INTERVIEW: KARL FROM SCANDIPOP.CO.UKScandipop

LISTEN TO SCANDIPOP RADIO NOW

You may have noticed that we at WE7 love great pop music. Well, we also love finding great blogs that supply us with an endless amount of great pop music. 

If you’re like us, you’ll love scandipop.co.uk, a blog we visit on a daily basis. There must be something in the water in Scandinavia because the quality of pop music emanating from there is simply incredible. We caught up with Karl from Scandipop to try to work out why..

WE7: How did Scandipop.co.uk start out and where did the idea come from?
KB: Scandipop started out three and a half years ago. Just because I started to see a growing interest online in the music that was coming out of Scandinavia. More people were looking to that region as a place to source good pop music. So I wanted to start a website that concentrated on the best/my favourite pop coming from the Nordic countries - to highlight the magnitude of great music coming from there, and to assist people with discovering it.

WE7: Has it changed direction since it was first set up, and have your ambitions for the site changed? Where are most of your readers from?
KB: It’s changed a lot since the beginning, mainly because it’s gotten so much bigger and more popular as more people have begun to realise how much good music Scandinavia is producing. The Scandipop brand now includes more than the website - there’s the online CD store, the television show on Dance Nation TV in the UK, and of course the online radio station on We7 which has had a lot of great feedback. As for my ambitions for it, well I’d like to organise more live events in the UK like I used to, but it’s a lot more difficult now that I’m not living in London anymore and have moved to Stockholm. Most of the readers are from the UK, followed by the US, and then Sweden itself.

WE7: What were you doing before Scandipop.co.uk; has music always been at the forefront for you?
KB: Before Scandipop.co.uk, I was working with music copyright, publishing, and royalties. That’s always been my day job. And now I’m doing a lot of DJing in Stockholm, plus I write a monthly music column for a magazine back in the UK. So yes - I’ve always been working with music and hope it stays that way.

WE7: We’re huge fans of Scandinavian pop, why do you think it is so amazing at the moment?
KB: Well I only really know what I like. But I’ve asked a few artists about this over the last few years - about why Scandinavian pop is so amazing. They seem to put it down to two things. Firstly that there’s a large amount of creativity here. If you’re good at something and you really want to do it - it’s encouraged and admired. And secondly, a lot of people have pointed towards the long, cold, and dark winters out here. They say there’s not a lot else to do but be holed up indoors and honing your craft. But ultimately I think it’s because Scandinavian musicians seem to have a great ear for a pop melody. And they don’t shy away from it either.

WE7: How would you say Scandipop differs to pop in the UK?
KB: Commercial pop can be largely the same - since so much music you hear on UK radio and see on the UK charts is actually written or produced by Scandinavians. But moving away from what’s commercial, you’ve got the stark and icy electro music that Scandinavian artists do so well. I don’t think anywhere else does it as well as they do. And then there’s also another genre of music that’s popular here - called schlager music. Think Steps, but ten times cheesier. Camp dance beats, massive key changes, and ridiculously catchy melodies. That stuff would never get a proper outlet in the UK. It’s also very uncool in Sweden too of course, but it still gets more than enough exposure. There are lots of outlets for that kind of music here, and lots of artists doing it. And even the people here who say they hate it - well when it comes to 2am in the club, they’re all singing along regardless!

WE7: Who are the standout artists on the Scandipop scene for you?
KB: For pure pop there’s Le Kid. They’re incredible, and they really should be worldwide names, it’s a travesty that they aren’t. For electro music, Tove Styrke is exciting - like a young Robyn. And then Sweden also has a talent for producing young guys who do great pop music, like Eric Saade, Danny Saucedo, and Ola Svensson. Plus I’m looking forward to the new Agnes album coming later this year.

WE7: Are there any buzz producers that people should know about?
KB: Jonas von der Burg is my absolute favourite. He’s the guy behind September’s ‘Cry For You’ which was a big hit in the UK a few years back. He’s just started his own record label too and so is going to be churning out more hits for more artists soon - which I can’t wait to hear. Anders Hansson is also fantastic. He’s behind ‘Release Me’ by Agnes. And he works a lot with Felix and Märta from Le Kid too, for other artists. They’ve just done lots of tracks for a new UK act which is gonna launch this year, The Face.

