June 2009

Interview by Gary Baker, Sub editor

Little Boots will soon be marching into the pop big leagues with the release of her debut album, Hands. After picking up the BBC Sound of 2009 award earlier this year, big things are expected from the new kid on the electro pop block. Gary Baker caught up with Victoria, as her mum calls her, to talk through her continuing rise to the top.

Obvious one first: why Little Boots?

A friend had seen the film Caligula, which is latin for Little Boots. As I'm small and like wearing boots the name kind of stuck.

How's the promotion for the album going?

Great! I've just got back from Japan, I'm in Germany at the moment, I'll be flying over to the UK to do Jools Holland then I'm off to New York. So it's really busy, but it's going really well.

How do you feel about the album?

I'm really proud of it, really happy. I think it's a real collection of fun pop songs but there's a lot of honesty and heartfelt stuff on there too. I just hope that when people listen to it they can hear that and that most importantly they really like it.

You picked up the BBC Sound For 2009 award back in January, was there a temptation to rush the album out on the back of that?

No, not really. Back then I wasn't that close to finishing it so I was happy to let everyone wait until it was ready. I think because there was so much press, people were expecting an album straight away but we didn't know we were going to win that award until just before it was announced, so we just kept putting the album together at the same pace as we were working on it before really.

How did it feel to win?

I didn't really realise the implications of what it meant until it was out there and everyone knew. It really opened up a lot of doors for me and gave me some great opportunities. I got lots of positive feedback from all over, so that was really good.

Adele and Duffy topped the list last year. Do you feel any pressure to match up to what they've subsequently achieved?

Not really. I'll just do my own thing. There's a lot of expectation on the album but at the end of the day it's done now, so I just hope people like it. I'm just trying to concentrate on what I'm doing day to day, not really focus on what Duffy and Adele did.

What have you got coming up over the summer then?

I'm doing lots of UK and European festivals over the summer and I'm going over to Japan too. After that we've got a UK tour starting in October I think, then a minitour of America, Australia and Japan again toward the end of the year. Mainly I'll be doing festivals in the immediate future though.

Are you looking forward to playing the festival crowds?

Yeah, definitely. I haven't really played many festivals yet, so I'm definitely up for the challenge!

You've become a synonymous with your Tenorion (a Japanese bit of electronic musical kit), do you feel an affinity to all things Japanese?

Not especially. It's a Japanese designed instrument, but it's not like everyone over there has got one in their kitchen. I love the place and I had a good time over there, I think the Japanese media really got the album, they really get where I'm coming from. Because they're so into it, the record company want me to spend quite a bit more time over there which I'm more than happy to do as it's an amazing place and the people over there are really respectful.

Do you feel lucky that you're getting the opportunity to travel the world now?

Oh yeah, definitely. Not many people get to see the world before they've even released their first album. Because it's getting worldwide release at the same time, apart from America, I'm kind of pressured to do the world within a month. I think it's a really good thing to try and get a bit of a buzz going on all round the world.

Do you actually get the chance to explore any of the places you visit?

Not really, it's mostly hotels. We often go out to dinner which is really nice, we went to some great Japanese restaurants when we were there which was really good. Normally though I don't get to see too much. I'm trying to book a few days off in the various places we're visiting, after the gigs and things, so I can check them out a bit more. Hopefully once things get more off the ground I'll be able to see more of the places we go to.

What about America then, are you going to make a conscious effort to 'break' it?

I think so, the American label are really excited and really want to push it. We've held the release back so we can spend a bit more time to get it right and really go for it over there. We're just working out when would be the best time to do it properly, instead of releasing it over there at the same time as everywhere else which would mean we'd be spending so much time rushing back and forth. We've had really good feedback when we've played over there before, so I'm excited to give it a go.

You played South By Southwest (massive Texas music festival) where you performed your stripped back cover of At Night by Kid Cudi, is the rumour he wants you to rerecord it true?

He wants me to record a version that's based on my cover, it's slowed down with strings and stuff, for his album trailer or something. I think if I have time I'm sure I'll do it.

After you bumped into Kanye West, if you read the tabloids, you'd think you were best mates with him now, how do you take the increased press coverage you're getting?

Well the Kanye thing is about as far from the truth as you can get. I just try and ignore it really. They just make everything up, as soon as the words are out of your mouth they take them, swap them round and turn them into something else. It's ridiculous.

As you get more successful, the media intrusion is sure to increase. Are you ready for that?

Not really. I don't think you can ever be ready for that. I just hope it doesn't get too out of hand.

The internet must be important to you, your You Tube videos were where you built your fan base, do you get time to do those as much as you'd like now?

No, it's hard to find the time and because I'm away all the time it's really hard to find internet access, I'm always chasing it. Whenever I get time though, and I'm not too tired, then I'll try and get something done. I want to keep doing them and keep connecting with the fans, I definitely don't want to lose all that kind of stuff. It's really important to me to keep that connection. I don't just want to release an album and then sack off everything that I've done to get it off the ground, people just won't stay with you if you do that.

How did it feel to collaborate with Phil Oakey on the album?

Amazing really, I'm a massive fan. It was a huge honour to get him on the record but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to meet him as I was in LA the only day he could do it and I'd already recorded the song. Hopefully in the future I'll get the chance though. You never know, he could be around somewhere at the same time as we are, there could be an impromptu duet.

What about the long term future, where do you see yourself in five years time?

On a desert island drinking pina coladas I'm joking. Hopefully I want to just keep making albums. But there's big pressure in that the chances of you making your next record depends on how many people buy your current one, so I'm kind of nervous about the release really. Hopefully it'll do well enough to let me just keep going and be creative. That's what I love at the end of the day.

Little Boots' debut album, Hands, is out now. Visit www.littlebootsmusic.co.uk for more informtation.