MD: You recorded your forthcoming album The Hometown Mystery Cyclone in Bergen, Norway. How did that come about and what effect do you think the surroundings will have on the music?
 
Girl: I was invited by producer HP Gundersen to jam in his studio last Summer and we had a great time and clicked instantly. He has a pretty similar outlook to myself when it comes to music, so when he offered to produce my album I said yes! Bergen is a great place renowned for it's music scene. It's the second largest city in Norway, so it has a more laid back vibe than Oslo. I think it's pretty magical, and I think that comes across in the recordings we did.

MD: You wrote your first song when you were 6 and since then you have developed an incredibly unique sound. Describe the journey.

Girl: I've always made up songs for as long as I can remember, but I only started recording them when a friend lost my guitar and I bought a cheap 8-track with the money he gave me to replace it (Thanks Damian!). This was about 5 years ago. In 2005 joined a punk band, called The Incidentals, but we split a couple of years later, and I've been solo ever since.

MD: There's a Dresden Dolls-esque Burlesque sound to some of your songs. Are you influenced by that world at all?

Girl: I don't really know much about the Dresden Dolls, but they have a cool look! I'll have to check them out I guess. I do like a bit of sass though!

MD: You've won lottery money to develop your music and you recently appeared in the Arts Council funded Next Stage even at Norwich Arts Centre. Has this helped you?

Girl: Definitely. It would have been a lot harder to record the album without the financial backing.

MD: How do you find being a solo artist compared to being in a band? Do you have more freedom?

Girl: I have more equipment to lug around! The complete freedom of expression is great. Not having to compromise your sound. Having said that, it's great to feed off other people in a jam or during a gig, and a band can take a sound in a direction that you wouldn't have dreamed of going and it can sound out of this world. It's the same with everything, nothing is ever better, just different.

MD: Your parents are from Nigeria and Barbados, have those cultures influenced your sound at all?

Girl: The blood runs through my veins. I couldn't not be influenced if I tried!

MD: What are your thoughts on the Hot City Sounds festival?

Girl: It's the first thing like this to happen in Norwich, with bands and artists from different genres. It's a fantastic way of showing the diversity of Norwich music.

Photo > Alexandra Bone