WE7: We’ve seen a whole bunch of Scandipop artists that have started to show up in the UK like Icona Pop, Sound Of Arrows etc do you think Scandipop is going to have an even bigger presence in the UK this year?
KB: It’s hard to tell with the UK, since it’s so difficult for non British or American pop artists to break through. I have no doubt that there’s going to be more and more Scandinavian music worthy of a presence in the UK this year. But who knows if it’ll transpire into actual success. I’d love to see Le Kid break through, for Agnes to have another hit, and for one of the aforementioned pop boys to have a bit of a presence too. Medina is currently making her second English language album too. The first one didn’t really happen for her in the UK, but hopefully this new one will. 

WE7: Are there any Scandipop artists that you are excited about for 2012? Any that we should be looking out for?
KB: I’m excited about Love Generation. They’re a Swedish girlband put together and produced by RedOne. And they’ve promised more hits in 2012. Margaret Berger and Bertine Zetlitz are two Norwegian electro sirens that have been away for a while, but who both have new albums coming out this year. Darin and Ola are a couple of Swedish guys who have been tweeting a lot about being in the studio recently, so I’m looking forward to hearing what they both come out with. And I’m also expecting a new album from Danish duo Electric Lady Lab. I loved their first.

Scandipop.co.uk / Scandipop Radio
Check back later this week for Karl’s ‘Introduction to Scandipop’ station.

Interview: Daughter


Daughter is made up of Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella. After releasing a 4-track demo EP, Elena then joined forces with Igor to produce “His Young Heart” EP in April 2011, and went on to release “The Wild Youth” EP in November last year via Communion Records with the addition of Remi.

As well as releasing their two EPs last year, Daughter spent time supporting Ben Howard on his European tour and are all set to join him on his UK tour in February.

Picked as one of our New for 2012 artists, we caught up Elena to find out more about the music…


For those who are new to Daughter, how would you describe your sound?

I never really know how to describe it - it’s sort of folk music because thats how it started and thats where the roots of it are but then Igor brings a lot of experimental, ambient guitar stuff and its got elements of different things in it. It’s kind of atmospheric but also quite folky and then on top of that you’ve got Remi’s big drums. 

How did Daughter come about?

Me, Igor and Remi went to the same college - me and Igor were on a songwriting course and Remi was on a drum course. I think I asked Igor if he could accompany me on guitar for a couple of gigs this time last year, and tried to pitch it as just one gig, but then ended up going from there. I’d been trying to find a band and then the whole name change happened because I wanted to do something different so it was really nice to find Igor, and we already knew Remi and he’s an amazing drummer so we kind of stole him. So, it all came about slightly accidentally but then I kind of knew I liked their style and their way of playing - now, it’s got a lot of Igor’s influence and so it really does feel like I’ve gone away from what I was doing before and into something really exciting.

What made you want to go from being a solo artist to working with other people?

I didn’t really enjoy it that much before, I think when you’re by yourself it can be really lonely and, also, I think musically I wanted something more than me just standing there with my guitar. I think it was a mixture of being really nervous and then finding people who were really good musicians. 

What are your main influences?

We’ve all got quite different influences within the band. I listen to a lot of singer-songwriters, I kind of pick up on lyrics and vocal melodies and grew up listening to Bob Dylan and Neil Young because my parents were really into it, and then I went off and listened to rubbish music as you do when you’re about 12 and then I suddenly found Jeff Buckley and people like that who bought me back to that kind of amazing lyricism. Igor’s really good at keeping up to date with cool new bands, so he introduces me to all these amazing and weird and wonderful musicians. I think I was always into that atmospheric kind of sound even before I met Igor, like Sigur Ros, so I think that kind of developed when we met.

What made you decide to release two separate EPs last year?

The first EP “His Young Heart” we didn’t really do for any reason because no one knew who we were, it was just something me and Igor decided to do and recorded in his bedroom. I think I’d spent ages not recording anything and really wanted to but never got round to doing it so it was really nice that Igor had the space for us to do that, especially as we didn’t have that much money to spend on it. The second EP we recorded more professionally with Ian Grimble from Communion Music at his studio. He’s got an amazing studio in the back of this church in Crouch End and it’s just so lovely. So, we got to experience both sides, from doing everything by yourself and using masking tape to hold everything together on the first EP and then going into Ian’s beautiful studio and seeing that side too - we learnt a lot from both experiences. The second EP we had an idea that we wanted to do something a bit more experimental and take more risks because we had that opportunity working with Ian, so it was nice that we could be a bit more ambitious.

