By Geoffrey Rowlands
There was a time when Charli XCX dreamed of becoming the new Britney Spears or one of The Spice Girls. But anyone listening to the British singer, musician and songwriter’s work would find this ambition difficult to believe.
“It’s true,” smiled the girl born Charlotte Aitchison. “I started writing my own songs when I was about eight and used to bully my friends into singing with me as a kind of mini version of The Spice Girls.
“As I grew older, I still wanted to be a pop performer and came to regard Britney Spears as my musical role model. Things are very different now. I realised becoming an artist like Britney or The Spice Girls was the last thing I wanted.”
Now 20, Charli first offered her songs to the wider world when she was 14.
“I put some really rough demos on my MySpace page. I didn’t know where this might lead but they basically became my entry into the music business. A guy who put on loads of raves and warehouse parties in London made contact and asked if I’d like to play.
“I began performing at these events and became immersed in rave music and fashion. I really got into French electro music. Artists like Justice and Uffie were particularly inspiring and influential.”
Her own music from around that time is no longer to Charli’s taste.
“It’s a bit embarrassing. My songs then were gimmicky dance tracks. I actually recorded an album which I called 14 so I beat Adele to the idea of naming albums after your age when you write the songs.
“The album was never available commercially but I released some promotional copies and there were a couple of singles. These didn’t do much in terms of sales but attracted enough attention to get me a deal with Atlantic Records.”
Despite this, Charli effectively disappeared for three years. It was 2011 before she was again heard on record guesting on songs by Alex Metric and Starkey. She also released a number of her own tracks some of which feature on her newly released album, True Romance.
“I’ve been writing my album for years. The songs are written from the heart and very personal. Every part of my own romantic history is covered on the album although not every song is about me.
“Several tracks were previously released as singles or on EPs just to get some product out for people to hear. I write a lot of songs which I don’t think are necessarily right for me so it’s taken a while to create what I think are the perfect songs for my album.”
One of the songs which Charli deemed unsuitable for her own output was Icona Pop’s smash hit, I Love It.
“I did a writing session with Patrik Berger. He created the beats for You’re The One, which is on my album, and I Love It. I wrote the lyrics in about half an hour. We recorded the song but I knew it wasn’t right for me.
“Patrik later played I Love It for Caroline and Aino of Icona Pop and they thought it was perfect for them. They added their vocals to mine, did some stuff with the music and got a massive hit.”
Charli’s own releases have yet to even approach this kind of success.
“I’m not too concerned about commercial sales. I just want to release songs which are true to myself. I feel this is easily the most important thing.”
The Rolling Stones celebrates
The Rolling Stones continue their 50th anniversary celebrations with a DVD release of the critically acclaimed documentary, Crossfire Hurricane.
The film features extensive archival footage. This is combined with contemporary commentary and interviews with each band member along with former Stones Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor plus historic interviews with the late Brian Jones.
Bonus content on the DVD includes previously unreleased performance footage from two “New Musical Express” poll winners concerts, a 1964 Arthur Haynes Show and Live in Germany ‘65. There is also a new interview with director Brett Morgen and the Crossfire Hurricane theatrical trailer.
Younger fans who may not be so familiar with the band’s early hits could be interested in their “Grrr!” box set. The standard package is three CDs containing 50 tracks. But the super deluxe edition features 80 tracks on four CDs, two bonus vinyl live EPs, a CD of five demo recordings, two books, a postcard set and a rare 1960s concert poster.
Slayer music
Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman is another victim of the demon drink. It had been speculated that 49-year-old Jeff may have succumbed to after-effects of the flesh-eating disease Necrotizing fasciitis which he contracted from a spider bite in 2010. But the band have now confirmed the cause of his recent death as alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.
Jeff co-founded Slayer in 1981 with guitarist Kerry King and drummer Dave Lombardo. They went on to become one of the ‘Big Four’ thrash metal bands along with Megadeth, Metallica and Anthrax.
Contrary to some reports, Jeff was not on a liver transplant list. His health had actually appeared to be improving. The true extent of his condition was not discovered until a few days before Jeff’s death.
Anyone who would like to hear Slayer’s music should visit www.youtube.com and type the band’s name in the search box. All 11 of their studio albums are posted here in full along with many individual songs.
Creating history
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have made Billboard Hot 100 history in becoming the only duo to reach No. 1 with their first two singles. Can’t Hold Us has now followed Thrift Shop to pole position.
Meanwhile, singer/songwriter Emeli Sande has set a new mark in the UK charts. What’s more, the 2012 BRITs Critics Choice winner has taken a long-held record from The Beatles.
Emeli’s album, Our Version Of Events, not only became Britain’s biggest-selling LP of 2012 but has now spent 65 consecutive weeks in the UK top 10 since it was released in February last year. This sets a new record for any debut album eclipsing the previous mark held by The Beatles who spent 62 straight weeks in the top 10 with Please Please Me between April, 1963, and June, 1964.
Upcoming album
Anyone familiar with the duo Vermillion Lies will have already seen or heard Montreal-born but New York-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kim Boekbinder. She and her sister Zoe formed the band in 2006 releasing a pair of albums before embarking on solo careers in 2009.
The following year saw Kim reappear with her debut album, The Impossible Girl. This was entirely funded by fans via a Kickstarter campaign, a process she also used to sell tickets to her concerts.
Now calling herself The Impossible Girl, Kim has again used fan-funding to raise the finance for her second album, The Sky Is Calling. Described as “a celebration of humans in space,” the album will be released on June 21.
Lead single, Fix You Good, can be heard and downloaded for free at (no www.) soundcloud.com/the-impossible-girl/tracks. Seven more songs, plus a 30-second sample, are also posted here. Six of these are offered for free download.