When creating my digipak, i looked into different pictures, fonts and colours i could use, below you can see some of the options i looked at.
Below you will find some possible interviews that may be included in the Digipak from the artist
So you're
not into that awful I Heart the 80s shtick?
"Legwarmers and
shoulder pads and bouffant hair, stuff like that, no. This is a
fifties-inspired quiff! Get a grip."
You grew up
listening to all sorts of music, from rock & roll to folk, did doing
everything electronic evolve gradually?
"It did. That's
another thing, I've read an article on the Guardian website that someone sent to me where there was
the most ridiculous debate going on, saying 'this isn't really electronic music
is it, because it's shiny pop stars, La Roux is not forging the way for really
good underground electronic music because she's presenting herself like a shiny
pop star'. Well a) I never set out to present myself as a shiny pop star, I've
just had good pictures taken of me, fuck off and b) it's obviously pop music,
but I don't think it's the shiniest album you've ever heard, and c) unless
you're mainstream, how on earth are you supposed to forge the way for anything?
If I stayed underground, the music stays underground. There's no other way of
being successful, or bringing a certain type of music into the foreground,
without being in the charts. So that argument is totally contradicting itself.
Is it quite
exciting to feel that you're bashing into the mainstream? I mean, you've sold
half a million records, that's quite a feat these days
"Radio didn't
expect, not that they didn't want it to or weren't hoping for it to, but no one
expected anyone to jump on this."
Did you
expect it?
"Me and Ben
were always quietly confident. Ben was always like 'I don't agree, this is a
big tune, I think it'll speak to people, I don't think everyone's necessarily
right'. We were quiet about it, but he said 'If other people can hear what I
can hear in this tune and in your voice, then people will respond to it'. I
think it's great when music does that without being shoved in people's faces,
it's always much more rewarding."
But I
suppose now you're the person on constant rotation on the radio...
"That's what's
weird, you're suddenly part of that thing you were fighting against, and you
can't complain any more. I think essentially, not that I've ever really tried
to do this, but one of the coolest things that hit me about being in the
mainstream and lots of people knowing about you that you can't have if you're
underground, is that you can have an effect on people. It's all very cool being
in the underground, but you only ever reach about 50,000 people, if that.
"I was in a pub
the other day, and these two girls followed me into the toilet and said 'excuse
me, are you La Roux?' And I was so touched because she went 'you make me feel
better about being the way I am.' She had short hair, I don't think she was a
lesbian, she wasn't some big butch woman coming over and going [adopts big
butch voice] 'yeah wicked, you make lesbians alright', it was a girl with short
hair, who wasn't very girly, who didn't have a tan, who didn't have massive
boobs, didn't wear high heels. She was just a girl like the kind of girl I've
been when I've been growing up, and she was saying 'we think it's really cool
that there's someone out there who's a role model for people like us, because
there's no one for us to look up to any more since David Bowie'. I though
that's fucking cool, that's amazing. Even if my music is retro, or whatever,
even if it's shit, at least there's someone out there for girls to look up to
who doesn't have boobs and a tan and high heels."
What's your
stance on the way that female musicians either choose to or are forced to use a
sexuality that's essentially just designed to appeal to men?
"It's really
patronising to women. I know that there's far more ways to be sexy than to
dress in a miniskirt and a tank top. If you're a real woman you can turn
someone on in a plastic bag just by looking at them. That's what a real woman
is, when you've got the sex eyes. I think you attract a certain kind of man by
dressing like that. Women wonder why they get beaten up, or having
relationships with arsehole men. Because you attracted one, you twat. It's a
funny culture, it's definitely a funny culture. Those women are just insecure,
but they'll turn round to me and say 'you're just jealous 'cos you want a tan
and you want big boobs, stupid boy-looking girl'. You can't win, they wouldn't
believe me for a second."
Do you
deliberately try and subvert all this?
"It was more
just being who I am. Of course it's slightly exaggerated, to fight back against
that in a way. Thinking that if I'm going to do it, I'm going to go all the way
the other way."
How do you
see La Roux evolving?
"Talk Talk and
New Music and some of the later Heaven 17 stuff like How Men Are, the
slightly more epic stuff, and Tears For Fears. And a bit more Young Americans,
get some saxophone on there, make it a bit more soulful. [sarcastic tone] Maybe
have Timbaland on there, someone like that?"
