PIXIE LOTT

She is the epitome of a triple threat, we have been in awe of her smile, talent and friendly nature on The Voice Kids for years, she has sold millions of albums since her debut back in 2009 and racked up millions of followers across social media. Now she is back with new album Encino and a string of other projects. We of course are talking about the amazingly talented Pixie Lott.

Since we last spoke so much has changed, you are a mum to little Albert, how have you found parenting and what type of parent are you?

I love it. I feel like it’s the best thing ever. I’m a go with the flow type of parent, and I want Albert to have as many adventures as possible, and I just love him so much. I feel like that’s my everyday adventure.

Is this the first of many or are you happy with your family as it is now?

I hope it’s the first of many. I love big families and I come from a very close big family.

Is parenting easier or harder than you imagined and what is the one piece of advice you would pass on to others starting a family.

I’d say it’s easier but it’s also maybe a bit of both, because you just don’t realise the layers of it. I love sleep, so I thought the lack of sleep is what I would find terribly difficult because I also need sleep to sing, but that’s actually been absolutely fine. Thank the Lord. Even though my sleep is still broken, it’s fine as in, you just get used to it. And my voice is dealing with it so it’s all good in the hood. The easy thing is, you just want to do everything you can because you just love the little baby so much. And it’s crazy,like how you grow it in your tummy and it’s half of you and half of the person that you love. Also it’s so hard to prepare for. But the amazing thing is that you think, Oh God, I don’t know what I’m doing, but as soon as you become a parent the natural instincts take over so much that you’re just doing it before you even know you’re doing all the things like even just how you hold them, how you are with them. It’s just like such an instinct thing that just comes naturally.

We have to ask about The Voice Kids, ITV announced a break in 2024, did you know this was happening ?

Well, to be honest we only thought the voice kids was gonna be on for two seasons. Two years, and we did seven seasons. So it was so much fun. Full of laughter, fun and so much talent. I had the best, best time.

Will you go back as a judge/mentor if it does make a return ?

Absolutely. I loved being a mentor and just helping all the talent. Because it’s a world that I know so well. I grew up in and I love helping other people, especially in music. And I love helping people believe in themselves.

Tell us about McDonald and Dodds, people across socials were so shocked when they saw you in it, how did that come about and were you a fan of the show prior to your appearance. Yeah, I also love acting. I was thrilled to be part of McDonald and Dodds, cos I think it’s such a brilliant show and the cast are amazing. The lead actors were so welcoming of me and the other guest actors in the show. It was a, you know, short film. It’s like 90 minutes, nearly two hours long. The director was fantastic. Everyone was just amazing. And I learned so much. I loved doing it. And I love acting, so there’ll definitely be more coming soon.

You did ‘Made In Dagenham’ for a one off show in the London Palladium. Did you enjoy it and do you ever see yourself doing a proper run in the westend? Oh and what show could you not say no to? - hanifest to the world

Made in Dagenham was so amazing. Definitely a learning curve because I had to learn the whole show in five days. We had a five day rehearsal period and then we had a sold out performance at the Palladium. And again, it’s working so closely with an amazing cast for a short period of time. And they were so talented and so kind to me. I love any project where I’m learning new things and to learn that amount of words in that amount of time was like nothing I’ve ever done before. Usually I have a lot more time, so I feel like it helped my brain expand a little bit more from just that experience. And also, it wasn’t long after I’d had my little Bubba, so I felt like it wasn’t even just going back and doing a normal show that I’m used to. It was going back and throwing myself in the deep end, doing something completely different that I hadn’t done before. But it was a really good thing to throw myself in that way, because then it felt like I could do anything after doing that. It was a great first job back and I loved it. I don’t know if I would be able to do a tour. I heard there’s a tour in the works but because now my album is coming out and I’m all guns blazing, focusing everything on that. But I related to the character loads, and I really found so much in Rita’s story that I loved. it’s about real people and real stories, and I love anything like that. So I’d love to help tell the story again in the future.

I read that later in the year you are in a festive movie called Christmas Karma , what can you tell us about the movie, your character and working with such a bonkers list of celebrities including Eva Longoria, Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter and Boy George. That was a really fun project. I’m not sure if it’s this Christmas or next Christmas, but it was another working class character like I’d just done in ‘Made In Dagenham’. It’s a very heartwarming story. So I really related to it so much, because it’s about family, giving. I love Christmas, I love music, so a Christmas music movie is like my dream project. It felt amazing to be a part of. The director, again, was incredible and the whole of the cast, so I feel very lucky to have been involved in that one as well.

On the subject of celebrities, you are so fortunate to have worked with icons such as Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie, do you ever get starstruck ? and is there anyone on your bucket list that you would love to collaborate with ?

Yes. I was blown away working with such legends, and I’m always in awe of people who are so talented and have been in the business for so many years and are still so talented and professional. And they were both just incredible. I would love to work with loads of more people - Chris Martin from Coldplay. Love his songs and the emotion in his writing and his voice, so I think that would be one for the bucket list.

