http://reflectiveinklings.com/2011/05/17/bernard-butler-is-a-generally-brilliant-bloke-the-interview-with-nerina-pallot/

 

 

"It has been weeks since Nerina Pallot released the video for Put Your Hands Up (The Reflective Inklings review) yet I still am gushing over the fact that it remains to be one of the year’s best tracks. Nerina Pallot’s album, Year of The Wolf, is now set for a June 13 release date – yes, the release date was moved by two weeks. Bad news aside, I would like to say that I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to ask some questions to Nerina. The questions tackle various topics such as her album and its tracks, her working experiences with Kylie Minogue and Diana Vickers, and many more. As usual, the questions will be in bold format.

 

Hello Nerina! How are you?

I am very well, thank you. The sun is out and I’m having an ice cream.

I was fortunate to have heard your album and I have to say I really like it. What was the first track to be recorded for the album?

If I recall, Put Your Hands Up was the first song we started work on.

How was the recording process for Year of the Wolf? How long did it take?

It was easy, by far the most enjoyable album making experience of my four albums and really really fast. (For me, anyway! It normally takes me 4 years between albums, this one is coming out 18 months after my third album.) We rehearsed all the songs and cut most of them live in a week. A really great experience, not least because I got to work with Bernard Butler who is an amazing producer and generally brilliant bloke.

I was really intrigued with one track in the album which is Turn Me On Again. Is the track really about sex? If so, what inspired you to make a track about sex?

Ha ha! Well, I meant that all good pop songs should really by 3 and a half minutes about sex in general, not just the ‘act’ itself if you know what I mean. TMOA is about flirting, really, about the thrill of the chase – that’s sometimes the most fun part I think.

While I was looking at my copy of Diana Vickers’ album, I saw your name in the writing credits. I have to ask how was the working experience with Miss Vickers?

Diana’s lovely, really talented and a joy to work with. She was fresh off the X Factor when she came into the studio to work with myself and my husband, Andy Chatterley, and we really enjoyed her enthusiasm and work ethic.

I also noticed that you actually wrote the title track of Miss Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite. How was it working with Kylie? What inspired you to write Aphrodite?

Kylie started working with myself and Andy based on hearing ‘Better Than Today’ which ended up being her last single, and from that we wrote some more tracks, one of which was ‘Aphrodite’. I wanted to write something for Kylie that celebrated all the things I think she radiates, and all the reasons I have been a fan since I was a kid; femininity, love, her goddess quality. She’s a true icon and I wanted to give her a song to represent that.

I have to say that I still love listening to Put Your Hands Up.  What made you decide that it should be the lead single off the album?

It was the song everyone involved in my album was whistling every time they heard it!

At the end of the Put Your Hands Up video, I heard a reference to the Arsenal FC. I also saw a recent tweet of yours about your joy at the recent Arsenal result (Arsenal just won 1-0 against Manchester United). Are you an Arsenal FC fan?

I am a huge Arsenal fan, although it’s been a story of sadness and disappointment for the last few years. I think of Arsenal as that boyfriend who treats you badly a lot of the time, but when they’re good to you there’s nobody else in the world you’d rather be with. For the last few years though, this boyfriend keeps forgetting my birthday and only takes me out for dinner once a year.

Why name the album as “Year of the Wolf”?

I wrote and recorded the album while I was pregnant with my son, Wolfie, so it’s named after him.

What do you feel about Joe McElderry? Is it true that you said that you are “to blame” for Joe’s career not taking off?

I feel bad for Joe because he only won the X Factor 18 months ago and yet it already feels like his career is not going very well. I think the show these days seems to exist to boost TV ratings and make the producers and TV companies loads of money but the actual contestants themselves get thrust into the limelight very suddenly and with minimal support. I also have issues with the way the contestants’ albums have release dates before they’re even made – so the albums are rushed out and not always representative of what the artist is really like. While I was flattered that one of my songs was chosen for Joe’s album, I think he should have taken a bit more time and made something with a bit more of ‘him’ in it. I think that’s what I meant when I said I felt partly to blame. Having said that, the X Factor can be amazing for the contestants, Diana Vickers has used the show as a great springboard for her career, but she also took a lot of care over recording her first album and going on tour with it. Also, when there is so little music on TV these days it’s still better that the biggest slot of the week on TV is a show given over to music. (Well, most of the time, I’m not sure Wagner counts as music!) But I get grumpy when I see the press giving these kids such a hard bloody time. People shouldn’t be shot down and made fun of just coz they have hopes and dreams, everyone has something they cherish but are a bit too scared to go for. Admittedly, some of the performers early on in the series could do with learning how to actually sing!!

What should your fans expect from your upcoming album?

Just songs with heart, really. A tune you can whistle and thoughtful lyrics. (And I don’t sing the word ‘baby’ once. Oh. Actually I do, in the song ‘Grace’ but it’s in the literal sense, not in the ‘ooh baby, baby’ way ;o))

Any message for your fans, Nerina?

I am so so lucky to have an incredibly loyal fanbase. So many have been with me since my first album TEN years ago! I truly would not have kept going without them – whenever I wanted to give up or thought nobody would really care if I made music or not, I would get a message from someone telling me what my songs meant to them and to please make another record. I’m now on album four, and I think it’s largely to do with that level of support from fans. So my message is thank you, thank you, and although I put myself into my albums 100%, I make them for YOU.

 

Thank you so much for answering the questions, Nerina!"

 

(Jio Canlas)