Interview: Esther Alexander
Singer/songwriter Esther Alexander recently released her brilliant new album 'The Long Way Home' and is now officially one of LTTM's favourite artists of the year! Having spent much of July performing live at various Caffe Nero stores throughout London as the coffee chain's 'Artist of the Month', Esther took a few moments out of her hectic schedule to talk to LTTM about herself, her album and what makes her tick.
Hi Esther, You are a singer songwriter tell us a bit about yourself?
I am indeed a singer/songwriter... I'm also a mum to my little boy, Eythan who's 18 months old. I live in North West London with my husband and I adore travelling, eating out and sitting in the sun!
Tell us a little bit about your debut Album?
It's not actually my debut album!!! It's the 4th recording I've done as a solo artist and I'm delighted to say I feel it's by far my best yet.
[LTTM: We would like to apologise for this ridiculous question!]
What was it like working with Kipper?
Well, Kipper is basically a musical genius... and just the loveliest person you could wish to meet. I was terrified before I met him - you know - he's a Grammy award winning producer, working with Sting on lots of projects... etc etc. But we really hit it off the first day we met. I remember we worked on an idea I'd had before I'd gone to see him and within that first day we'd finished the song - called Safe House. It all just felt really natural, like we'd known each other for years. He's certainly taught me a huge amount and encouraged to step out more in my songwriting and in my vocal delivery. It's been a total privilege.
What was the inspiration behind the Album?
Well, I just felt like I'd been through a huge life shift in becoming a mum and lots of new songs were floating around, the right people were in the right place at the right time and suddenly it all came together! I was extremely delighted to work with the likes of Judie Tzuke on the writing side of things which definitely took things in a new direction. She's just a songwriting (and of course singing) legend and I've learnt a huge amount from her... I'd also recorded my albumette in 2007 and had promised myself that in the not too distant future I wanted to complete it and launch it as a fully fledged album... and this is it I guess.
What's your song writing process?
Song writing is a pretty scary thing for me - I tend to co-write which I love, but it's unbelievably vulnerable. A bit like taking your clothes off in front of people (not that I do that, you understand!!) ... Sometimes I arrive at a song writing session with a melody idea, sometimes some lyrics or a bit of both ... I then play/sing them to whoever's working with me that day and it sort of goes from there. It's a bit like making a cake except there's lots of you making one cake ... does that make any sense??? Not sure! Anyway, it's a brilliant but rather tricky process to describe. Put it this way you have to feel comfortable with the people you're working with cos sometimes they tell you an idea's shocking or you have to tell them theirs is terrible! Great fun though!
Any planned gigs this year?
Indeed I do! I'm currently in the middle of a tour with Caffe Nero - they've very kindly made me their Artist of the Month for JUly which means I'm playing about 16 gigs in and around the London area; they also play my record every day in every store around the country at 3.45pm... so it's all good. I shall be doing a repeat for them in October but that will be slightly different in that I shall also play stores outside London and I'm asking fans to tell me where they'd like me to play and encouraging them to sculpt the tour. On top of that I'm also toying with idea of doing a Home Tour - playing gigs in people's houses... With the title of the record being The Long Way Home it feels like a potentially cool idea... we'll see. So yes, plenty on the horizon!
Which do you prefer playing Live or recording albums?
I love both equally but for very different reasons - Working and recording in the studio is a wonderful experience because you get to hone everything from writing to the performance. It's very chilled and you get to try out totally new stuff that maybe you wouldn't try at a gig in case it bombed! On the other hand, performing live is very special too - I adore meeting people and singing my songs over them is a huge privilege ... You get a vibe back from people and for me it's usually a pretty spiritual experience.
Whats on your I pod at the moment?
I have to say I'm STILL loving the Kings of Leon record, I'm often listening too to the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss record Raising Sand, U2's record, No Line on the Horizon, gets a lot of attention ... I'm getting to know Vampire Weekend which is a very cool record... Never enough though.
Your stuck on an island, its hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3. What track is it?
Oh man, I hate that question!!!! My mind always goes b l a n k ! But I reckon if push came to shove then it'd have to be one of U2's greatest songs - Where the Streets have no Name... I don't know, then I start to think of Michael Jackson, Sting, Nina Simone ...oh dear!!! Lets hope this scenario never happens!
What does the next year hold for Esther Alexander?
Lots and lots of exciting things I think - oodles of gigs, new faces, a trip to the states, hmmm... all good stuff.
For more about Esther, or to buy her new CD, please visit EstherAlexander.com
