Kate Nash has returned, joined by an all-female back-up band and out for a riot.
She rose to fame in 2007 during a time when cookie cutter cuteness was popular and when indie was starting outwith catchy jingles, lots of keyboards and those very great upcoming British artists.
Her single “Foundations” gained her Best Female Artist at the 2008 BRIT Awards and her platinum selling album “Made of Bricks” brought her much fame in the U.S.
She played around the world and released a second studio album “My Best Friend Is You” in 2010, which spawned her second big single “Do-Wah-Doo.”
She’s persevered after many “trials and tribulations” to release her new album “Girl Talk.”
The hot blooded confessional is Nash at her bravest and fiercest. She’s doing what she wants, when she wants and she’s having fun now.
I had a chance to catch up with Kate before her sold out show in Los Angeles where we talked about her tour, feminism, and lots of “Girl Talk.”
“I bought you a ring pop so we can be girlfriends now.”
“Oh my gosh! Thank you! Have you got one to? Yes? Perfect Now we’re best friends for life!”
“How’s the tour going?”
“Its good. This is the first of the west coast dates. We’ve been on the road for a few months. East coast and a month long UK tour and we’ve been to Argentina so its pretty intense! But fun! We’ve had like loads of stage invasions! of girls! They get crazy and really naughty. It’s funny to watch like they don’t know if they want to do it and then they just run and get onstage roaring!”
“So It’s like a wild girl power tour ! Are you excited to play L.A.?”
Yeah exactly! I Love L.A., I really like being back here. This is where the record was made and I’m so nervous because none of my friends have really seen me play and it’s so weird because it’s the main thing I do for like the last 7 years!”
“Well you come so scarcely!”
“Yeah like I haven’t been here for a couple of years!.You’re like pissed off about it!”
“Yeah excuse me Kate but you haven’t been here in so long!”
“Haha honestly I couldn’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve been in the U.S I was quite shocked but I’ll become a regular for you I promise!”
“I wanted to ask about your personal style, how has it evolved from the 50’s and 60’s dresses you wore before?”
“I think I still wear lots of elements of that. I’m into Fashion Week a lot more and learning about designers. I used to be quite intimidated by that world but I actually really like it now and being able to go to Fashion Week and support designers. It’s a really cool thing.”
“I guess I’ll get more serious now. What’s your personal view of feminism?”
“I am a feminist. I think it’s a really cool thing. There’s a lot of negative stereotypes about it. Anyone can be a feminist. Actually I think it’s getting a bit more fashionable with communities online like Rookie magazine.”
“Oh I know Tavi Gevinson is one rad girl. She’s been doing that since she was a kid and she knows so much she made this whole space for girls to come together and talk about different experiences and views.”
“I know she’s the best! I think there’s a lot of great stuff on the internet now.”
“Do you feel like you still encounter sexism in the industry?”
“Yeah, actually there was an interesting reaction to when Underestimate The Girl first came out. The more I’m working the more it’s getting better the more I get respect for me as an artist and being able to do different things and not just be one dimension. But I feel like there is for sure sexism in the industry and a lot of girls are not writing their own songs and being forced to do things they don’t really want to do.”
“Do you feel like you were ever just being put into the ‘cute’ box?”
“I don’t mind being called cute. I like cute stuff. I don’t mind that word as long as you aren’t completely pigeonholed into one thing, thats the most important. I’m cute, but I can be really angry and put on lipstick and talk about war, politics and science. I’m not one thing.”
“What was going on during the making of ‘Girl Talk?’”
“Just like everything that was going on in my personal life really. I went through a bad time from 2011-12 and I just purged it into the record. It’s my strongest record. That’s why I feel it’s my best work.”
“How did you go about making the record?”
“That was a bit different. So I got dropped from my record label . So I had to you know makes this pledge campaign, basically get my fans to pre-order the album to cover some of the costs that I had paid. The main thing driving this is me and my fans and I’ve had to change everything and start from scratch. Which is hard I’m not going to lie. It’s a lot harder but it’s a lot better and I think it’s going to make me a better artist and business woman and it’s really bringing me and my fans together because I’m communicating with them about everything and being very honest and I’m not relying on a radio hit. I think after all the touring of this record I’ll get a chance to see all the things I have achieved. The record itself has this really DIY feel to it.”
