Katie Melua serenades FemaleFirst

15-11-2008 15:25

Katie Melua

Katie Melua is one of the biggest-selling UK-based, female artists in the world and has shared the stage with her idols, Queen during a concert for Nelson Mandela.

With a new album and tour on the cards, she is a very busy lady but I caught up with the doe-eyed beauty to find out about her life as a singer, what it’s like having dinner with the Queen and where she would hide an elephant.

Hey Katie, what have you been getting up to recently… anything mega exciting?

I’m on tour at the moment which is pretty exciting!

What’s it like playing huge arenas?

It’s amazing! It’s a strange environment because there are so many people there to witness what you’re doing and to take part in it. The energy can vary quite a lot from place to place but ultimately I am surprised how much I enjoy playing huge venues!

You wouldn’t think my music is for big arenas but we still rock out quite a lot and make it a big show. There are intimate moments in there though and it seems to be working out pretty well.

Is it daunting going out on stage and having so many people looking up at you?

Well the lights are usually too bright to let you see the faces but that is usually worse because you’re just looking out at an abyss of darkness! Sometimes I like to see faces because people look excited and stuff.

You also have a delicious new single and album coming out… what has the reaction been like from the fans?

Well it’s not new in the sense in the fact that it’s a new album, it’s just a collection of old songs and three new tracks. The first track is Two Bare Feet and the reaction to that have been really good when I’ve played it live.

It’s great to have new stuff to play within the set; the next song is called Toy Collection which is a intimate little number that I wrote about not wanting to grow up.

Is there a certain process you go through when writing songs?

I generally need to be close to falling asleep or just really hazy to spark off the initial idea but then I work at it to make it what it is. If I write something I believe in the craft of song writing and re-working it and trying to make it better.

I love it! So if you had the chance to sing with another artist, who would it be?

I reckon it would be Joni Mitchell; she’s amazing.

What has been the proudest moment in your career?

When I made my first record and seeing them in print on manuscript paper.

What do you think is the hardest part of doing what you do?

It’s all a bit relative: sometimes the travelling seems hard and sometimes I love it. Sometimes staying in a hotel night after night is hard and sometimes I love it. Sometimes getting recognised on the street and feeling like you’re being watched all the time is hard and then other times I don’t mind it at all so I don’t really know if there is one thing that’s hard.

Probably ultimately the lack of time you have at home.

So after the tour is over, what’s next for you?

I’m just going to be writing and taking some time off because the last five years have been predominantly touring and album, touring and album.

Very well deserved! If you could go back in time and prevent a huge catastrophe, which would it be?

Ooh, there are so many to pick! I am one of those people who believe in fate and think everything happens for a reason, but lets think of a good one… I would probably get rid of shoulder pads in the 1980’s!

Haha, great answer, that’s criminal! So we ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview and Katherine Jenkins wants to know “If I gave you an Elephant where would you hide it?”

Genius question! In my bath, it’s quite big so the elephant could fit in it and we could have baths together - not in a weird way though.

So can you come up with a question for the next person I interview please?

Would you ever consider hiring a hitman to assassinate a paparazzo?

Ooh, would you?

Luckily I have never been in that situation, but if it got really bad….

Never say never! Ha ha!

FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison