Since her debut, Little Boots has gone from strength to strength with some incredible music releases. Female First caught up with the talented songstress to find out just what's next - read on to find out what she had to say...
How would you say you've evolved as an artist and musician since your debut?
In some ways I feel like a completely different artist, but in many ways right now feels like I've come full circle and I'm back at the start of something.
When I started out I was pretty naive about the industry and just writing songs for the love of it, you take more chances and aren't scared of what people think.
Since going through a major label contract and a lot of hype to going independent and setting up my own label, I now just feel really liberated and like I'm recapturing some of that feeling of when I just started out.
I'm not writing for anyone or trying to please anyone, I'm having fun and not scared of taking risks or laughing at myself, you can't take yourself too seriously.
Tell us about your new single 'No Pressure' and why you chose to release it.
'No Pressure' is actually about the pressures of writing a hit song, the fact that tomorrow you could wake up and write a song that could potentially change your career, change your life. But it's relatable to any situation, it's about the pressure of making things happen and the possibilities it could open up if you take the plunge and push yourself.
I wanted to release it not just because of the message but I think the production reflects a lot of influences, from classic 90s dance acts I love like Everything But The Girl, to the current UK house and dance pop scene that is spreading across the world. It feels like an exciting, proactive track with lots of energy, but there's still a story and a sadness to it underneath.
Can you share some details about your upcoming new album 'Working Girl' and the creative process behind that record?
The album came together after eventually releasing my last record independently and setting up my own label, it's the first album I've written with complete creative control from the get-go and when I was looking for places to draw inspiration from I realised this journey I'd been on was actually a great subject matter and really relatable.
There are lots of themes that hold it together, of independence and strength, female empowerment, definitions of success and ambition, the pressures of trying to have it all... these all came together as a kind of yuppie-esque fantasy CEO character of the 'working girl', and the aesthetic very much came hand-in-hand with it.
Overall though it's not taking itself too seriously, I try and tackle all these ideas in a very playful and knowing, fun way.
How important is it for you to now maintain creative control over your work?
These days it's absolutely paramount, I am involved at every stage from the conception of songs to producing videos to the marketing and distribution of the physical products around the world.
It's a true labour of love and a lot of work but ultimately so much more rewarding and it just makes a lot more sense for the kind of person I am and the kind of artist I want to be. I was never entirely comfortable following the pop rule book so now I get to do things my own way.
You've worked with some great people on this record, how did those collaborations come about?
I tried to find some new and upcoming collaborators for this record, some are well known producers and some are very new but I really wanted to push myself and them and try and take the production to a really interesting place, but still carry it with a big pop melody.
It's kind of pop taken to the extreme! Some producers were recommended to me, others I reached out to... now I don't officially have an A&R it's a lot more word-of-mouth but I think often the best partnerships come from that, it's much more organic than a record label boss ringing up a hot shot producer and offering them a big cheque to work with new artists, it's much more mutual.
Is there anybody you'd love to work with going forward that you've not had the opportunity to yet?
I'm always disappointed there are hardly any women on any of Daft Punk's records so it would be a dream to work with them, they marry pop and dance and incredible production perfectly.
I'm so excited by Giorgio Moroder's album, he is a real hero of mine so that would also be high on my list.
It would be incredible to work with someone at the top of the pop game like Max Martin. I'm also really excited for what Disclosure do next, I think they're really talented.
What would you say are some of your career highlights to-date?
There's the really obvious things like playing a huge crowd at Glastonbury with my mum crying side-of-stage the whole time, appearing on Jonathan Ross in between Sandra Bullock and Benny from ABBA, headlining a packed Coachella tent with a laser harp, meeting and performing with some of my musical heroes like Phil Oakey and Gary Numan... but really the best thing is that in such a fickle business when people are here today and forgotten the next, I'm still making music and releasing albums and touring the world which really does blow my mind, and is really all thanks to my incredible fans.
Do you have any current big aims, goals or aspirations going forward?
I would love to have a long artist career like someone like Alison Goldfrapp or Roisin Murphy, and keep making the records I want and touring on my own terms.
I also want to do a lot more songwriting for other artists, which is something I plan to focus on more in the future.
We're also working on growing and expanding the label and looking for new artists to sign, I'd love to develop or discover the next big pop things.
I also have ideas for an app I'm working on... but one thing at a time!
What should we expect to see from you in the coming weeks and months?
The album is out July 10 and we are touring 'Working Girl' live in London and the US over the next few weeks. I'm also DJing everywhere from LA to Ibiza.
We just shot a new video for 'No Pressure' which I'm really excited about. I'm also having a new kitchen installed! Fun times.
'Working Girl' is available for purchase from Friday, July 10.
Tagged in Little Boots