“Indie’s become a genre now and not necessarily the word independent in itself and it’s cool to see someone in the industry actually putting their stuff out independently. It really is D.I.Y.”
“Thanks! I think a lot of people are going to do that now. There’s a lot more options now for artists. I mean if I got dropped a few years ago I probably would have been screwed I wouldn’t know where my fanbase was but now the Internet is so insane. The fact that Chris Hatfield is tweeting from space! Just really shows how far we’ve come with technology and how much power the internet has.”
“So how important is social networking to you?”
“I think it’s the most important thing. I mean I can connect with my fans with Twitter. I have relationships with my fans online, I recognize people from twitter at my shows and it makes them feel really included. I can ask them what they need. Without social networking I wouldn’t be able to include them as much.”
“People almost think you’ve crazy spiraled into a ‘new’ direction but you’ve had tracks like ‘Mariella’ on ‘Made Of Bricks’ and ‘I Just Like You More’ and ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ on ‘My Best Friend is You’ where you just played with different sounds and vocal ranges. When did you decide to just continue on with that sound?”
“I don’t know its sort of like right at the end of 2011 when I knew what I wanted to make. I think I’m just more educated and skilled now but that just came from experience of playing music for seven years and being in and out of so many studios and learning along the way. Going through emotional turmoil just gives you a ‘I don’t give a f–k of attitude and you just ride it all the way and you can either get really depressed and not get out of bed for six months or be like ‘F–k it what have I got to lose?’”
“What were your influences for ‘Girl Talk?’”
“I’ve always been into punk and pop music. I think that’s the way my music is going to go. Theres always pop in my music because I like melody but then I’m gonna experiment with different things and like you said if people really listen to my records and see my live shows they’ll totally get it.”
“What song on ‘Girl Talk’ sums you up as an artist and a person?”
“That’s rough! Maybe ‘Sister.’ Because it’s bratty and theres a lot of attitude in it. Someone asked me to write down my favorite lyrics and I noticed I’m so bratty and so angsty! I’m like 25 I should be over that!”
“What’s your favorite song to play live?”
“‘Underestimate The Girl’” because of the stage invasions! Are you going to get onstage and dance with me?”
“I’ll do it! I’ll dance with you! How does it feel playing with an all girl band now?”
“It”s really different, it feels like a girl gang feel. I love them and I feel safe with them and it’s made a huge difference.”
“Your dream collaboration?”
“Eminem. Or Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift! I really like her new album. She makes fun of herself I love that she’s like ‘Ew who’s Taylor Swift anyway. Haha.’”
“What would you say to college students and just young people in general who are freaking out about either following their dreams or conforming to society and taking their place at office desk jobs?”
“I think do what you’re excited about! You can try this for whatever five years and you can still go get a job after. There is always enough time. You feel so freaked out when you’re young and its now or never but its really not now or never. I mean I didn’t get into university for acting and I was like “My life is over!” I got rejected from everywhere and I started working at a fast food restaurant. Nothing is make or break if you don’t get it or you don’t get in. It goes so quickly, you’re never going to please everyone. You have to please yourself and have fun, travel and try loads of stuff. Don’t just think that you have to do one thing. or even get your friends to create the place where you want to be, where other kids can come to as well and you create your own world. Go for it!”
“Now you’re getting your chance as an actress with ‘Powder Room’ right? Tell me a bit about that?’”
“It just got released on iTunes and it’s getting a movie theater release soon. I shot it around Christmas with a new female director. It’s got this feeling of ‘Oh my god what am i doing with my life!’ and everyones experiences. I think a lot of people will relate to it. It was really a fun thing to work on.”
“Do you have any future projects you want to pursue?”
“My dream is to have this big massive place in L.A. thats got gates and it says ‘Girl Gang Headquarters; on them and it’s going to be like the Playboy mansion except without bunnies and there might be like some bunnies but they’ll be like real bunnies. It will be a creative place where you can make records and have loads of people doing different creative things, like a studio for photo shoots and just a bunch of people working on beautiful things. That’s my dream. You’re gonna be there right?”
“No boys allowed?”
“Yeah, well put a big sign up, ‘Boy’s are allowed!’ Haha.”
For more on Kate Nash visit www.myignorantyouth.com.