Can we expect a full album anytime soon?

We’re hoping that we’ll have something in the form of an album at the end of the year - but we’ve got lots planned in terms of live stuff so its just about finding time to record. I’d love to write a fully new album but then there are songs that we’ve got even from the first EP demos that we’ve got big ideas for and I don’t really want to leave them behind.

What have you got planned for this year?

Up until mid January we can enjoy lounging around eating Christmas food, after that we’re going to Neursonic Festival in Holland - we went to Holland recently on tour with Ben Howard and it’s such an amazing place. We’re doing a show in Glasgow called Celtic Connections, in February we’re touring again with Ben Howard in the UK. Then in March we’re doing SXSW and in April we’ve got a headline show at Islington Assembly Hall. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and playing live is what we really enjoy so it’s great to have loads planned.

What was your favourite track of 2011?

I’d have to say Bon Iver’s “Holocene” because it’s amazing and the video just makes me cry. I do really love the new album, as much as there’s a lot going on you can really feel how it’s naturally progressed from the first album - I really love it. 

                        LISTEN TO WE7’S NEW FOR 2012 RADIO IN FULL HERE

                                       

Interview: First Aid Kit

Following on from their 2009 debut album “The Big Black And The Blue”, Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit are all set to release their delightful second album “The Lion’s Roar” in January 2012, with the title track of the album our on 5th December.


Made up of sisters Johanna and Klara, First Aid Kit released their first EP “Drunken Trees” back in 2008 and have since released their debut album followed by an extensive tour of Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand!

Having just toured as support with fellow Swede Lykke Li, we got chatting to Johanna and Klara who told us all about the new album…

Hi Johanna and Klara! You’ve just finished touring in the US supporting Lykke Li, how did it go?

It was really great, we’re big fans of Lykke Li she’s a very special person and very talented so it was great to tour with her – we got to perform on the Letterman show too which was fun. 

Your second album “The Lion’s Roar” is out in January, what can we expect in comparison to your debut?

It’s definitely different to “The Big Black And Blue”, it’s more of a band feeling and there’s a lot more going on. We feel like we’ve grown in every aspect of our career, with our singing, songwriting and arranging.

How does the songwriting process work and do you find being sisters helps?

Kara will usually start off the songs and then I join in and we sort of finish the songs together, and work on the lyrics together. We’re on the same page musically and we kind of really know what we want so it’s quite easy for us to collaborate. There’s never really any discussion or debate - we almost always think the same thing about a song and like the same thing. Hopefully it’ll continue to be like that, we look at music the same way and have the same aspirations so it really works well us working together.

You worked with Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes on “The Lion’s Roar”, how was it?

It was very interesting for us because our first record was recorded in my bedroom and this was recorded in an amazing studio in the US so it was quite a different feeling. We were a bit nervous but instantly we felt like it was going to work, and felt like Mike really understood our music and what it’s about and could help us get our music to the next level , which he did. It was just a very fun and creative process, really easy and really fast and it met my expectations and above that. The whole process was an amazing time in our lives and I think you can hear in the record we’re having fun and doing something that we love.

How did working with Bright Eyes come about?

Mike saw us play live in Austin last year at a festival called ‘Austin City Limits’, and right after the show we got a message from Mike saying he wanted to record our album.  He’s been our dream producer because Bright Eyes was the band that got us into country and folk music from the beginning so it was like of course we were going to record with him! 

You’ve been touring for a while now and played in the US and Europe, are there any highlights or places that stand out for you?

Well, we definitely loved playing Union Chapel,  that was really special for us – it’s always special playing churches because it’s interesting to see how it affects people – people become very reserved. We’ve been very lucky in terms of touring because we’ve had so many great shows, Portland is one of our favourite cities to play and we love Austin, but I think that’s because we’ve actually had time to explore those places. Most places we’ve visited we can only base on how the show goes.

You recently performed at the Polar Prize in Stockholm where you sang a Patti Smith song whilst she was in the audience, how did it feel?

It was very special, our parents have listened to Patti Smith for a very long time so we grew up with her music and we’ve always loved her music – she’s such a cool person, I can’t think of anyone who’s cooler than her! It was on TV which we knew but the only person that we really cared about was her – it could have been just her and we would have been just as nervous. Because we were doing her song we didn’t want to dishonour her by doing a bad rendition, but we watched her reaction after and and saw her tearing up and seeing that was the most amazing compliment for us. 

