NEWS
EVENTS
LOOP on the journey so far - 'I bloody love that I get to do music full time'
RnB/Hip Hop | Tuesday 6th March 2018 | Grace
LOOP is one of the biggest growing names in the scene right now and with lyrics that we can all relate to in some way or another, it's no surprise LOOP just keeps getting better & better. We caught up with the songstress to talk new music, self-discovery, boys and touring with Jonas Blue.
Describe your current state of mind in 5 words or less?
Excited, emotional, frazzled, tired, buzzing (or completely all over the place).
So which part of London are you from?
I’m not actually from London originally, but I’ve lived in South London for the last 3 years. I love it round here cos all my friends are within like a 20-minute radius and I’m a short drive from home!
What was it like growing up where you did?
Growing up back near Guildford was great – I have an amazing family and I loved my school and at the weekends me and my friends would go to our local shopping centre and sit in the food court flirting with boys (from 5 tables away). Good times.
Did you get into a lot of trouble growing up?
Ha not usually, I was a bit of a goody-two-shoes most of the time actually. I just talked too much all the time.
Who got you into music?
The Spice Girls… (laughs). I don’t really know where my dream of being a singer originally came from, I just remember falling in love with Britney and Christina and the Spice Girls and Steps and N*Sync etc. and being like THIS is what I’m going to do when I’m older. The fact that I could sing (and liked being dramatic and putting on shows) helped too. And I was writing songs from like 5. About two-timing boys amongst other things – stuff, I had loads of experience in obviously.
At what moment did you realize that you could make this music thing work?
I think a little while after uni… I started properly focusing on it and making connections with producers and people who could help me get to where I wanted to get. I put out my first proper single ('Looking At You') and it got New Music Friday global playlist on Spotify and I was like shiiiiit this is fun and I could actually do ok at it!
What challenges have you faced in pursuit of your dreams?
A lot. I’ve been working at this for a pretty long time, and at the start, I didn’t have a fucking clue what I was doing. I didn’t have any friends that were doing the same sort of thing, I didn’t know anyone ‘in the biz’ and on my days off from my office job that I’d put aside to ‘focus on music’ I was staring at my bedroom wall with Logic open on my laptop and just thinking WTF am I doing here - I don’t know how to write a proper produced song, I don’t know how to put it out into the world, I don’t know what sort of music I even wanna make… it took a lot of self-discovery and a lot of networking and self-promotion to get to a point where it felt like I was actually getting anywhere.
It’s still pretty up and down, and you have to have a thick skin, cos there’s a lot of rejection – or, worse, a lot of people never getting back to you at all to even reach the point of rejection! But the highs are now outweighing any lows by a longgg way, and I bloody love that I get to do music full time as my career now.
Tell us about your newest single, ‘Give n Take’?
I wrote 'Give n Take' towards the end of my relationship with my ex. It’s about reaching that point (which I know a lot of couples can relate to – I’ve had a few girls message me on Instagram since hearing it being like ‘ok were you dating my ex cos this is literally him’). Where there’s very little spontaneity and romance and thoughtfulness going on anymore and you’re fed up of it so you’re like ‘hey, be romantic and do lovely things for me and I’ll return the favour in other ways…’ It’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek, playful chorus, but the verses are a bit more serious/pissed off/specific to my relationship!
You've also had your first headline show now, how was that?
It was amazing! My first headline ever and we sold out like 3 weeks before! Was so happy. We played so many new songs so I was quite nervous before cos It was basically a whole new set from any gig we’d done previously, but they all went down amazingly and I had the best time. The crowd was amazing and I just can’t wait to do it all over again.
You have previously worked with A-minor, Benjamin Miller, Draper and Louis La Roche to produce your singles, how was that for you?
Amazing. I work with new producers every week, which is such a great learning experience for me cos everyone has a different working method and I like to see how I work and write differently with different people. Every one of my singles has actually been produced by someone different. All the guys you’ve listed are super talented – as are Toby Scott and Hight who have produced the last two!
When you were chosen for BBC introducing and even had Elton John picking your track for his BEATS1 show - how did that moment change your life?
Felt pretty special. To hear Sir Elton John introduce my song and say my name… that was a pinch-me moment – my parents were very excited about that too! And BBC Introducing have been an amazing support so far in my musical journey. Hearing my song on Radio 1 every day for a week was siiick. I did not play it cool at all ha.
You also toured with Jonas Blue in 2017 - any highlights?
All of it! Can I say that? Every show was really different, and a great learning experience for me. I’d never played outside of the UK before, so I was just lapping it all up, loving every minute. It was weird moving from one country to another so quickly, but we managed to see a lil bit of each city that we played in!
So, what makes you special?
Hopefully lots of things! I dunno it’s weird to write it out… I feel like maybe what sets my music apart is how honest and conversational and I think, British, my songwriting is – my lyrics are always super specific which I think listeners appreciate cos you’re really letting them into your world, no holds barred. I’m also a lot of fun…
What is your life motto?
What’s bad for your heart is good for your art. (Basically to tell myself that if I’m having a shit time at least I’m gonna get some great songs out of it).
What would you fill a swimming pool with if it could be anything?
Pandas and Dominos pizza.
What can we expect to see from you in 2018?
More songs, gigs, festivals, features, tours… all of it <3
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