Elsie: Past, Present and Future

Elsie is a very down to earth woman with a fantastic sense of humour. When asked who she would most compare herself to, Elsie replied, “Susan Boyle…ha ha ha ha ha!!! No seriously, my biggest influence has got to be Blondie, but Lily Allen and Jessie J’s way of using everyday words and sentences in their lyrics have been a real influence on me. I like their attitude on stage – proper rock’n’roll even when you’re singing pop music.” Her love for what she does is very clear throughout.

 

FS: You grew up in Little Sutton; at what age did you move to London?

 

E: I moved to London from a quiet village just over the water from Liverpool about four years ago. Little Sutton’s beautiful, but anywhere with the name “little” in it is too small for me to stay in! Village life is easy and hassle free – London was the place I heard calling…it’s just a tidal wave of attitude.

 

FS: You toured with Tom Jones on his US and Europe tour, what was that like?

 

E: Touring with Tom is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. He’s an absolute icon and anywhere we go with him, people fall over themselves to get near him. He’s the real deal – old school showbiz. The stories he can tell are more interesting than any movie I’ve ever seen. He’s a proper gentleman too, which is rare in showbiz.

 

FS: Where is the best place you have performed?

 

E: I used to sing a song and do a little dance to the EastEnders theme tune for my nan in our front room every Thursday. That will honestly take a lot of beating. But I’ve obviously done bigger gigs since! Stand out moments for me include jamming with old Blues guys in Nashville, playing in the actual Kremlin in Russia and then getting sweaty and properly rock’n’roll at The 100 Club in London. There’s such a vibe there. The funny thing is, I’ve NEVER been able to get a gig at the Red Lion pub at the end of my road in Little Sutton. I wonder if they’d have me now? That’s what I’m aiming for!

 

FS: You are just completing some London tour dates, when will you next hit the road?

 

E: I’ll probably only do a few more gigs this year. One or two in November and then the This Feeling Christmas Party in London in December. That’s going to be an epic night and we might even stream the gig live. I’m also pushing hard to support Jessie J on the Liverpool night of her tour. I’m sure they’ll get some big name from her record label to do it, but she’s so good that I had to at least TRY and do a gig with her in my home town.

 

FS: Who is your favourite artist around at the moment?

 

E: Jessie J is the best thing to come out of the pop scene in the last few years. It’s still such a male-dominated industry, so whenever I see someone like Jessie come along, I support them 100 per cent because I want strong females to thrive and I want there to be more of us. I admire Tulisa’s hard working attitude too. The way she stuck with it since such a young age, despite all the obstacles in her way. In terms of guys, Bruno Mars is a true artist. I saw his MTV Unplugged session and was just blown away. The new Kasabian album – Velociraptor – is amazing too.

 

FS: What are your views on The X Factor and the acts they produce?

 

E: The X Factor is fine if you don’t take it seriously. I wish it was just a fun thing, rather something that actually shapes the pop charts. There are so many live gigs happening on Saturday nights when the show is airing, with bands and singers making original music that just don’t get a look in. I don’t mean this in a derogatory way, but X Factor is just Saturday night Karaoke. It’s great fun, but I can’t get passionate about the music on it.

 

FS: What is your favourite track of your own?

 

E: I genuinely love every song on my album because it’s a diary of my life over the last year. It was a real labour of love and every song is about something I’ve experienced. Live, one of my favourites is Get What I Want because it’s so raw and energetic. But my overall favourite is Dangerous Dog. I think that’ll be my second single, but you can see a minute or so of me performing it live at http://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialElsie

 

FS: What can we expect from you in the coming months/years?

 

E: You can expect me to not go away! Adidas have just got behind me, so that’s given me a huge boost and I’ll be shooting my debut video for my first single The Assassin (Bang Bang) next month. I’ve been asked to write the theme tune for a new American TV show - which I’m going to be shouting VERY loudly about as soon as they tell me I can!

 

Elsie is due to release her album next year but before that, plans to release a few singles and put herself out there for everyone to see. She explains, “My album is out next year, but there’s loads of stuff happening before that. I’ll be releasing three singles before it and putting in the graft to make sure people are aware of me. Find me on Facebook and Twitter folks!” And you’d be a fool not to! Check Elsie out at www.facebook.com/ElsieMusic or www.twitter.com/OfficialElsie you can also hear Elsie cover the Stereophonics track Dakota here www.prandpromotion.com/Dakota.mp3