Chart-topping noughties pop star reveals comeback with first album in 10 years
PLENTY has happened in Pixie Lott’s life in the 10 years since she last released an album.
The pop star, who has topped the charts with singles Mama Do and Boys and Girls, has become a mother to son Albert, married longtime partner Oliver Cheshire and starred in seven series of The Voice Kids.
So it’s little surprise to learn she’s given her sound a major overhaul too.
In an exclusive interview with the Sun, straight after stepping off the stage for an intimate Mother’s Day gig for PizzaExpress Live, Pixie revealed what fans can expect from her first LP in a decade.
She told us: “I’ve been making it pretty much for the last five years so it’s more about that time before being a mum, but it’s coming out this year.
“This music is very organic and raw. We really spent time focusing on every lyric and every sound, and we were listening to a lot of 70s music and were very inspired by that. This feels like real music which is my favourite thing so I’m so pleased that I’m putting it out there finally because it’s been a long time.
“I worked with the same small team of people on the whole thing so it’s very cohesive and I really get to sing an tell stories that are close to my heart.”
Pixie’s first three albums brought her great success including six top 10 singles, millions of record sales and two MTV European Music Awards.
The industry is now geared towards viral social media success and single streams, but Pixie loves listening to albums and is hopeful other people out there still appreciate the long form artistry of more traditional artists.
She continued: “For this, it’s about making a body of work, about making an album. I still love listening to albums.
“The music business has changed so much since I last put one out and since I started. You do have to go with the times, you can’t just live in the past, you’ve got to embrace it all.
“The whole purpose of this album is to make music from the heart and make it very authentically, and I think when you do that you can’t really go wrong.”
The 33-year-old can’t wait to get back on the the road to tour the new material and has plans for an intimate showcase to launch it.
When she eventually does travel around the country there’ll be a significant change to previous runs: she’ll have a baby in tow.
Albert, five months, got the chance to see his mum on stage when she performed some of her back catalogue at PizzaExpress’s The Pheasantry in Chelsea yesterday.
Dad Oliver proudly held their son up as his beaming mum sang to him in sweet scenes.
And it’s likely to become a common sight as Pixie intends to have Albert there with her at future shows.
She said: “As soon as it comes out and and I’m doing gigs and going on tour and stuff it’ll be different to how I was gigging and touring before. I want to try and take Bert along with me on mini adventures.
This music is very organic and raw. We really spent time focusing on every lyric and every sound
Pixie Lott
“We just completely go with the flow, we don’t really have a routine or anything yet. I would love to involve him in all the adventures. I’m so lucky I’ve got an amazing support network; my mum and dad are amazing , Oliver is amazing, Lauren, my manager is amazing. I’m really I would love to bring him along to as many things as possible.”
And, in day to day life, parenting life appears to be coming naturally to the couple.
Pixie laughed: “The sleepless nights, not great with the singing. We’ve been really lucky actually, he’s been a good sleeper, the last week or so it’s changed a little bit. So far absolutely loving it.”
Yesterday’s performance came nine years after Pixie first graced the PizzaExpress Live stage, and she’ll soon be heading out to perform at the chain’s newly opened jazz venue in Dubai.
She’s in good company as the likes of Gregory Porter, Sam Smith, Amy Winehouse and McFly have also graced the restaurant brand’s stages.
Paula MacKenzie, CEO at PizzaExpress, said: “As the home of family get togethers, we wanted to really celebrate mums this Mother’s Day. Live music has always been an important part of PizzaExpress, so we were excited to have fellow mum and British icon, Pixie Lott, back to the PizzaExpress Live stage for a special surprise show.”
To find out more about upcoming shows from PizzaExpress Live visit pizzaexpresslive.com