Charlene Soraia
Hello there little monster, what are you up to?
*puurrrr* I'm definitely not sleeping! I could be sleeping, I've been thinking about sleeping today, but I decided in spring to only hibernate in winter. I'm a seasonal beast, but alas.. Hello Female First! It's nice to meet you, let's shake hands!
So, tell me a bit about what you’re here to promote?
Other than peace and love for my memory glands, I'm promoting my debut Single When We Were Five released on August 9th... It's off my first album Moonchild which is released later in the year. Paul Stacey (Black Crowes, Oasis) produced it. The single is a six and half minute progressive track which goes into 5/4, so it's not very commercial, but it's very musical and cinematic and bittersweet and there's this super sexy trumpet part and awrrgh! It's fun... I like it... I hope other people get it... If not, that's ok...
And if we didn’t have any clue as to who you were, what three words sum you up?
A guitaring lunatic (in the literal sense)... i don't mind!
And as Jacko had the Moonwalk and Elvis had the snake hips, what do you have that makes you unique?
I can sing those super high notes... Like Minnie Riperton.. (and Mariah Carey)... Once my friends and I were feeling a bit psychedelic and colourful one night and we were listening to dub music with the TV on mute.. It was one of those music channels and Miss Carey came on and we all started howling like a pack of dogs and one of us made this stupidly high squeakle. Turned out it was me! And so we kept on doing it all night... and the next day.. and the next... and I went from taking the piss to really learning how to control it and use it! ... a bit silly, but that's what happened...
Now, clearly we need to get to know each other more, so tell me an interesting fact about you that noone else knows?
I'm obsessed by the moon? Erm... When i was about 6 we had loadsa frogs in our little pond in my garden and my dad wanted me and my sisters to take them to the park and put them in the big pond and he gave me a tupperware box to put a few in and told me not to close the lid, but... I didn't want them to escape, so I closed the lid and opened it every now and again so they got some air... But when we got to the park I opened the box and tipped them into the pond and.. they were floating and deaded... I felt awful.. I thought the universe would strike me down dead as a murderer... Someone once described me as mad as a box of frogs, but I wasn't ready to make my confession!
What song do you wish you’d written?
Katie Price's new single of course! Have you heard it? No, seriously, Robert Wyatt's Sea Song. In fact that entire album is incredible... I wish I had written it... Sometimes I pretend Letter to Hermione is about me... That's a David Bowie song. its delicious!
If I was contemplating coming to your show or sitting at home and watching TV, how would you convince me to come out?
I'd draw you a picture of course! And tell you I'll buy you a drink, because people like drinks... or if you wanted to stay at home because you were feeling sad and mooch I'd convince you with cuddles... Because I'm that kinda monster!
And if you were to take me on a trip to your hometown, what would be the first place we’d go?
After showing you my stamp collection I'd take you out for a coffee, the lady round the corner in the Sugarhill cafe in Sydenham, London makes an awesome coffee and Panini. After that I might take you to an art exhibition, there's a surreal one on at barbican I want to go see soon... Erm... I'd take you to friends' gigs who are good... I don't know?!!? I'm a lonely girl most of the time...
Who was the last person you called / text and what for?
My friend Jon... He's tired and I'm procrastinating... So we nearly went for coffee... but we didn't.. because we're silly people... but I could do with a coffee... hmm... I might run over there...
If you were a superhero, what would be your superpower?
My super power? I'd like to have magic eyes to be able to zoom into things, like a microscope, and see things in minute detail... and then zoom out and into other universal things like space! Yeah that would be awesome! I'd like to watch moons go around planets in other solar systems... I do this in my mind, so to do it for real would be fun...
If you had to date a member of the same sex who would it be?
Audrey Tatou... Mmmmmmmmm(!)
What was the last thing you bought?
I bought some dinner at Strada... Actually I didn't, that was bought for me... What was the last thing I bought? I Bought some ice-creams! Mmmmm mint Cornetto!
Have you ever been arrested?
No... But only because I've never been caught...
Speaking of prison - if you were to send someone to prison for crimes against music, who would it be?
Anyone who uses autotune... They are shameful sinners... YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT! I suppose the sad thing about it is that most listeners can't tell the difference, but I just hear that a lot of modern music has lost its magic moments with all this overuse of editing and quantising and autotune and... POST PRODUCTION! If you record a nice sound, you'll hear a nice sound back. And if you play that nice sound well and practice then you don't need to edit it so much. There are too many "successful" artists who haven't mastered the true are of their instrument/voice and rely on post production. It's sad... and annoying... Oh, I'm ranting now, I don't mean to. There's no autotune on my record and most of it is recorded live... *miaow*..
What were you doing last night at 11?
I was catching up on Eastenders... yes I watch Eastenders.... WHATS LUCAS GONNA DO NEXT?!!!!?!!!???!!!