Interview with Queen of Hearts

This week I had the pleasure of not only publishing my first interview, but also to have interviewed one of my favourite artists at the moment – London-based, electronic royalty, Queen of Hearts – real name Liz Morphew. Her debut album, Cocoon, is currently getting a daily playing on my headphones and you should check it out too! You can read an earlier recommendation of this album that I posted a while back.

I also found out on her Facebook page, that Liz is doing the London Marathon next month. If you’ve got a spare moment, head over to her donation page and help her reach her target.

Please tell us about yourself in as many or as little words as you like.
Wears heart on sleeve, dances until the early hours, writer, dreamer, spiritual, thrill seeker.
Growing up, who were your heroes in music?
Michael Jackson, The Spice Girls, Marvin Gaye, The Thompson Twins, Wham, Prince.
Growing up, who were your heroes outside of music?
My Grandad and my mum
What was the first album you remember buying?
Natalie Imbruglia or maybe one of the “Now” albums. I also had “heal the world” on cassette which was bought for me and played on repeat until the foil stuff came out – a sad day haha!
Was there any defining moment in your life when you knew that you wanted to write, record and perform music?
I wrote with my friends when we were kids but just stupid stuff. We didn’t care, we loved creating stories and playing out a part. I studied musical theatre and was classically trained but never felt a pull toward that, I think I knew I always wanted to create & experiment rather than sing other people’s songs. Moving to London changed my life and I was fortunate to meet and write with some incredible people – everything grew from there really.
Who is your biggest influence in how you approach what you do today?
In terms of song writing Sia, Max Martin, Brian Higgins and Ryan Tedder. Musically, I listen to so much I suppose I take inspiration from bits here and there, I know what I like but also keep open minded and try to push myself both writing and who I choose to listen to/ see live / buy records
What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Probably releasing my debut album ‘Cocoon’ and performing at the BT London Live for the Olympics in 2012. Although I’ve done so much I never thought I would achieve, there are so many other moments too!
What is your Favourite Book?
The Alchemist
What is your Favourite Album?
Lucid Dreaming – Say Lou Lou or Hurts Happiness – they both remind me of certain times in my life and I think music should evoke emotion – good or bad. Also Robyn Body Talk is a badass album.
What is your Favourite Film?
When Harry met Sally
What is your Favourite TV Show?
Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. I love the undateables for comfort tv, it warms my heart.
Do you have a favourite film/tv/musical soundtrack?
Probably Tron (daft punk) or the Despicable Me films as they were done by Pharrell Williams. 50 shades of Grey had an amaaaazing soundtrack but we won’t talk about the quality of the film
Are there any new albums you are binge listening to at the moment?
Coasts (self titled album) and Jamie XX in colour, oh and a lot of Carly Rae Jepsen E.MO.TION – so underrated
You’re walking somewhere and your mp3 player has only a little battery left; You’ve only got time for one more song. What song do you play?
Skip & Die – Love Jihad – literally the greatest song on my iPod
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Have more confidence to be you.
If you could ask any person – living or passed – any question, who would it be and what would you ask them?
I’d quite like to have a general conversation about life with Eckhart Tolle or Professor Steve Peters – I’m pretty obsessed with theories of the mind and spirituality.
Could you tell us a joke?
Who is a penguin’s favourite pop star — Seal (I’m not great at jokes- don’t judge.)

Thank you, Liz

A big thank you to Liz for taking the time to answer those questions. I remember The Alchemist being the book I happened to read that got me into reading regularly. And Say Lou Lou – love that album. I love their single “Better in the Dark” too.

Also a great joke – music-related too! You could say it was a ‘Killer’ joke!

Kicker by Zella Day

The bohemian style of artistic life has always seemed like a very romantic one to me. The idea of an artist just upping and heading to a remote place for some unknown amount of time with nothing but a journal and a guitar and just writing for themselves. In today’s world of rushing about and the constant flow of nauseating crap of social networks, it would be easy for you to assume that that way of life was all but gone from the world.

Well you’d be wrong. Zella Day is flying that flag for me.

She embodies many things that I love about great artists and song writing – interesting, sometimes cryptic, lyrics; a fashion sense from days of old but made very much her own; music that is greater than the sum of its parts – she is the kind of artist that the world needs.

All killer, no filler.

On first listening to “Kicker”, I was immediately hooked with the sound of the guitar in the opening of the song “Jerome”. Before I’d even heard her stunning voice, my first thoughts were that if the Roadhouse in Twin Peaks had a rock night, Zella Day and band would go down really well. This first song also demonstrates her vocal abilities – varying her style throughout the song from verse to chorus to coda. From whispery, almost Stevie Nicks-esque sounding, to the controlled screaming of the songs title in the chorus.

The next song, “High” brings more focus to the massive drums and chugging rhythm guitar and does, by all accounts, have the parts needed to qualify as a rock song. But to label it as just a rock song, or a rock album for that matter, I feel would cheapen the album. Zella is bringing so much more to the mix that I don’t think a simple label is possible. It would be like calling Kate Bush simply a pop singer.

“1965” changes the sound up by focussing more on piano from the start and then using more minimal drums and climbing strings throughout.

“Hypnotic” is one of my favourite songs on “Kicker”, with one of my favourite riffs, and at just 4 seconds shy of 3 minutes, this song is as catchy and full of a hit song as they come.

“Mustang Kids” changes things up again with half of the vocals provided by Baby E, telling the story of a small no-name town with nothing good to do in it.

Small town gang got nothing to do
We got guns, got drugs, got the sun and the moon
We got big city plans but it always rains
And the sheriff is a crook and knows me by name

I said momma was insane and daddy was a criminal
I grew up in a trailer with a dream of fucking centerfolds
Now I’m making money experimenting with chemicals
The fact I’m still alive is why I still believe in miracles

Mustang Kids, Kicker

With “Jameson” we can hear a beautiful finger-picked guitar ballad that oozes country music sensibilities – with that slide guitar sound that is so engrained into country music. When you hear a song like “Mustang Kids” and then “Jameson”, you really get a sense of Zella’s versatility as an artist.

Easily my favourite song on “Kicker” is the album’s penultimate track, “Sweet Ophelia”, which is one of those songs that build up to a huge chorus with a slightly breakbeat drum beat that reminds me of Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” beat. The musical arrangement serves to complement Zella’s voice to the final big chorus of the album and leads perfectly into the final song, “Compass”.

“Compass” is the perfect final song for an album with this much energy. A piano ballad that brings Zella’s voice to the forefront as she leads us back to our daily lives that more enriched.

Songs with quality roots

All of Zella’s songs, whether they be huge anthemic belters or mellow acoustic ballads, are all rooted in quality song writing and a unique vision. I also learned through watching her video series, Day X Day, that she writes all of her songs on guitar first – with the idea that they could all be played acoustic with no accompaniment if she wanted.

When you hear a song like “Hypnotic”, it may be hard to imagine it stripped back to vocal and guitar, but when you listen to her play it like this, you realise that her songs could either fill a stadium or a coffee shop. She is the very definition of a versatile artist.

I hate to use the term “X-Factor”, as that phrase is now synonymous with crap TV, but Zella Day definitely has that unknown ingredient that makes her musical vision and style special.

She is an artist whose career I will be following closely, and I strongly suggest you do too.

I joined the anytime fitness gym last week so I’ve been running up there. Mostly flexing in front of the mirror. But some running also. Wanna do that 10k Birmingham run in may.