Her name matches her character. British songstress Pixie Lott is sweet and young-at-heart, the kind of girl you fall in love with the minute she smiles or giggles.

The 21-year-old starlet stepped into showbiz in 2009 with her debut album Turn It Up. Her soulful, raspy voice flavours her pop tunes uniquely. Her first single Mama Do went straight to the top of UK singles chart after it was released. Her second album, Young Foolish Happy, was launched a year ago and features a single we get to hear frequently in clubs around the city – sassy dance number Kiss The Stars.

After showcasing in other countries around this region, the pop star made her first stop in Bangkok earlier this month as a special performer for Siam Paragon’s 7th Anniversary Party.

When did you realise you had a passion for singing?
From a really young age, I’ve always been singing. I just love music.

Is that why you went straight to music school?
Yes, when I heard there was a school you can go to where you don’t have much work to do, just dance and sing, I was like, “I have to go there.”

You are now working on your third studio album. How is it going?
Yes, it’s going good. We’ve got more than half of it done. We’re going to finish it by the end of 2012. It’s going to be more of the Motown, soulful sound. The whole album is going to be more like that. I’m excited it’s going to be my third album, now that I’m 21.

Is it more like your hit single Cry Me Out from your debut album?
Yes, it’s going to be more that way.

Why Motown and who’s your favourite singer?
It’s my favourite. I like most of Motown stuff. I love Otis Redding, Candi Staton, Aretha Franklin, and loads of people.

You also write your own songs. If you could claim a song as your own, which would that be?
That’s difficult. Well, I love Stevie Wonder, so maybe I would choose his song Lately. That’s my favourite.

You are also a fashion lover. You look fashionable today, especially your accessories.
These are the accessories I designed for a brand called Rock N’ Rose. There are a lot of cattish, floral designs. It just came out recently and sells online, so it can be shipped anywhere.

Who is your number-one fashion designer?
Chanel. Very amazing and classic.

Two years ago, you toured with Rihanna. What’s she like?
She’s very nice, very friendly. I like her new song Diamonds. She performed this song on The X Factor UK few days ago. She performed it as a ballad, and she really acted it. She’s just amazing.

Now that you mention The X Factor, you have been a guest judge on the show. What do you think about this type of singing competition?
It’s crazy in the UK. Most of the singers in the chart have come from The X Factor. It’s hard for new acts to break through at the moment. It’s definitely taking over. But, it’s crazy because this last show the rating has been going down so much compared to the previous years. I’m not sure why. Maybe it becomes predictable, people know how it works and the judges say the same things. But, even though the rating is going down, but I’m pretty sure it will be among the most-watched shows. They will always be around.

Bangkok Post

English pop star Pixie Lott recently wrote a song for SNSD.

According to SM Entertainment on December 31, Pixie wrote “Baby Maybe,” which will be included in SNSD’s fourth EP I Got A Boy.

The song is about a girl who is in love. Bright melodies and the lyrics written by Sooyoung, Yuri, and Seohyun will impress many people.

Pixie is well known in Korea thanks to the song “Mama Do,” which Lee Hi sang on SBS’s K-pop Star. She also joined GD & TOP for “Dancing On My Own.”

Besides Pixie, renowned songwriters, including, Dsign Music, Joe Belmaati, Yoo Young Jin, and Kenzie from in and outside of the country worked for SNSD.

The title song “I Got A Boy” is an electronic dance song with addictive melodies. The lyrics are about girls having a chat on their daily lives.

The new EP will be included with ten songs in total. Yuri and Seohyun wrote the lyrics for “XYZ” and Taeyeon and Tiffany sang duet “Glass Child.” The Korean version of the Japanese song “Boomerang” will be also included.

SNSD released a teaser video on December 31 on their official website, YouTube, SM Town, Twitter, and Naver prior to their EP release.

KoreaDotCom

Bangkok has an audience with a star this week as soulful British pop singer Pixie Lott is set to grace Parc Paragon for a mini-showcase for Siam Paragon’s seventh-anniversary party tonight.

Raspy and soul-voiced Victoria Louise “Pixie” Lott broke into the scene in 2009 with her No 1 hit “Mama Do” on the UK singles chart.

Her second single, “Boys and Girls”, also topped the charts in September the same year. Her debut album “Turn It Up” reached No 6 in Britain, spawned five consecutive Top 20 singles, and sold over a million copies. The follow-up, “Young Foolish Happy”, came out last year with “All About Tonight” entering the charts at No 1, making it her third UK chart-topping hit.

With the third album on the way, the 21-year-old songstress chatted with us about how obsessed she is with Motown music.

Have you enjoyed Bangkok so far?

This is my first time in Thailand. We just got in, so we haven’t done anything much. We had a Thai massage, went to a night market and did some shopping. Then we went to a Thai restaurant for dinner. I love Thai food!

When are we going to hear the third album?

