L-word: Let’s talk about your music. What is the most challenging in your music career right now as a female musician?

 

HP: As a musician it would be to put my album out, it’s the next biggest challenge. I’m getting it right because I do believe I’ve only got one chance to get this album right. If that first album is no good then kiss goodbye.

 

L-word: Is it because they are all your songs and no cover songs?

 

HP: Yes, it’s all mine. I believe the songs are good. It’s just about how to produce them now, whether you put string section on something or where to put it. That’s the thing I’ll know at the time I’m listening and readjusting. I have a producer so that’s all good. We’ll initially put the stuff down and then you sit back and you go back to do the string quartet and all that you’d like to do. That’s going to be quite an organic and challenging process but one I’m looking forward to.

 ©Heather Peace

L-word: What do you think in general is the most challenging for female musicians in this industry?

 

HP: I don’t think there is a challenge now. I think there used to be a challenge. You used to have to be gorgeous. I think everything’s been blown out of the water now. I honestly think that female musicians now are being bright and being bold and selling albums on the back of being talented. I really do. I don’t think there’s anything holding us back. I think that female artists at the moment have the best ride in the music industry. You could name twenty of the top of your head. Sisters are doing it for themselves really and I think that it’s a lot to do with them not signing with big labels, following the path on their own and through social network.

 

L-word: You mentioned during Q&A’s that you wrote some of songs when you were miserable and now that you are happy you don’t want just to write sappy love songs. When is it easier to write, when you are happy or miserable?

 

HP: When I’m miserable because it’s cathartic.

 

L-word: But when you are happy you can write about anything really.

 

HP: But the actual lyrics come to my head through actual life experiences and it’s a lot harder to write about stuff that is not connected, so we’ll see how that goes.