Fabulous chats to… Eliza Doolittle

Rankin/Appletiser

Eliza Doolittle had major success with her self-titled first album and songs like Skinny Genes and Pack Up but she’s been pretty quiet for a while. That’s all about to change though. 2013 is set to be Eliza-shaped with a new album, a new direction and these stunning new photos for Appletiser.

 Hi, Eliza. It’s been a while since we heard from you, what have you been up to? 

Well, I’ve been recording my second album for about a year, more than that even. It took me a year and a half to finish the promo of the first album and then I got straight to the second one. I’m really excited to get it out to everyone now. I can’t wait!

You’ve spent a lot of time recording in America, haven’t you? 

I recorded the album in London and LA but yes, I was there for about 3 months last year and before that I was back and forth.

There’s a Brit invasion at the moment, Olly Murs has been over there recording, Adele has just come back after a couple of months, what is it about LA? 

I’ve worked with some really incredible people out there but mainly it’s the weather. London has so much culture, depth and history but there’s something about LA – it has a great spirit. Also, I think I needed a change and I wanted to see what else was out there. The music business is so thriving out there and my big brother lives there so I saw him every day.

Some celebs find it quite daunting don’t they? 

You can get quite lonely because you’re not interacting with people on a daily basis in the same way in a European city.

So, when is the next album due? 

I think we’re aiming for October but you’ll hear some singles before that and I’m doing a collaboration with the Disclosure duo which will be on the radio in the next couple of weeks. The sound for the next album is going to be very different, I think I’ve moved into a different direction. I think, in life, you go through changes but it’s quite a natural progression.

Is there anyone you’ve collaborated with or want to collaborate with in the future?

I’ve just done this thing, not for my album, but with Sam Smith who’s this incredible singer and he’s going to do great things. There’s a huge long list of people I want to work with though, you just need to see my ipod. Probably someone like Stevie Wonder/Beyonce, if they could get us three on a record, then I could retire!

You’re an Appletiser brand ambassador for the year. Tell us about it? 

Appletiser are all about empowering women and I stand for that as well and I knew it would be a great partnership. The shoot was great, they gave me a lot of creative freedom. I wanted to do the thing with the snake and the apple and then Rankin came back with,’let’s do it like the Sistine chapel’ and it’s something I’d always wanted to visually. It was really good fun to be honest!

Rankin/Appletiser

Had you ever worked with Rankin before? 

I was a Rankin virgin! I live right near his gallery though and I’ve always been a fan. The actual shoot was a massive rush with loads of people. It felt like a film set. It felt really important!

He recently worked with Cheryl Cole on one of her videos, would you be interested in collaborating in that way? 

Hell yeah, I’d love to speak to him about that!

With your music changing, is your style changing?

I’ll stil be wearing short shorts for the rest of my life. I don’t have boundaries, I want to wear whatever and make it my own. I love everything from Topshop to [London designer store] Browns Focus.  I know it’s expensive but I used to save up to buy one dress. Saying that I love little boutiques too. I like to mix it up.

Do you have a stylist? 

I work with people who pull stuff for me when I’m too busy but I’m not told what to wear.

What are your fave beauty products? 

I love Yonka, skincare products, they’re amazing. I love their stuff. I also just like Kiehls body lotion and Lucas Paw-paw ointment for my lips. I haven’t had chapped lips since I bought it. I think I was born with chapped lips!

So when will we next see you on stage? 

I’m actually doing a secret gig for Appletiser. It’s in a secret location on June 20 and I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait to do more live stuff. I’m dying to get back on the stage!

Fans of Eliza’s can be the first to see and hear her new sound at an exclusive Appletiser gig on June 20  at a secret London location. For more details go to www.facebook.com/appletiser.