We'd had 13 albums before this one, and I wanted to do a solo project. That experience just came through on the new record. I was waiting for ages to make a Erasure dance record, properly, which this feels like. I've been really pleased with the reaction.

-Was there anything different with the writing or recording process after a relatively bigger gap?
Usually, we're pretty hands-on, and we see it through from the beginning to the end. This time, we were much more...let Frankmusik do what he wants to do.

Me and Vince...we were working together, apart from writing the songs which were very reinterpreted by Frank...probably, out of the whole process, about six weeks. It wasn't that long really.

I think he's done a brilliant job. I couldn't have asked for anything more. He was kinda my instinctive choice.

-As you said, this is your 14th album. What do you think is the secret behind the band's longevity?
Vince and I have been quite similar in our approach, quite down to earth. We're not really involved in show-business really, in the gossip magazines and all that stuff. I think it's kept us with a realistic view of what it's like.

-Is it important to stay grounded?
Definitely. One thing people don't realise, when they read about The X Factor and all these things in the papers, how they've made so much money, jetting around. They're paying for everything. That's usually why they end up broke after five years or so.

-They seem to get a fast-track to fame, and then drop off. Do you have an opinion on The X Factor at all?
Well, I think the format's becoming very predictable. The type of people they choose is quite predictable. The kind of people that are attracted to these shows are some psychological type of person.

As you say - the fast-track to fame kind of thing. I would prefer to do it on my own, join a band and do it that way. I don't want to discredit those people, of course, but it's a different thing.

-In 2004 you announced that you'd been diagnosed with HIV. Was it a hard decision to make it public?
It felt quite tricky. Before I was diagnosed, my boyfriend was diagnosed in 1990. A guy had stolen my jacket in a nightclub, and he told one of the newspapers that I was his boyfriend and that I had infected him. It was all lies.

At the time, I'd had my appendix out, and they'd tested me anyway - it was negative. When I found out that I was positive, this was about five years later, that whole thing was on my mind.

That's why it took me a while to come to terms with the whole thing. It's such a shock. I think people's reactions are different. Sometimes it takes half a year, sometimes people just don't want to face it.

I'd much rather not be, but at the same time there is solidarity in the HIV community.

-Was it something that affected the atmosphere in the band for a while?
I don't think so. At that time, Vince and I were quite self-destructive in our behaviour then. We were taking quite a lot of ecstasy and coke. We were very bleak with our outlook. I think that added to the whole thing.

-Is it important that people with a platform use it to raise awareness of certain issues?
I can understand why illness can be a very personal issue. You want to keep it to yourself and your family, and keep it private. I thought with the whole HIV thing, cos it affects millions of people, I just wanted to be counted. The HIV community, especially in London, is really amazing. The care that we have, the treatment we get, is amazing.

-Moving back to the music, given the length of your career, what differences have you noticed as the industry's been shifting?
It's hard to know. We're quite...I don't know if this is the right word, but quite polarised, cos of how we started. Then, we had a time when we were on TV all the time and did any show that was going.

When the Spice Girls came along it became very commercial, and they were advertising anything that was going. We'd never done that before. We'd been asked in 1995 whether we'd include a free scratch card with one our singles, and we said no.

That doesn't mean if you got an advert for Coca Cola, you'd say no. We do have one in Argentina. It's quite good to be choosey about those things.

Now it seems to be that, because the outlet isn't so wide for music now, it seems like young artists, they aspire to have their music on adverts. I think that's sad.

-Well, there's a punk band from Camden called The King Blues whose song was used, but they justified it as a way for them to make money to support the band. Do you think it's justifiable in that way?
Well, I think it's a way of getting your music promoted. Moby...with his biggest album, they licensed every track to a commercial. It seemed like you were selling your soul.

I don't know if I would feel comfortable with that. It's nice to have your music on the TV, but it gets to a point where it's saturated.  It's just everywhere. Sometimes, it doesn't even depend on the song - it's just who they are.

-Definitely. Looking to the future, besides the tour dates, what else is there on the horizon?
Well, there's nothing really. We thought we'd like to do some writing, not for anything. Just to try write for the sake of writing.

Female First - Alistair McGeorge


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