» Katie Melua Interview
Nick Aldwinckle caught up with Katie Melua ahead of her Brighton Centre show
It’s been five years since Katie Melua first burst into the public consciousness with her breakthrough hit ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’ and the multi-platinum selling album it featured on, Call Off The Search. Those five years have seen the Georgia born, Belfast/London bred singer-songwriter become Europe’s biggest selling female artist worldwide, with her first three albums selling more than ten million copies combined. She also gained her first UK number one single last year with her posthumous duet with Eva Cassidy, What A Wonderful World and after a year of touring, shows no sign of slowing down. Katie plays the Brighton Centre on 11 November to promote her forthcoming career retrospective, The Katie Melua Collection.
You’re in South Africa at the moment. Today, the country’s president, Thabo Mbeki has resigned due to a corruption scandal. What’s the mood like there?
To be honest, the news being particularly relevant to people in that sphere of life, doesn’t affect me so much. As we’re touring, we don’t really get to be exposed to the effects of what’s been happening.
You’re signed to legendary Steeleye Span/Elkie Brooks/The Wombles(!) songwriter Mike Batt’s label, Dramatico. How is working with him?
He’s been amazing. Our relationship has changed so much. Because we’ve been working so closely together for so long, we’re really comfortable with each other. I think that was part of the reason why between us we decided that after this album, we’re going to creatively go our separate ways. Perhaps it’s become too comfortable and safe and I need to be challenged, aiming for something different. I haven’t really got a proper idea myself of where I want to head musically. I’m still working on this current record and touring it and I won’t even start properly thinking about the next album for another six months at least, as I’m touring for that long. I’ve got no idea of whom I might be working with.
You were in a relationship with Luke Pritchard from The Kooks. Are you still in touch?
We’re in touch on and off. I haven’t seen him for bloody ages actually. Occasionally, we bump into each other but not that often.
Being Georgian, with family out there, how has the recent Russian invasion affected you?
I’ve been really worried about my family, but they’re ok. My mum and my brother are back now but most of my family are still out there. The situation is that life is totally fine. It’s just politically a bit scary. Imagine another country coming along and just claiming a third of Britain as their own. It’s a real visual catastrophe in your head. Thank god though- it could have been much worse but you have to be grateful for that.
“Perhaps it’s become too comfortable and safe and I need to be challenged, aiming for something different”
What do you make of the American presidential election?
It would be so amazing if Obama got in, but I don’t want to get my hopes up because I’d be so devastated if he didn’t. I reckon McCain’s going to win. It will be like we’ve all died and gone to heaven if Obama wins and if he doesn’t, I think I’ll go and kill myself. I’ll definitely be staying up and watching that election.
Do you like touring?
I love touring, but you try not to do it for more than two months or so at a time or else you go crazy. It’s good because when you do go home, you’re intimately attached to it. It takes a week or two to get back into the flow of things and get back into normal life.
Do you mind having an older fanbase?
Not really. It’s cool to have anyone listening to my music, really. It’s weird, actually. The UK is quite an old fanbase, but other countries, we have a lot younger fans, like teenagers, which is odd. It’s just nice to have the diversity. I wouldn’t try and deliberately appeal to a younger audience, as then you’re just trying to chase an audience and it’s not how it should be. I just play the music that I like. If the older people like my music, then that’s cool!
You’ve done some wacky things – raced around Silverstone, flown a plane, you hold the world record for the world’s deepest underwater concert in an oil rig- any other mad plans?
At the moment, no, although I did a gig recently at the bottom of a mine in Norway, which was pretty wicked! Not at the moment- we’re touring through til next year so we have nothing else planned except for me to go off, live a little and chill out.
