Bowie Jane
Bowie Jane is set to return with her new single Bad Boy and she is about to start working on her debut album.
We caught up with the singer/songwriter to chat about the latest track, what we can expect from the album and what is on the horizon.
- You are about to release your new single Bad Boy so what can we expect from this new track?
It is a little similar to Luv Bomb in terms of the sound. But this track is about bad boys who are cheaters (laughs); I know a lot of people who have been cheated on and I have as well.
The lyrics originally stemmed from me looking back on a situation I was in and thinking ‘oh my god you were full of it, all those lies that you told me’ I fell for it at the time but I wouldn’t fall for it again.
There are lots of celebrity bad boys as well such as Tiger Woods, Hugh Grant and Justin Bieber (laughs).
- This is an upbeat and rather cheeky record so how are you found the response to it so far?
A lot of people are saying that it does sound really different but it is really catchy and they can’t get it out of their head - I think that that is a good think.
But I also like that everyone is saying that it is different to what it out there already; it has got a bit of the honky-tonk piano in it and a bit of a beat to it. So at the moment it is all good.
- You were in our office earlier this year to promote the debut single so what have you been up to since we chatted last?
Since chatting to you guys it went a bit silly. It went a bit crazy actually as the Daily Mail reported the story on me being a lawyer and a singer at night; it is a story that went around the world with NBC News, Reuters and it went to Africa (laughs).
I had to return home to Australia briefly, for court actually, and I did a radio interview in the morning and then had the whole thing happen again out there.
So I was on every TV show and radio show and it went quite ballistic. I have come back here to concentrate on the single release and that is going to be 8th July.
So it has been a whirlwind and a bit of strange experience - especially since I didn’t that me being a lawyer would be of interest to anyone (laughs).
- Your star is well and truly on the rise so how are you finding all of the attention that has been coming your way in the last six months or so?
It has been a bit strange as I am not use to that. The weird thing for me is that I was on purpose keeping those two things separate, so for it all to be exposed was a bit of a shock to the system. I wasn’t sure what the reaction was going to be like.
In Australia someone in court recognised me and the judge recognised that I was the two personalities and said ‘congratulations’ in front of an open court room - that was strange. It is like all of my worlds are colliding (laughs).
- As you said you very much do lead a double life so how do you find that lawyer/music balance? Would you ever leave the law behind for music?
I want to do just the music full time but there are a lot of costs involved with travelling. So I am doing predominately but when there’s the off season for music - which is when I would be doing the writing and the recording - that is when I probably do a bit more legal work; just to help with my bank balance.
It is quite hard to flick from one to another. Music is my own business and that requires all of my attention and then on the other side I have clients - so I can’t really do a half hearted effort with that either. I have just had to be more organised. But it is more that it is hard to flick passions.
- As I said this is your second single so is there an album on the horizon and when can we expect that to drop?
We are looking at that for early next year. The songs are ready but we are just working out how we want to produce then and which ones we want to put on the album.
So it is looking like early next year and I am really excited about it.
- Can you talk a bit about what the sound of the album is going to be - is it going to follow in the footsteps of the two singles we have already heard or are you going to mix it up a bit?
There will be a bit of a mix as I do like a whole host of different genres of music. But I do tend to like upbeat tracks and songs that make you feel good.
We may throw a ballad or two in there; and perhaps an acoustic version as well. It should be a nice mix. I do like the honky-tonk piano and so I like that old sound mixed with new.
- Have you thought about who is going to produce the album yet?
We have been working with some Swedish producers. But also the producer that I co-write my songs with is Jason Bond and I will be doing the album with him.
- How hands on are you when it comes to the producing side of your music?
I don’t have the technical skills when it comes to producing but I am very much involved in that process.
We have a direction that we want to go in and we tend to workshop it all of the way through to the final product. So yes we are both really hand on with every part of the process.
- The singles are doing really well so are you going to be playing any live shows in the UK this summer?
I am singing at Hull Pride in July - that will be quite a big one. And I will also be singing at Homelands Festival in London on 10th August. On the 31st July I will be singing at Cardiff Pride at the Millennium Stadium; that will be a massive gig as that will be my first stadium gig.
- You are finding success in both Australia and UK but outside of these two counties how is your music being received?
There has been quite a bit of interest in America - in fact America has been showing some interest right from the very start. I can only be in one spot at one time at the moment and so for me to tour America at this stage is probably a bit premature. Also in Europe Luv Bomb was number nine in the Euro High Energy Dance Charts for a couple of months.
- Where did your love of music start?
I have always like harmonising; so I would listen to songs and then harmonise with the song rather than sing the melody. I learnt classical piano for seven years.
Moving on from that I was doing musical theatre and I started the song-writing process while I was doing duo work. So I performed a lot over the years; I love the performing side the most out of everything.
- So what kinds of artists/bands were you listening to as you were growing up? And how has that music influenced the music that you are making now?
I wouldn’t really say that there was one artist in particular as anything that was in the top forty I was pulling in apart in my head and working out why I liked certain parts of the track.
I really was into pop music so dare I say Hanson, Spice Girls. But I would also listen to Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows as well as some Australian bands such as Crowded House. I like good songs and I don’t really follow artists.
- You have got an ever growing fan base all over the world so for any of them reading this interview do you have a message for them?
Thanks for the support and keep supporting - that is a bit supporting (laughs). The people who have come and seen me are really loyal so it has been really cool. I hope I can keep producing songs that they like.
- Finally what is next for you going through the rest of this year?
I start do a radio promotional tour this week so I am going to be driving around the tour doing that. Following on from that I am going to be doing some gigs. Then I will be starting to work on the album after that; so that is when the recording process will start all over again.
Bowie Jane - Bad Boy is released 8th July.