You’ve contributed to the ‘Cool For School’ charity compilation set up by the Gift Horse Project and Manimal Vinyl, can you tell us a bit about it?

Yeah, that was recorded during our tour with Bright Eyes in September in New Orleans on the tour bus - they told us that they’d been approached about doing this compilation for African school children which we thought was an amazing thing. We covered “We’re Going To Be Friends” by The White Stripes, it was really fun and an amazing experience.

You often cite older folk artists like Gram Parsons and The Louvin Brothers as your influences, do you listen and take inspiration from any newer artists – what kinds of things have you listened to this year?

There’s been a lot of amazing new records this year – Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Alela Diana, Laura Marling – we love her. I think there’s a mini folk revival right now and there a lot of amazing artists from the UK and the US so we’re definitely not just listening to the old stuff.

Are there other genres that influence you?

We listen to a lot of jazz, when we were kids we listened to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, we really like Norah Jones too. We love country folk and blues and I think that’s really what our music is about but you can hear pop and jazz influences in our music too.

What are your plans for 2012?

It’s going to be a really busy year for us, we’re going to tour constantly and see the world! We’re going to Australia, back to the US, Europe and probably Asia too – so it’s this crazy year for us where we get to perform our new songs. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time and we’re really excited, we can’t wait to play our new songs for people.

Are there any artists in particular you’re looking forward to hearing more from next year?

Dylan LeBlanc has a new record out, he’s an amazing singer-songwriter.  I read a review and went a listened to his record and just loved it. I kind of stalked him after that and emailed him – he wrote back and we became friends. We’ve performed with him and he’s very talented – he has the most beautiful voice, so we’re really excited about the new record.

Check out our First Aid Kit station here, made up of all the artists mentioned in the interview.

                                             

First Aid Kit’s latest single “The Lion’s Roar” is released on 5th December. Find out more about First Aid Kit here.

Interview: The Sound Of Arrows

We recently caught up with Swedish indie pop duo The Sound Of Arrows, who not only told us all about their upcoming new album “Voyage” but also created their own we7 radio station filled with their all time favourite tracks.

Starting out back in 2006 by Oskar Gullstrand and Stefan Storm, The Sound Of Arrows have since built up an impressive following, releasing a few EPs and their unforgettable short film for single “Magic”. 

With their debut album “Voyage” out on 7th November, we got chatting to Stefan to find out more… 

How did you both meet and start out playing music?

Me and Oskar met in our mid-teens in our hometown of Gävle, Sweden. Our mutual love for film brought us together, music came a lot later. It was only out of boredom we started making music when both of us had moved to Stockholm and Oskar was living at my place. Working in the film business was always our goal and music just kind of snuck up on us. It was a way for us to realize our crazy big-themed visual ideas.

You’ve created a we7 radio station made up of some of your favourite tracks - who and what are your musical influences? 

The station is littered with musicians and artists whom have inspired us. Damon Albarn has always been a big influence on me, as has Vangelis, Enya and Boards of Canada. It might not be very evident when listening to our tracks but especially Vangelis has had a huge influence on us and how the album ended up sounding. We also do love a bit of contemporary pop and we think that our fellow Swedes Icona Pop and Niki and the Dove are amongst the best things around at the moment! 

Do your musical tastes differ?

Yeah, they differ quite a lot. I’m more pop and Oskar is more leftfield. I have shown Oskar Vangelis and he introduced me to Boards of Canada.

Your music always seems to have an element of escapism and can be quite dream-like, is that something you consciously feel when writing?

The Sound of Arrows was always to be a hazy dream about boyhood dreams and nostalgia. And to us, growing up in a small, rural town, a lot of our boyhood was about wanting to go some-place better. So to us, that theme just came quite naturally. We like to think of our album as melancholic euphoria. Most of the songs are quite upbeat but there’s always something more sinister and sad bubbling under the surface.

We’re big fans of your music videos and love ‘Magic ’ in particular, how much input goes into the videos (imagery and storylines) from you?

Haha, everything! We make the videos and artwork ourselves with the help of some good mates. To us The Sound of Arrows is 50% audio 50% visual. We’ve constructed our album “Voyage” more like a pop-soundtrack to an imaginary film than just a normal pop album. It starts and ends with the same theme and the last song “Lost City” is the end-titles, over which the credits for the film roll. 