I’m writing at the moment in the studio, and I’ve got, like, half of it finished. I’m writing till the beginning of next year.

It will be Motown-esque and soulful, and it will be consistent throughout the whole album. My previous album came out with a bit of mixture of things, but this one will be a Motown-style pop album, which I’m very excited about. That’s my favourite style of music, and favourite to sing. It’s what I grew up listening to, so it makes sense.

Who do listen to?

A lot of big singers like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, as well as Motown music like Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding and all that.

Did you go to the US to get some Motown mojo?

I was actually in New York for six weeks writing recently, and we did a lot of the album there. But there are some great people in London too that I work with and I love. They did that sound really well, too.

You seem to like retro fashion style, too.

I love a lot of ’60s fashion and the classics. I like classic styles, but I also make it quirky with cat ears or something to make it different. I like Edie Sedgwick, Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, too.

Have you chosen your producer yet?

There are a couple of producers, but instead of going around LA, which has tons there, I’m just going to work with a few to get that organic sound. I really don’t like to work with loads of people – just a few people that I love to work with.

Do you reveal your personal life in your music at all?

Yes, there’s always a bit of truth about yourself that comes out. How I feel, how I experience situations – they all come out in the songs.

So who was “Jack” on your first album?

Oh, I didn’t write that song, but I can tell you the history of that song. It’s the first song I ever recorded in America, when I was 15 or so. It was the song that got the record labels interested in me.

The guy who wrote the song wrote it with Marion Raven from M2M, who at the time was going out with a boy from another boy-group called Hanson. She really liked him, but then he split up with her and broke her heart. She wanted to write a song about it but didn’t want to make it obvious to the press that the boy was Zack Hanson, so she called him Jack instead.

Do you still want to collaborate with Beyonce and Rihanna?

Yes! I wouldn’t say no, because they’re all amazing. But it’s different every time people ask me because there are a lot of amazing people out there. Today I want to collaborate with someone with a different music style because that makes it fresher. I’d like to work with an indie band, or a guitar band like Kings of Leon or Coldplay.

There are a lot of good singers out there, and many have similar style to yours. Are you nervous?

I don’t really get the pressure, really, and I don’t know why, especially with this next album, which I think it will really be me. It will just be fun, I think.

I know there’s a lot of competition, because there are a lot of great acts out there. I’ll just stay true to myself, because everyone can bring out everything they want.

What about pressure over the next album?

I guess you’re always worried, because my last album had No 1 singles. You know that maybe you won’t hit that spot again, but all you can do is hope and try your best.

The Nation

Pixie Lott’s next album will be Motown-themed.

The singer is due to release her third album next year and is experimenting with soulful pop music similar to 60s groups The Supremes and Jackson 5.

Pixie told new! magazine: “I’m making my album at the moment so I’m in the studio every day writing new songs. It has a bit of a vintage-soul sound reminiscent of Motown because that’s my favourite kind of music. We’re nearly finished so it’s definitely going to be out next year.”

As well as being hard at work on a new album, the singer, 21, has launched a jewellery line with online retailer Rock ‘N Rose and couldn’t be more excited about the venture.

She said: “I’ve been wearing their pieces for a while so I was really excited when they asked me to design a range. I wanted to make sure the whole collection reflected my own style and has a vintage feel. I named every piece after family members and friends. The Millie floral crown is named after my nan because the yellow roses and the lilies of the valley on the headband are her favourite flowers.”

IOL.co.za

Label PR is set to launch Pixie Lott’s first collection with jewellery brand Rock ‘N Rose. The 23-piece collection, designed by Pixie, will feature oversized floral crowns, dainty rings and statement necklaces. Prices will range from £16-£65 and the collection will be available exclusively from the brand’s website from mid-November.

Pixie Lott said: “I have always been a huge fan of Rock ‘N Rose, so creating a collection for them was really exciting. I’m really looking forward to launching the collection, it’s my first foray in to jewellery design and it has been so much fun.”

DIARY Directory

Beaming pop star Pixie Lott stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Our Boys and Girls — as she launches this year’s Poppy Appeal.

The singer, 21, kickstarts the annual Royal British Legion charity drive by headlining a free concert today in London’s Trafalgar Square.

But first Pixie paid a visit to London’s RAF Northolt to see forces’ families and was also treated to a demonstration by the Queen’s Colour Squadron RAF regiment.

The star, whose grandad was in the Royal Navy and great-grandad served in The Royal Marines Light Infantry, said: “The lads were all really welcoming and showed me all the kit they use in Afghanistan.

“What struck me the most was how young they all were. It’s amazing the selfless commitment — their bravery is beyond words. That’s why I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with our brave boys and girls.”

The free concert — which starts at midday — also features Alesha Dixon plus the Military Wives Choir and military bands. The official Poppy Appeal single, Landlocked, was also released yesterday.

The Sun