That’s Your Lott

Pixie Lott has become the rising star of girl pop in one short year. The RTÉ Guide’s Alan Corr meets the happy-go-lucky Londoner. And her mother. Oh, and her hairdresser and make-up artist.
“I’ve been in the wars”, says Pixie Lott pointing to a rather nasty scab on her knee. “I fell over on Sunday. I was in really high heels. I’m also drinking Benylin because I’ve got a tickly throat and I’m very tired.”
Even that list of minor complaints is delivered in a singsong happy voice. You could probably throw her iPad on the fire and Pixie Lott would still be a model of perma-smiling pop stardom. In the past year, the 19-year-old Londoner (real name: Victoria Louise) has hit No.1 twice and featured on the cover of no less than 25 magazines. She is a blinding vision of blondness and good teeth (she is also the image of Becky from ‘Coronation Street’).
Crowded into an RTÉ dressing room with her for this interview are her mum Beverley (who is very nice), Pixie’s make-up artist Liz and some bloke called Baz who turns out to be her hairdresser. Last year, Pixie sold 700,000 copies of her debut album ‘Turn it Up’ and her record company have just released ‘Turn it Up Louder’, a remix of the same album featuring bonus tracks, including covers of songs by Kings of Leon and Kelly Rowland.
Pixie’s success is a big change from the world of girl pop 20 years ago, when she wasn’t even a glint in Mr Lott’s eye and the likes of Kylie Minogue were pretty much locked out of the studio when it came to writing and producing the songs they had to put their names to. Call it the Gaga Factor but girl pop has really found its own voice in the past few years.

“I think if you write your own songs and then approach a label and you’ve already got a bulk of the album done then you get to have more say”, Pixie says. “Nobody’s tried to manipulate what I do. With the last single ‘Broken Arrow’ the label wanted to go with a different single but I love that song so I put my foot down.
“Put your foot down?” interjects her mother. “That may be putting it mildly! They said ‘could we discuss this?’ And Pixie just gave her reasons and the head of the label knew she was passionate about it so he said OK.”
‘Broken Arrow’ is a sweeping, dramatic ballad that gives her a chance to show her other side. It’s not all about all-night parties and nice frocks in Pixie-land you know. “Exactly”, she says. “I like songs that are emotional. I love up-tempo songs too, but definitely songs where the lyrics are also emotional.”
So is it easier to sing when you’re heartbroken? “Well I’ve definitely noticed that is easier to write songs when you’re heartbroken”, Pixie says. “So if I get heartbroken before my next album I’ll write some great songs! I’ve never been properly heartbroken. I’ve never been madly, deeply in love so I haven’t really been heartbroken. I have been upset by love though and I have been heartbroken by other things.”
There is a lot of speculation about her love life though and she is frequently seen with model Oliver Cheshire. Pixie giggles and uses the “we’re just good friends” excuse. “I’m really busy but I always make time to see my friends.”
I ask mum Lott what Pixie (“I called her that because she was such a tiny, cute baby who looked just like a fairy.”) was like when she was growing up. “She was always singing around the house but she was always quite shy growing up”, she says. “Then she auditioned for the Italia Conti in London and she got a scholarship and once she joined, it brought her out of herself. She did really well and she hasn’t stopped talking!”
Did she get her singing talent from her mum? “Mum’s a fabulous singer”, says Pixie. “She sings opera.” Mum cracks up laughing. “I do not! Her grand-dad sang in the church choir and her dad’s not bad.” Pixie, who has one older sister, Charlie Ann, and one older brother, Stephen, still lives at home. “She has bought an apartment but her bedroom is still there in the house”, says her mum.
She should really get her own place if only to have somewhere to keep her rapidly expanding wardrobe, because Pixie has become somewhat of a style icon in her short career. A bit of Bardot, a bit of Blondie. “I like to mix my look up a lot. I love loads of designers but I also lots of vintage. Sometimes I’m classical.”
Hollywood has already come calling and Pixie’s made her movie debut in something called ‘Fred’, a teen flick in which she plays girl next door Judy, but plans to star as Sharon Stone’s daughter in upcoming project ‘Sweet Baby Jesus’ are on ice. “Yes but the album is coming out in America next year so I’m really busy with that.”
Right now through she’s got a flight home to catch and some Benylin to glug. Maybe she’ll even get a plaster for that knee.
Source: RTE Ten