Your debut album “Voyage” is out on 7th November, how do you feel about its release and what can we expect?

We’re very excited to finally release an album! We’ve been around for some time now without ever having released an album. Actually this is our third album, but we binned the first two ones.. They didn’t hold up to our perfectionist approach. 

What was the recording process like?

It was long! A lot of hard work, late nights, detuned synths and travelling. But all in all it was a very fun project! While creating this album so many crazy things happened for us and we have grown a lot from the day we started recording it. Making your debut album, being such perfectionists isn’t the easiest task. Hopefully, in the end we managed to create something cohesive and special.

You worked with some great producers on the album including Richard X, are there any artists who you’d like to collaborate with in the future?

There are so many talented people out there whom we’d love to meet and share ideas with. However, the one names that keeps popping up re dream collaboration is actually US-based femme fatale Cassie. We’re both big fans of her debut and would love to do something a bit more RnB! Fingers crossed. 

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

We’re actually going to do some behind the scenes work since we’re not touring until spring next year. We’ve played lots of shows without even having an album out and next time we hit the road we want people to have had a chance to listen to more than three tracks of ours. Apart from that, we’ve got some cool projects in the pipeline that we can’t wait to share with you guys. All in due time. 

So, here’s our The Sound Of Arrows radio station, made up of tracks that mean a lot to us, some new favourites and some old classics!

                                       

The Sound of Arrows epic debut album ‘Voyage’ is released on 7th November. Find out more about The Sound of Arrows here.

INTERVIEW: PIXIE LOTT

Hailing from Essex, singer-songwriter Pixie Lott is one of the UK’s latest pop sensations. At just nineteen years old, Pixie already has two number one singles under her belt, including debut single “Mama Do”, as well as gaining chart success for much of the past year with her debut album “Turn It Up”.

Taking some time out from her musical endeavours, Pixie has just returned from America where she featured in her first film role for “Fred The Movie”, as well as releasing her single “Boys And Girls” to coincide with the film.

With “Fred The Movie” out in cinemas on 17th December, we caught up with Pixie to find out more about her big screen debut.

WE7: You make your big acting debut in “Fred The Movie”, how did it all come about?

PL: I was in LA doing showcases and one of them got cancelled so the audition popped up, my manager told me about it so I went on the internet checked out Fred and was like wow he looks crazy, but he looked fun so I wanted to get involved and went to the audition. When I got on the flight home I got a call saying they wanted me to part of the film, so we had to re-jig the schedule and we filmed it just before Christmas.

Did you enjoy making the movie?

Yeah it was fun, it’s got such a funny script and it was really light-hearted and for a younger audience so there wasn’t too much pressure, I just had a really good time and I’ve got a lot of good memories.

WE7: Were you familiar with Fred before you started working on the movie?

No I didn’t have a clue at all, until I found out about the audition then I looked him up on the internet - he’s so crazy.

WE7: Is acting something you’ve always been interested in?

Yeah I started acting when I was about 5 and I got really into it, I did loads of TV shows and plays. I then became really focused on my music, but I always wanted to get back into acting again and I’d love to do more films and get more involved.

WE7: You released your single “Boys and Girls” in America this year, what has the reaction to your music been like?

I released “Boys and Girls” because it featured in “Fred The Movie”, but I haven’t released anything else properly in America as yet, so in February I’m going to go back and start promotion and start releasing singles.

WE7: Your headline tour kicks off in November, are you looking forward to it?

Yes I can’t wait; it’s been two years so it’s been a long time coming. I’ve been the support act a couple of times so I’m excited to have my own show now.

WE7: Has there been a lot of preparation involved?

We actually start rehearsing tomorrow so we haven’t started yet - we rehearse for ten days and then kick off the tour.

WE7: Who’s going to be supporting you on the tour?

It’s a girl band called Soundgirl. They’re three young girls and they’re really talented so I’m excited about that.

WE7: Do you have any plans after the tour, or are you going to take some much needed time out?

I finish on 18th December so it’ll be Christmas – I’m going to spend some time with my friends and family and I’m hoping to go on a ski holiday so that’ll be good fun!

