Burn

Read more of Burn’s exclusive interview with singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist KT Tunstall

Q: How has touring and being around different artists change the way you write songs now and the way you perceive music?
KT: I don’t think it changed the way I write songs necessarily but it’s definitely raised my bar. It’s raised my standards—having the opportunity to meet people that \I’ve always admired and also see them play and I’ve been lucky enough while I was travelling to catch them in fantastic shows and it really raises your bar and it really makes you examine what you do yourself and how you do it and…For example, going to see Radiohead here in London and seeing a stage show and i said wow that really is so inventive and so meaningful to their music and it really made me think how my stage looks and that’s just an example…almost every time i see a good show or band i like it provokes some thought in some area of what i do. Although i am obviously influenced in some level by what other people write and what other people produce, it’s quite important to me that that remains untouched, the writing because otherwise it’s going to sound like someone else.

Q: Are there any suprises on the album?
KT: I’d have to say yes, there are surprises, I’ve definitely sped up as compared to the first album, especially on a song called “I Don’t Want You Now.” And I think fans will be surprised how punk rock it’s gotten, it’s gone really fast. This is something I didn’t do at all when I did Eye to the Telescope—it’s all quite mid-tempo, down tempo, and then the next album is definitely made to play live.

Q: With the last album being, you’re seen as “KT Tunstall is the next big thing.” Are you glad to get rid of that tag?
KT: Obviously I’m glad to get rid of it because now I kind of feel like maybe I am a big thing (laughs). I mean the first time in an article I was just reading the papers a couple of years ago and I saw my name used as a reference, you know. “So and so, oh she’s a little bit like KT Tunstall.” I thought “My God! I’m actually…a thing now!” And that’s a nice moment when it happens to you because it really affirms that you actually have your own sound which is the biggest compliment of all—that you don’t sound like someone else, you actually sound like you, you know. Then I think there’s something very special about being the underdog, trying to get somewhere and once you get there, it can bring all sorts of problems. And when you’ve achieved what you wanted to achieve then you think “Okay, what am i going to do next.” I find that you constantly have to re-evaluate what you want to happen because when what you want to happen happens, then you need to move on to the next step.

Q: Where do you find inspiration for writing your songs?
KT: Inspiration often comes from digesting experiences and usually it’s a very close emotional interaction with another person and that can come from my own experiences and certainly it can come from observing that between other people—that could be people I know or situations I see on the television. For example “Saving My Face” from the album came from watching a documentary about older women, some of whom had bags under their eyes so they went to a plastic surgeon, had their eyes fixed and they were really happy. And then there were these other women who just didn’t want to be old, they wanted to be 20 so they went to this outrageous surgical length to look like 20 year olds and it was just so bad and bizarre and futile. And so that was a case of putting myself in the position of an older woman feeling like that.

Q: You did a really really good rendition of Mussy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On.” What other song would you absolutely love to cover?
KT: Why thank you. I’d really really like to tackle a David Bowie song. I discovered when I did a cover of “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead that if you cover a song…by an artist that has an army of incredibly loyal and frightening fans (laughs), no one is allowed to cover Radiohead apparently…you shouldn’t cover Radiohead and I’m quietly worried that that might happen if I went anywhere near David Bowie. But when it comes to covers I always like doing stuff that isn’t necessarily expected of me, for example Missy Elliot. You know, really leaving my genre and trying something completely different and that excites me—challenging myself.

Q: I read somewhere that when you were busking all those years ago you met someone from Take That that actually gave you a quid is that true?
KT: It’s completely true. It was Marc Owen. I was busking in Camden i was in my hippie gear I had my nose ring and I was in my dungarees. I was busking away and he walked past with a very very attractive girlfriend and I noticed that it was Marc Owen from Take That and he gave me a quid and that was when Take That were really really big and I wanted to say ‘C’mon Marc, give me a fiver.” and I met him recently and I’ve had some success and it was before Take That got back together and he was trying to get his own success as a solo artist and not really having a lot of luck and he gave me a CD and he said “I’d really love you to listen to this and I know I’m probably not the right guy to support you but if you like it then please get in touch.” And I said, “You know what I need to tell you something, you gave me a pain when I was busking once about seven years ago. Don’t tell me that man you’ll be given me a pain, too” He’s a really really lovely person, he’s a very nice guy.

Q: When you’re not touring or writing songs, what do you do that’s not music-related to relax?
KT: Well, obviously my friends are a very very important part of my sanity and my happiness so I have so little time that I really try to spend a lot of time with my friends and family when I’ve got any free tiem. But I’m actually addicted to going to the cinema. I love going to see things on the big screen and I’m quite happy…I’ll go and see a weird, European sub-titled odd film and then I’ll go to Die Hard. I’m happy with anything. There is a level of…like really bad kind of teen-age love film—I really can’t handle. That’s really bad stuff but you know I can defintiely handle some Transformers.