You toured the UK in April – how was it?
It was really intense – so long and tiring. It’s weird, because I think back to the earlier dates of the tour and they just seem like they were years ago! We looked back at them and we were like ‘Oh, remember that time you got sick in the supermarket?’, but it was just brilliant. Coming face-to-face with all of the fans and seeing everyone being so positive was a brilliant thing. It’s great for people to still be singing the songs back to me.
You released your new album Girl Talk earlier this year – what’s your favourite track on the album?
I really like playing Sista. It feels really powerful when we play it live. A lot of them are pretty fun to play actually – Conventional Girl is another great one. It’s just great to be able to play the new ones in a different set-up to what we’re used to.
Was the album easy to write and record?
It kind of was, but it kind of wasn’t – it was an interesting combination of emotions. I was going through a really shit time, so I went to LA and really threw myself into making the record. I stayed in this really beautiful mansion with my girl band, and going through all these up and downs together made everything really beautiful and intense. The highs were high and the lows were low, meaning it was a really intense experience and one I’ll never forget. The songs just purged out of me, so it was quite a quick and easy experience in a way.
You’re now signed to your own label – do you think this gives you more creative freedom?
Yeah, I think so – I’ve always just tried to be free creatively anyway, but it’s definitely different. There are challenges, but it makes my future really exciting. I feel like I don’t really fit into the commercial and mainstream pop stereotype, and I think it’s great to not have the pressure of having to fit to that.
What’s your favourite track on Girl Talk?
Hmmm… Oh is really important to me. It’s the most ‘poppy’ track on the record and a friend of mine sang on it – she died last year, so it was amazing to have her on the album and I was so glad to have her on there.
Why did you choose to take a more guitar-based direction on the new album?
I was just quite emotional and angry, and I needed to be loud and powerful – I just couldn’t be like that in my personal life or in public, so the only way I could be loud and powerful in the music. I felt really good playing it, so I did it. Pop, punk and rock are my favourite genres, so I’ve always experimented with various combinations of those three sounds.
What inspired you to start making music?
I always had music around in the house, and I was always a creative person – I liked performing stories, and songwriting just seemed fun to me!
You published a blog piece entitled ‘I’m a Feminist, You’re Still a Whore’ – is feminism something you’ve always felt strongly about?
It’s a really important subject matter to me. The other day I was reading this crazy blog – it was about this guy in China who sued his wife for having ugly children, and there was an article on there about how women are liars because they use make-up and tan their bodies. I was just sat there thinking ‘this is really weird, is there really still stuff like that being written in 2013?!’… I started an after-school club in 2011 for girls who want to make music, because there are less female composers than male… I just want to be able to be a voice for girls and to stand up for them.
Which song do you wish you’d written?
The Circle of Life from The Lion King.
We’ve got a few questions from your fans on Facebook and Twitter!
Where do you keep your BRIT Award?
It’s on my TV! I sometimes use it instead of a baseball bat at night when I think there’s someone in the house…
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever been sent by a fan?
I get sent a lot of cool shit. Someone just made a skateboard for me, with a skull and Girl Talk written on it – it’s awesome! We’ve been skating around the venue today, it was really fun.
What’s your favourite song from your three albums?
Ooh, that’s hard… I don’t really think about them too much once I’ve written them… I don’t know, that’s a hard question. You attach things to the writing process or to the recording, so they’re all different experiences. I couldn’t choose!
What’s Skeleton Song about?
It was inspired by Tim Burton and the world of the fantastical characters that he creates. My Mum had a skeleton in the house, so I wrote about the skeleton being my friend. I guess it’s about putting pressure on yourself to be a certain thing.
Can you describe yourself in three words?
Clumsy, fun and passionate.