LISTEN TO PIXIE LOTT RADIO ON WE7.COM NOW

INTERVIEW: WESTLIFE

For boy band read man band - having released their first album back in 1999, Westlife are all set to release their 11th album “Gravity” later this month. The group have spent the best part of this year on their “Where We Are” tour, as well as working on their latest album with legendary producer John Shanks (Take That, Kelly Clarkson).

To date the band have achieved 14 number one singles in the UK, and are just about to release their first single from their upcoming album “Safe”. The single is out on 14th November, followed by the release of “Gravity” on 22nd November.

We caught up with Mark, Kian, Nicky and Shane to find out about their latest release and what the future holds for Westlife…

WE7: You’ve just spent the summer touring, how did it all go?

Mark: It went fantastic, our two favourite things are recording and touring, then there’s promotion and loads of other things in between, but making the album and then performing it are the two main backbones of our life.

Kian: I think it’s always difficult because we came off the back of a big tour the last time and it was really successful and got great reviews, so you sit down and think where do we even start - you always want to beat the last one. We were delighted with the show and we did think it beat the last one and hopefully with our next tour we’ll do the same. It’s weird because you almost forget what it’s like to have that buzz of seeing so many people in front of you.

WE7: What was the show like how did it differ from previous tours?

Shane: The whole concept for the show was destruction and the end of the world - we wanted to come up with something instead of it being just a show of Westlife songs. The set was fantastic and it was a very visual show, there were a lot more screens and a lot more visuals going on behind us. For us we felt it was our best show so far and the reviews have been fantastic.

WE7: Who was your support on the tour?

Mark: We had a band from America called WOW, but our main support was a band called Wonderland who are a new girl band. Kian is actually co-managing them with our manager Louis, so it was very close knit vibe which was really nice; Jodie, Kian’s wife, is in the band so we already knew her very well, she’s like family. They’re just about to launch, they’re genuinely really good singers and they’re all beautiful; I’ll be very confused if they don’t become huge.

Shane: Jedward and JLS supported us when we played Croke Park and it was a great support to have. Jedward are loved in Ireland - they’re icons at this stage, even in the year or two that they’ve had, they went down a storm and they’re really good guys.

WE7: Are you surprised at how well you sell out tours considering how far down the line in your career you are?

Mark: You might get used to certain things but we’re just about to release a new album, we’ve spent months making it, and we have no idea how well it’s going to do. We never assume that it’s going to be massive or it’s going to flop. So, right now we’re nervous, we’re excited, and there’s no kind of monotony to it. This is our eleventh album, we’ve been together twelve years and we’re still just as excited as ever.

WE7: You’re obviously good at keeping that fanbase, how do you maintain that over the years?

Shane: I think we don’t change too much what we are as a band. We are what we are, some people love us some people hate us, that’s like every other band but for us we have a fan base that likes the type of music we do and we enjoy the type of music we do so we don’t try to change it too much.

WE7: You like to interact with fans; I noticed some of you are on Twitter…

Mark: Myself, Nicky and Kian are on Twitter - Nicky’s actually got the most followers out of us all…

Nicky: Twitter’s good because it’s instant, and I think we’ve learned that recently it’s quicker than releasing a statement to the press or quicker than doing a print interview. You say something on Twitter and you forget that all the media outlets are following you, and that sarcasm doesn’t really transpire that well. Recently I said “Great to see my Auntie do so well, come on Mary”, about Mary Byrne on X-Factor purely because she has the same surname as me and all of a sudden everyone was saying “Mary’s Nicky’s Auntie”!

Mark: Back in the day we used to do Smash Hits magazine and pop magazines, and we’d say something and somehow they’d slightly change what you’d say or how say it. So the good thing about Twitter is it’s nice to be able to sit down and letter for letter, space for space, slang word for slang word, say exactly what you want to say.

WE7: What were you up to on your year out?

Mark: It probably meant slightly different things to everyone. On a group level it meant stepping away from things - after releasing nine albums in a row we have had time off here and there, but it’s a very intense lifestyle that we have as we’re always on stage, or on a photo shoot or travelling. By the end of it we’d remembered why we wanted to do it in the first place, so we came back more eager than ever.

WE7: You’ve got the album coming out next month, what kind of direction does it take?

