Ten years on from releasing her last album, Pixie Lott finally returns with her most powerful record yet, Encino. Here, she tells the story of a record shaped by passion, dedication and fierce independence...
INTERVIEW: Miranda Bardsley PHOTO: Nicole Nodland
You’ve described Encino as you finally ‘taking control’ of your career. What do you mean by that exactly?
“I actually started writing the album five years ago – it wasn’t meant to take that long, but Covid held things up, and timing is everything because now feels like the perfect moment. It was a conscious decision to take control, it started as a passion project and I didn’t know if people would like it. Before, it was about what other people have envisioned for me. I started out so young and that happens a lot with young artists; you get told what you should do or what songs you should sing. For years, I was doing features and releases, but I wanted to make a real, timeless and cohesive body of work. So I started by doing the album on the side, and I loved it so much that I thought, ‘Why don’t I put everything into this?’ It was a risk – I had to leave the dance music I was doing at the time, but I wanted it. I went out on my own, flying to LA to work with [co-writer] Dave Gibson. I love everything I’ve made before – I love singing my old stuff and I don’t want to ever seem like I didn’t enjoy doing it, because I did, but I’ve learnt so much from being in the industry for so long. At this point, I just have to do what I want to do.”
So was the process of making the album radically different for you?
“It felt so creative and I loved it. When I started out, I would get put with a different producer or writer every single day for months on end, so it felt like I was meeting millions of people and making so many different sounds, but not really having that ‘DNA’ of an album. This time, I had the smallest team of people so I could get to know them. When you’re writing with someone you’ve just met, it’s hard to say the heavy stuff you’re feeling, whereas if you work with someone over a period of years, it can go as deep and as dark as anything – this album really needed that approach.”
This album is new territory for me; I wanted to write about all sides of myself
Pixie Lott
Encino offers a glimpse into your mental health struggles on songs like Say So – inspired by your time playing Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany’s – and the lead single, Somebody’s Daughter. What inspired you to tell those stories?
“This record is new territory for me; I wanted to write about all sides of myself. Doing Breakfast At Tiffany’s was amazing; I learnt so much. But the play has a very dark second act where Holly basically loses everything; she’s crying on the floor and pouring her heart out every night. Doing that over and over, the character kind of crept in and by the end of it, I felt like a broken person. It was so tough, and I kept looking up ways to get me out of this space. Then I found meditation, and that really helped me – it was such a transformational time and it made me appreciate everything, my life and my family. I hadn’t gone though something like that before, so I felt I really needed a moment on the album to write about it and, with Somebody’s Daughter too, I hope that if people listen to it, they can relate and find solace in it – and maybe it might even make them feel better.”
Why did signing to an independent label make sense for you this time around?
“For Encino, I was adamant on making the record first, rather than going to a team and them dictating it. Whilst making it, we really took our time focusing on the lyrics, sound and the reason for writing it. Then it was about finding a partner that believed in it, but wouldn’t take control. Tag8 and BMG are amazing at helping facilitate things like the promotion and marketing, but still allowing me to maintain the integrity of the album.”
Encino is out September 27 via Tag8/BMG