Right we need to talk about the new album, the new album Encino is available to pre order now and will be released on 20th September

It’s 10 years since your last album, tell us why it has taken so long working on this album and also what does the name Encino mean ? When I googled I got a few different meanings Encino is a place in California where we wrote the album, made the album, and it actually means Oak Tree, which is really cool because the album is all about just authenticity and rawness and honesty and finding my roots and being who you truly are. And I feel like that is an oak tree vibe. So it was really cool when I found that out as well. But yeah, we’ve been making it for five years. I started it as a side project, as a passion project on the side, because I was actually doing dance pop at the time. But then I loved it so much. I was like, Why aren’t I doing this? The album I’ve always wanted to make. I loved it. I’m craving this authenticity, live music sound, which I’d never done before, but always loved. It was the music that I listened to, but I wasn’t making. I basically worked with Dave Gibson and Jeeve Ducourne on this because they also believed in the vision and believed in this project. We just started it all from scratch and made it all together in Encino. And it took five years in the making because not only did we want to really focus on every detail and really craft it over time instead of just putting it out willynilly. Covid was in the middle of it too. So there’s a few little things that held it up, but it needed to be right. Now thinking about it, the timing is so much better and perfect. Ten years ago, my last album came out. The first five years, I was doing lots of other projects. I was in a play, Breakfast at Tiffany’s for a year. I also was releasing demos and one-off singles. I did a dance feature with Anton Power’s called Baby, which was really fun. We performed it on the final of The

Voice with millions of dancers. I also was a coach on The Voice Kids for seven years. Even though I can’t believe it’s been 10 years, I feel like I’ve done so much in that time. But to the outside, it probably looks like I’ve just been sitting on my sofa. I haven’t been doing lots of stuff behind the scenes. But I’m very excited to be back with a full body of work this time.

Walk us through your creative process for writing songs on this album? Do you have any rituals or routines?

So it’s the first time I’ve ever done an album with just a really small team of people, which was really freeing. I got to write about everything that was actually in my heart, what I was learning, what I was going through, and I got to build up a real rapport where I could write about those things. Whereas previously, all my other albums, I’d worked with a different person every single day and so and you never go that deep with the subject matters. But doing a whole album with just 2 people, you can really go to town especially after 5 years. So that was the process and also I was really a part of the production.

I flew out to LA and was in Encino and focused on every single sound and made sure that it was cohesive so it sounded like a body of work. And Jeeve would show me a drum sound in the studio in which the Beatles used to record, and we’d use that drum sound. Then we’d use a piano that was in a hall in Austria back in the seventies. Also, before going to the studio, I was heavily into meditation which really helped with my writing and just like my life lessons of what I wanted to write about. So I’d always go to my meditation classes in Santa Monica and West Hollywood at a place called Unplug Meditation. I then, in the lockdown, did my meditation teacher training because of that. So that’s heavily involved in the album. And any other rituals, I would always go to Starbucks and get the coffees before the session, which I still do to this day. I love coffee.

Somebody’s Daughter is following me, just minutes ago it was on BBC Radio 2 , I love the story and vibe of the song. Was this an easy pick to be the first song released from the new album?

Well, I’m so pleased that you like it and it was basically the first choice because it really showcased the sound of the album. And it was quite a dramatic hit you in the face sound with the big drum sound and all the musicians being in there. So I feel like it was a really good first one to show the sound of the album, to show that it’s a different sound to what I’ve done before, and also that it has a message and it does have a meaning, which is hopefully an empowering message, which a lot of the songs have.

So I kinda wanted to show that with the first song to let people know what they’re in for, with the album.

I got a sneaky listen to the album , I must say It really felt like you were singing to me, so many personal and vulnerable songs, I love Vintage, Anybody Else and Say So, Is there a particular song on this album that you’re especially proud of or that has a deep personal meaning for you? That’s so cool. I love ballads too. Because they do get really emotional and you can really go to the heart of the matter. And also when it comes to live, I can really sing and belt them out. But, yeah, those ones are all personal to me for obvious reasons. Well, the whole album is, but they are particularly emotional. I think they definitely mean a lot to me, but I’m such a nostalgic person so I really love Blockbuster Video because it goes through all the memories of my life so far. And I also love Comes Back Around because it’s all about finding and learning my lessons, and going around the houses and trying all these different things and directions and sounds, and then coming back to stripping it all back to what is underneath. What I truly am, what music I love, what I love to do, and the lesson I learned in making this album. So I feel like it sums the album up perfectly.

Will you be sharing any other songs ahead of the album ? If so can we ask which lol Yeah. So, there’s definitely some more songs that I’m gonna be sharing before the album drops. So you have to guess which ones they’re gonna be, because there’s a couple more that you’re gonna hear before the album. I’m really, really excited!

I have to ask about Fashion, you wear some of the most amazing outfits, I adored the 2 piece white outfit you wore at Wimbledon, gave off old school hollywood glamour, do you wear what you like and piece things together yourself or is it all a facade and the work of a designer/ stylist?

It’s kind of a mixture. For Wimbledon, that was an outfit that I’d picked out myself. I love fashion and I love old school stuff. I just feel like things that are more lived in or more timeless, are cool. So I’ll always go towards that style. But, for instance, for my music video, I worked with an amazing stylist called Mollie French who picked the lovely body with the fluff and the gloves that I wore and the power suit for the end with the sparkly bits on. So, yeah, it’s kind of a mixture, but I dress myself a lot. But I love working with amazing stylists, and I love shooting for fashion magazines and love following fashion.

You’ve been in the industry so long, what keeps you inspired and motivated to continue making music?

I just think music is in my DNA and in my bones, so I wouldn’t be able to stop. I love performing. I love making music. I just feel like I have stories to tell, and I feel like I’ve learned so much. And, I also feel like I’m just getting started even though I’ve been in the business for a while.

Are there any plans for a tour or more live performances to promote the new album? What can fans look forward to?

Yes. There’ll always be lots of live shows coming up. There’ll be a tour next year. I’m doing random shows here and there. But always keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram because I’ll be announcing every show on there, and definitely, I’ll be on the festival circuit next summer.

Final Question, describe your album in a few words

Real, raw, authentic, organic, emotional and timeless.

Be sure to pre order her new album Encino NOW ahead of its 20th September release date

Pixie thank you so much for taking the time to chat

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