Pixie Lott: ‘Eight years ago I was broken – now I’m back I have a lot to learn’-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

After 10 years away, Pixie Lott is back with a new album (Picture: REX)

It’s hard to fathom that it’s been 10 years since the world was treated to a new Pixie Lott album, and perhaps even more baffling that it’s been 15 years since she burst onto the scene with her debut single, Mama Do.

But now, after a decade away perfecting her craft and adding several strings to her bow, the 33-year-old pop star is back with a powerful story to tell.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk ahead of the release of her new tune, Somebody’s Daughter, Pixie opens up about the excitement of relaunching her music career, but also how hitting rock bottom taught her valuable life lessons.

Eight years ago, the All About Tonight hitmaker had it all and was broadening her abilities as a performer by starring in a stage adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, bringing verve and musicality to the capricious Holly Golightly.

However, her stage debut wasn’t without hardship, as Pixie emerged from her 12-week string of shows a ‘broken’ woman, leaving her no choice but to confront her demons and rebuild her mental health in the aftermath.

‘In 2016 I was doing a play. The storyline was Breakfast at Tiffany’s but it was based on the book, not the movie, so it was very dark. In the second act, she (Holly) loses everything – her husband, her baby, her cat who she loves… everything.

The pop icon burst onto the music scene in 2009 with her debut album, Turn It Up (Picture: Mark Campbell/REX/Shutterstock)

Now 33, Pixie has blossomed as a performer (Picture: Scott Garfitt/REX/Shutterstock)

‘I ended up on the floor, crying my eyes out every single night and I did that eight times a week for almost a year. By the end of it, I was completely broken because it almost felt like it was happening to me. I was being the character more than I was being myself.’

Pixie adds: ‘I didn’t realise that it was creeping up on me and then I was a complete mess mentally. It took me a good couple of years to actually get out of that state of mind.’

Consequently, mental health is a topic she’s keen to touch on in her new music, with one song, titled Say So, detailing that ‘transformative’ phase in her life.

‘I want to make music people can relate to,’ Pixie states proudly.

Speaking of new music, it’s fair to say the industry has evolved greatly since the singer’s last record dropped.

In her time away from the studio, chart-topper Pixie featured as a coach on The Voice Kids and also dipped her toe into acting, no stranger to playing a character thanks to her West End credits as a teen.

She starred in a stage production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 2016, which had a severe impact on her mental health (Picture: Joanne Davidson/REX/Shutterstock)

Pixie was a ‘broken’ woman (Picture: Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock)

But while Pixie has released several singles in recent years – such as Baby with DJ Anton Powers and Won’t Forget You featuring Stylo G, both in 2017 – it’s been a hot minute since she had a body of work to be proud of, in which time streaming has taken over and social media has grown to have unprecedented influence.

Admitting that she’s playing catch-up, the Kiss The Stars singer says: ‘[The industry] is completely different now. I’m still trying to get my head around it. I feel like my brain is still in a kind of old-school way because that’s all I’ve known, so I need to learn a lot. Even going for chart positions everyone’s like, “Chart positions don’t matter anymore!”‘

At a time when ‘nostalgia acts’ are having a resurgence, from Girls Aloud to Natasha Bedingfield, Pixie ponders over whether she falls into that category.

‘I wouldn’t think of myself as a nostalgia act but, I guess, maybe I am because it’s been such a long time! And I have such a nostalgic heart, so I get what it feels like to hear a song and have it take you back to that moment in time.’

She’s now gearing up to release her album Encino, named lovingly after the neighbourhood where it was crafted in Los Angeles.

Pixie declares that she had total ‘creative freedom’ in the songwriting process, acknowledging how, in her earlier years, label bosses might steer her in certain directions to maximise commercial success.

She and husband Oliver Cheshire share an adorable baby boy, Albert (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock for NTA)

Her new single, Somebody’s Daughter, has a powerful message (Picture: Pixie Lott)

Noting that it’s ‘freeing’ to be in the driver’s seat for the first time, the pop icon is excited for fans – who have been waiting patiently for this day – to enjoy ‘timeless’ songs.

‘I wanted to make an album of real music. Timeless songs which are all about the storytelling and about the real instruments. It’s an album I’ve always wanted to make and it’s just taken me a long time. I’ve gone around the houses a lot to get to this place.

‘With Somebody’s Daughter, I feel like it was the perfect first song because it shows me singing with a full band in the most dramatic way. It also has an empowering message, not just for girls but for everyone, to remind them to spread love and kindness, and stand up for yourself, which is something I wouldn’t have done in the past.’

Don’t fret though, Pixie fans, as she still holds her old hits dearly.

Referencing bops such as Boys and Girls and Nasty, she says with a smile: ‘I feel super lucky to have had them because they’ve got me to where I am. Whenever I do a show, they’re always the ones that people are jumping around to the most and getting their party on to.

‘But at the same time, I’m also ready to sing some new material because, as you can imagine, I have been singing these songs for many a year. I’ll always have fun singing them, but they’re definitely of a time. They’re very synthy so it’s nice to get back to this organic place which is why I fell in love with music.

Pixie is itching to get back on stage with new material (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/REX/Shutterstock)

‘I’ll always love those songs, but I’m just super excited to get into this new era.’

In disbelief that it’s been over a decade since she started out in the ‘crazy biz’, Pixie couldn’t be more thankful for the supporters who have stuck around, stating they are what ‘keeps [her] going.’

‘I know that it has been a long time and I wouldn’t have planned for it to be this long, so I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.’

She’s also now a mum to nine-month-old son Albert, whom she shares with husband Oliver Cheshire, adding that motherhood has given her a fresh perspective on life and allowed her songs to take on a different meaning, keen to bring Bertie along for the memories.

So, as she gets back on stage, microphone in hand, older and wiser with a message to spread, it seems like the world is, once again, at Pixie Lott’s feet.

‘I’ve never made an album like this, ever in my life, and I didn’t even know it was possible until I started it. It felt like it was a bit of a risk, but I knew I’d come to a point where it was now or never.’

Pixie Lott’s new single, Somebody’s Daughter, is out now. Her fourth studio album, Encino, drops on September 27, with tickets now on sale for a London show previewing the record in July.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : 00s hit pop song you didn’t know was a loaded takedown of Justin Timberlake

MORE : Chart-topping pop icon teases future James Bond theme song – with a twist

MORE : 90s music legend reveals harrowing message she got from Dario G weeks before his death

Entertainment – MetroRead More