(This interview is taken from Issue 8 of Storehouse Magazine, my university's SU ran publication, which I write for and edit too. Copies of Storehouse will be available online and around Norwich from early February!)
We had a chat with Kate Nash about her latest show at the Waterfront, creative control in the music industry, and being a feminist.
When Kate Nash’s representation ring me up it takes ages to patch me through to her, the process is lengthy and I get disconnected so many times that I begin to wonder if the interview is actually going to take place. But once I get through it feels bizarre and slightly disjointed, like having a telephone job interview, except that I know a lot about this person already. You can’t help but feel like you do when you hear her music. Her lyrics hold a subtly intimate but relatable quality that has worked to her favour in the pop music industry. Where other female singer songwriters make the private a public matter, Kate Nash alludes to it.
Although Kate’s career has now taken a new turn, she is more Courtney Love and less Lily Allen. Her mockney tones that once felt twee and playful now yell defiantly at female oppression in relationships, work and life. Kate Nash’s work has left the cosy confines of the relationship at home as depicted in her 2007 album Made Of Bricks and now focuses on the bigger picture of modern day feminism, something she seems to have comfortably found her niche in.
C: You got signed at quite a young age; did you always want to pursue music as a career?
K: I think so. I mean, growing up I was really into music and I was writing songs at home, and then I actually went to the Brit School [performing arts college in London]. I studied theatre and I wanted to be an actress but then I didn’t get into any universities or drama schools so it was after that that I went back to music and started a Myspace page. I was like “Right, I’m gonna do this.” It was all the rejections from uni’s that really made me push to do something interesting and creative.
C: So you went to the Brit School, do you have any particularly funny stories or anything you’d like to share?
K: There was always a lot of fun stuff happening, like it was really creative. I guess there were moments where you would be standing there in the reception and musical theatre students would be doing backflips. There would be moments where the entire canteen would literally break into song. There were actually moments that were like “Fame”. It was really fun.
C: Do you think that rejection can often motivate you?
K: Yeah, I think it was the reason that I am where I am. It was one of those moments where all my friends are doing something really cool and interesting and learning. I felt left behind and I thought, “I need to do something”.
C: Because careers in the arts can often be regarded as insecure, did you have a more “stable”, so to speak, back up plan?
K: I didn’t have one. And I always tell people not to have one. I think that if you have a back up plan you will give up on doing that [what you wanted to do originally]. That’s just sort of my experience with it, that people that can worry about needing to have a back up plan and just end up getting too caught up down that line. And you just keep working on that and then you end up being in that job. If you dedicate 100% of your time doing something creative then you’re gonna have more opportunities and stuff within that because you’ve been working on it constantly, you know?
C: Do you feel like your work has progressed into a different place in comparison to when you were, say, twenty?
K: Yeah, absolutely.
C: In what ways do you think your style has changed?
K: In lots of things, the way I look and the way I dress and the music that I’m writing, the lyrics, the life experience that I’ve had, the things I’m writing about, my opinions. I’ve had more experience in studios, and playing live shows for the past seven years has given me more confidence and knowledge.
C: I didn’t want to mention the current Miley Cyrus situation, but there is a point Sinead O’Connor made about the music industry that I found interesting. When you were first signed, did you have a lot of creative control, or did your label want you to project a certain image?
K: Not that I knew of, I don’t feel like I was really pushed. I felt really happy with everything that I was doing and I was very much in control. However I did get dropped from my record label last year, so I kind of feel like that has something to do with it that I am very independent, outspoken and not controlled by the industry, so I guess that wasn’t really a big enough money maker for them.
C: So do you think it’s important to follow your own desires as an artist, and not conform to a style?
K: Yeah.
C: You’ve got quite an involvement in the DIY punk scene, how are you related to The Tuts work?
K: They were fans of mine and I did this blog on my Tumblr where I was posting and supporting female talent, well actually, any talent. I did this thing where I was celebrating anyone being able to do what they want and, y’know, just celebrating creativity and stuff. I was like, “I’ll post anyone on my blog” and they sent me that video they did and then they came along to a few things that I did. Like I shot a music video in a pub and they were extras in it. And then I asked them to open for a London show, and then I just asked them to come on tour and we’re friends now, so that was how it happened really.
C: Do you think there is a shortage of female singer songwriters in the contemporary music industry?
K: I do, yeah. I think hopefully there may be a bunch of girls out there now who aspire [to make music] like other women, I think it’s really cool that Haim are very successful because they’re very genuine, they’re just girls in a band. They write their own songs and they play their own instruments, they’re really real and they’re different to your usual pop stars. I think they could be very inspiring to lots of young girls, so yeah, I hope to see more of it.
C: You’re obviously an advocate for feminism and positive body image.
K: Yeah, I’d definitely call myself a feminist. I’ve worked a lot with girls in schools on stuff like body image and self-esteem, I’m always preaching about it at my shows.
C: There is still a size 0 epidemic issue especially seen at this weeks London Fashion Week, do you ever think a change will come about regarding the weight issue in high fashion?
K: I dunno, I think that there is definitely a lot of problems in that area. If there is going to be change it will be a long time coming.
C: Do you think your personal life and the way you view the world influences your song writing?
K: Yeah, the way I write is really personal so I tend to write about everything that’s happening in my life. It’s like therapy, writing songs for me. So yes, it is quite personal.
C: This is a topic seen at art school as well, the choice to work about personal stuff or alternatively, other more external issues. Have you ever written about anything more external, or has your work been more in an introspective vein?
K: There’s a few things, to be honest I always link it back to being relative to my life. I wanted to make a statement when Pussy Riot were in prison, so I wrote a song called “Free My Pussy” which is also about me and about the issues I was feeling, about being trapped and supressed in many ways. I do like to relate everything back to my own life.
C: It makes sense as you view the world through your unique perspective. You have often written about mundane things, day to day life, mouthwash… Do you like to insert humour into your lyrics as well?
K: Yeah there’s a lot of sarcasm and British humour in my songs.
C: Who influenced you whilst growing up?
K: Well I was really into a lot of pop music, I was into Celine Dion but also I was really into Oasis. My parents listened to a lot of really good music like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and some Irish folk music. And then I got very into Eminem and garage music and then I got into Punk and Indie when I was like sixteen, seventeen.
C: Do you have any routines for creating? Any rituals or certain locations you find that help you write music?
K: I go to my rehearsal room in my house, I feel really comfortable there, in that sort of place. It’s a place I feel where I can write the best.
C: Have you ever had writer’s block before?
K: I think everyone sort of suffers from it every now and then, but you just have to work hard and realise that. Just don’t panic about it and keep working.
C: Do you take a lot of criticism into account? Do you let it actively affect your work and the way you perceive your work?
K: I don’t really take it into account, I just try to ignore it to be honest with you. I think I’ve always been really stubborn. I’ve always been the kind of person who when someone tells me what to do, I want to do the opposite. I just try to ignore it and focus on what I am inspired by.
C: Have you got any advice for our art student readers?
K: Just work really hard, and if you work in the arts you just can’t really be lazy. You literally have to work hard at what you do, every single day. Allow yourself to grow and develop and just don’t try to perfect something too much. Don’t obsess over it. I mean, all artists do that, but you just literally put your first thing out there and that will really help you to develop. Meet other likeminded people, get yourself out on the scene and make friends with people. And like I said, it’s [all about] determination and having a really strong work ethic. There isn’t any room for laziness in the arts, you just have to work hard, that’s my advice.
