soul into the
creation of this album, so to see it getting great reviews is
wonderful, I'm really thrilled about it.
Did you write all the songs?
Yes I write all the lyrics and melodies. The musical
arrangements come from the amazing producers I was
lucky enough to work with on this album Truth & Soul
(Brooklyn) and Paul O'Duffy (London).
How involved were you in the production of the album
as a whole?
With both sets of producers I was able to be quite
vocal about the direction I wanted the songs to go in.
However, I was quite happy to leave them up to their
own devices at times too. Sometimes, it's good for the
artist to step away from the songs and let them breathe.
I can be a real perfectionist if I'm let loose too much on
the production, so I asked the guys to take note of how
I thought they should sound but to feel free to add their
own flourishes and flavour.
The current single from the album is Sun is Rising,
released on 27th May talk to us about the single.
What's the story, what's the inspiration behind it and
what would you like people to take from it?
Sun Is Rising was the last song I wrote for this album,
so you could say that it signals the end of one journey
and perhaps the beginning of another. Throughout
the album you hear about the ups and downs and final
heartbreak of an ill-fated love, so I wanted to resolve
that somehow and finish the album on a high. It's a song
about hope, realisation and acceptance.
So after the release of `Sun is Rising', what is next on
the agenda for you?
After performing at The Cheltenham Jazz Festival I will
be doing more gigs and promoting the album in and
around London, so come on down to one of those if you
can! I'm also hoping to get back to NY to perform there
as half the album was created in that great city, so it'd be
interesting to see what the audiences over there thought
of it.
What do you make of the UK music scene at the
moment and where do you see yourself fitting in?
The UK music scene is really buzzing at the moment,
there's a lot of talent out there! I really like Laura Mvula;
she's an amazing new artist. I'm not sure where I fit in
really, although the reviews seem to be comparing me
to the Winehouse/Adele/Duffy phenomenon, which is a
little intimidating...but flattering nonetheless!
Soulandjazzandfunk.com described my sound as; "The
vibe is distinctly retro - think Amy Winehouse meets
Portishead - and the album's dark and atmospheric
sonics create a noir-esque aura with a hint of danger and
intrigue" which I reckon is a pretty good description.
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