Shane: “Gravity” comes out on 22nd November and it’s a progression from our last album. It’s the first time we’ve worked with one producer on a full album. We worked with John Shanks who is an amazing producer and somebody we wanted to work with for a long time. He’s a genius in the studio and he’s someone who’s very passionate about music. We wanted to bring our voices to someone like that, he’s found a sound for Westlife and I think that’s something we needed to find. It’s still very Westlife, we’re not going to change too much who we are musically but it’s just more interesting. It’s a great start for where we want to go for the next few years, and we’re very proud of the album.

Nicky: John was really great to work with, because he gave us encouragement with all aspects of the album - some of us wanted to song write and nurture that talent a bit more. When you’re in a pop band or boy band you’re not really encouraged to do that, so it makes a big difference when you have a world class producer who wants to encourage you to write, it really felt like we were creating something.

Mark: He’s enjoyed massive success and money, but he’s not driven by that, he’s driven by doing something he believes in, and we’ve got a side like that too so working with John really brought that out of us. He’s a great person to be around, he’s motivated by the right things in life.

LISTEN TO WESTLIFE RADIO ON WE7.COM NOW

10 FOR 10: ELLIE GOULDING

Of all the artists tipped by MTV this year, it is probably fair to say that 19 year-old Ellie Goulding stands out the most. Having already released one single (the resolute Under The Sheets) she has won praise for her brand electro-folk-acoustic-pop from all quarters. The BBC, no less, voted her as their number one artist to watch in their Sound of 2010 poll and she has picked up what is sure to be the first of many Brit Awards - the much coveted Critics’ Choice Award, previously handed out to Adele and Florence and the Machine.

You can vote for Ellie here, as part of MTV’s 10 for 10 campaign. We wanted to know more about the singer they are all talking about, so caught up with Ellie for a chat about what 2010 holds for her…

Happy New Year Ellie! How did you spend Christmas and New Year?

Thanks very much indeed, same to you. I spent it in Ireland, and then Hereford, and then back in London.

You’re part of the MTV 10 for 10 campaign in which fans can vote for the artist they think is going to make it big this year - tell us why people should vote for you?!

Well this is great news. Er, I suppose, vote for me because I’m a good person!

How does it feel to be tipped for big things in 2010?

It feels lovely. Not too much pressure considering. It is a good feeling but it hasn’t stopped me carrying on doing my own little thing.

You’ve been award the Critics’ Choice Brit Award, following in the footsteps of Florence and the Machine and Adele. Has this come as a surprise?

I didn’t have a clue, I really didn’t. I felt like I hadn’t made anything to show people yet. But it was out of my hands! The album is all done so I’m not under any pressure. I feel good about getting a thumbs up from music critics and now I hope to get one from fans. That would be nice.

What made you want to get into music?

The realisation that I could write a song and perform it and express myself in a completely individual way and have people believing you and what you sing about. I think it was that. Before, I just didn’t really know how to be me properly and felt like I wasn’t real, and then I knew how to make myself real- by singing my own songs.

How would you describe your music to first time listeners?

Dark and delicate. Pop and folk collided with a big boom box!

You’ve toured with Little Boots and worked with Frankmusik and Passion Pit - has this given you a good basis for your own solo career?

I feel like the artists I’ve been involved with have been for very good reasons, Little Boots and Frankmusik work very hard at what they do, they are proud and so they should be. The same with Passion Pit. Artists and producers I have been involved with until this point will stay with me with gratitude and gratefulness but the new year has given me a different kind of strength and made me realise that I’m alone in this and always have been.

You’ve been compared to Bon Iver, Imogen Heap and Bjork - do you see yourself fitting in the same bracket as these artists?

I am immensely proud to be compared to them, I love all three of these artists dearly. All are wonderful, wonderful artists and the kind of musicians I am grateful for them being around. Bon Iver saved me in a lot of ways.

What other artists do you admire - who inspires you to make music?

The most inspirational person I’ve met is Burial. He is such a gentle, fascinating, wonderful human being who taught me a million things at once without even realising it. If only there were more people in the world like him.

Your second single, “Starry Eyed”, is out in February - what is it about?

It’s about everybody being so euphoric that nothing seems to matter anymore, whether past grievances or fear of the future. Everyone’s got stars in their eyes. I like this song; it takes me away from everything that’s going on at the moment.

What can we expect your debut album?

Some heartbreaking songs and some good tunes to run to! And some tribal drums at the end. For real!

Do you have any New Year resolutions?

Feel like doing the London Marathon and some good live shows.