Synonymous with infectiously endearing pop hits (‘Mama Do’, ‘All About Tonight’, and ‘Boys And Girls’), Pixie majorly dominated the charts throughout the 2010s. She also regularly showed her soulful side with tracks like ‘Cry Me Out’ and ‘Gravity’, hinting that there was more than what met the eye of the singer-songwriter.
Now, 10 years after her last self-titled album, Pixie is back with an album detailing the missing piece we were missing all those years ago. ‘Encino’ proves her emotional range, technical vocal ability, writing craft, and effortless ease within a full-band setting. ‘Encino’ reaches depths of brilliance and genius that previous pop offerings just ever so slightly struggled to reach.
In a whirlwind of press, performances, and general life, Pixie took the time to speak with us, remaining radiant, grateful, and utterly down to earth. We discussed all things ‘Encino’ and the joys of close-knit collaboration, our shared love of albums in a world of fast-paced consumption, and trying to keep optimistic above all else.
Firstly, how are you doing? It seems 2024 has been a really big year for you - how has everything felt on your end?
It's felt amazing. It's been very busy, especially this week because it's release week for the album. But I've been waiting a long, long time for it to come out, so it feels amazing. Bertie also just turned one, my little baby, and we’ve just moved house as well, so it’s all kind of happened at the same time.
And this album ‘Encino’ will be your first release in 10 years. How has your time away from the music scene been, and how has it been to return to it?
It feels incredible to be back with an album. I've still been writing songs, and dropping demos and features over the past 10 years, but I was just craving to make a full body of work. People sort of told me “oh, people don't listen to albums anymore” but I'm a big believer in albums, so it feels really good to be back in that way.
I’ve been doing some acting and fashion projects as well, and The Voice Kids was for seven years, so that took up a lot of time too. But yeah, it feels good to be back!
I'm so on board with that. Having a full body of work is a much more immersive way to release music and get your message across. You did release album tracks ‘Somebody’s Daughter’ and ‘Midnight Trash’ as singles beforehand - why were these the perfect tracks to give people an early taste of the album?
It's really hard with these singles because I’m attached to them all! Even the next one, I'm like, “oh God, what should it be?”. I think ‘Somebody's Daughter’ really gave the full band sound. ‘Midnight Trash’ also featured live musicians in a different flavour, a more up-tempo, fun-sounding way than ‘Somebody's Daughter’. And then the rest of the album is different again, so I hope people check out the whole thing.
The album talks about a range of topics - some light-hearted themes, some slightly heavier. But to me, your music has always felt innately hopeful. Is that a conscious choice?
Oh, thank you. That's really cool that you said that. I mean, I always try and stay hopeful in life in general, so maybe that's where you get that vibe from. There are definitely a lot more deeper songs on this album that I haven't had on my previous ones. I think just getting older and having lived life, going through different things and different hardships, the nature of this album was all about being real and telling stories. Even though I've been through some tough things that I wanted to put out there, I think it's important to try and keep a positive outlook on life, because I think that's what helps get you through. ‘Happy’ is a song about appreciating the simple, little things in life.
I wanted to remind myself of that too, when I’m on tour and promoting the album because it’s so easily forgotten when you're busy and you're going about the daily grind of life. If the whole album was just about tough times, I think it would be hard to sing it every night on stage, because you've got to have that balance. You've got to be real and honest and talk about the things that you've been through, but you've also got to have that things that lift you out of it.
Exactly. It works for the artist as well as the listeners because your music takes us out of our own headspace too. It’s nice, as a listener, to be reminded to not get swept up in the everyday things as you say, and have an escape from it.
For me, it’s the happiest songs that lift me out of it. When I wrote ‘Show You Love’, which is about giving love and getting love back, I actually wrote that when I was in a really tough place. Sometimes the most positive songs are actually written when you're in a not positive space because you need to hear them the most.
I saw that the album is titled ‘Encino’ because that's where you actually wrote the album, and you worked with a really small team this time around. I think you can really tell that it's been made by a tight-knit team because everything is so cohesive and well-sculpted. Do you think you'll continue to work that way in the future?
Oh, thank you! Yeah, I'd definitely keep it to a small team. I didn’t even realise you could even write an album like that because it was so different when I started out. I was working with so many new, different people every day. And it's really hard to build that way. So with ‘Encino’, I really got to delve beneath the surface and write about subjects that you don't mind sharing about.
Yeah, as you get to know people on a personal level for who they are, it allows you to feel safer with them in a songwriting setting. It’s a very full-circle way of working.
Then you're all on the same page for the whole project; we all had the same vision, we were all driving towards the same goal. It felt a lot more authentic than just being put in a room and told to write a hit song by the end of the day.
I also feel you've stepped into your own on ‘Encino’, especially with your vocals which are just soaring above so much full-band instrumentation where they could so easily be lost. Do you think that confidence has come from taking some time out, or something that has come with age, as you’ve learned how best to utilise your voice?
Ah, thank you. I think, to be honest, it's the style of music. Because when you're singing super poppy, clubby stuff, you don't have room to breathe as a singer. But with ‘Encino’, one of the main focuses was to always have the vocals cut through. So we did have to go back on a few mixes and make sure it was the lead because it was all about the storytelling, the lyrics.
Achieving that on the acoustic tracks is always easy, but the full band ones, as you say, you have to work on a bit. But I'm pleased that you noticed that because that was a conscious effort.
Oh, well I think you got the mix perfect then! You've performed a few smaller, intimate shows recently to celebrate the album’s release. How has it been to play, and how has the audience received it?
Playing live is my favourite part and it will always be. I've been blown away really with the response and comments. And because it's an album that thrives in a live setting, I think it's the best way to actually hear it.
There is definitely something about a live show that can pull the songs out of themselves a bit more.
I love the studio recordings, but live is even more raw and real because it's a whole experience within itself. We've done a few full band shows where you get to really hear it how it should be, and also a few stripped-back sessions, where you get to hear the bare bones of the songwriting.
I can imagine returning to something after a long break might be a little intimidating. Do you have any advice for anyone who might be in a similar position?
It's kind of a funny one because, for me, it doesn't really feel like I'm returning, because I've still been busy behind the scenes. I'm returning with an album, but I've also been living with these songs for a long time. But advice-wise, if you're doing what you love, just enjoy it. And because I'm back with this kind of album, I just feel really, really happy to be playing songs that really mean a lot to me. So I think the main thing I've learned is that just being authentically yourself is the best way that you can go.
Is there anything else in the pipeline for the rest of this year or 2025 that we should keep our eyes out for?
There'll definitely be another single now that the album's out, with lots of shows to be announced, so definitely stay tuned on all of the socials. I’ve got a couple of acting projects too, but music's going to be the focus. I'm just so happy to be back.
Rachel Feehan
Image: Nicola Nodland
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment Here;
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.