Haha. So I
take it you're not going to ask him?
"No fucking way
mate. I remember Lady Gaga asked me, and I don't think she knew that I was a
duo, [adopts American cocaine fashbitch voice] 'So who did you make your album
with', so I explained, and she said 'so who are you going to work with on your
next record?' and I said 'Ben Langmaid', and she said 'aren't you going to want
to work with other producers, guys like Raekwon or Timbaland or someone like
that, you can't turn that down'. And I said 'yeah I can'. 'Cos they wouldn't
know me, and wouldn't understand me, and if I went out to LA someone would say
'you'd like nice in a dress', and I'd have to say 'fuck you'."
Are you
comfortable with how big it might get?
"Not really,
no. The other day I was really stressed and talking to my sister and she said
'babe, we never knew it was going to go this big. We knew you had good songs
but we never expected it, and we can understand why you're not dealing with
it'. I got followed home by photographers the other day, and thought 'this is
fucking horrible, I don't want it'."
Are you
scared?
"Yeah I am a
bit. Even if you retire at 30 are people going to stop being interested in you,
and who you're going out with? Of course they're not. It's already fucked,
mate, it's fucked."
Though
you might not know the name La Roux
right now, you’re probably already familiar with the musical duo in two ways.
If you’ve watched television in the last year, you’ve likely seen the Bayonetta ad featuring La Roux’s breakthrough
hit “In For The Kill” a few dozen times. Chances are you’ve also noticed
that hairdo—you know, the blown-out, ginger Morrissey
pompadour that couldn’t possibly be worn by any rational human being after
1986. That song and unmistakable hairstyle belong to Britain’s La Roux, led by
22-year-old androgynous singer-songwriter Elly Jackson. Before La Roux’s show
this Saturday at the Ogden Theatre, Jackson spoke with The A.V. Club about
the three different identities of La Roux, getting over the ’80s, and
people in England copying her ginger quiff.
The A.V. Club: How did you and co-writer/co-producer Ben Langmaid come together?
Elly Jackson: We met through an old friend five
years ago. We were at a party at a bar in Brixton, where I live, on New Year's
Eve, and I was in the back office upstairs sort of messing around and fucking
about and thinking in the corner. And this guy said, “I like your voice."
I said, "Fair enough.” [Laughs.] He asked, “Do you sing?” I said, “I do
sing, but at school. I don’t call myself a singer.” He said, “I think you
should take it further. You should hook up with my friend Ben.” It was pretty
simple after that. I didn’t have to tear through producers.
AVC: Is there a reason that Ben stays mysterious and
doesn’t perform live with the band?
EJ: La Roux has three sections. There’s me
as a kind of solo act, because the personality of La Roux is something I’ve
created. The duo is me and Ben. [And then there’s] the band and me that tours.
He’s very incorporated in what happens in La Roux. The reason he isn’t doing
that stuff is he isn’t interested in going on tour. He likes coming out and
seeing what we're doing and how we’re progressing, but he’s not interested in
the limelight. He just wants to write songs and make music.
AVC: Are you interested in the limelight?
EJ: I wouldn’t say the limelight was a dream
of mine, or to be famous or a celebrity. When I was a kid, more of the dream I
had was, I listened to records and thought, “This is the coolest thing you
could ever do.” It wasn’t about being famous, and it certainly wasn’t, “I want
to be a pop star.” If you asked me then, I definitely would have said no. I
always wanted to be a songwriter; from the age of about 5, that’s what I wanted
to do. I thought songwriting was ridiculously cool. I played guitar and stuff
for years. It wasn’t about being onstage, it was about being in the studio.
I’ve always been fascinated by the industry and the instruments.
AVC: Do you still feel the same way now that you have
a record of your own?
EJ: Yeah. I’m
extremely proud of what we did. With [songs like] “Bulletproof” and “In For The
Kill,” it’s like history. It’s like writing a book—it’s always on the shelf. It
will always be on iTunes. We had a No. 1 in the UK. Anyone who pays any
attention to music knows that’s already a massive achievement. I’m already
working on the second record. I’m very happy.
Songs that I could use within my album and could be shown on the Digipak are:
In for the kill
Bulletproof
I'm not your toy
Tiger lily
Quicksand
Cover my eyes
Colourless Colour
As if by magic
Armour love
Fascination
Under my thumb
Reflections are protections
Growing pains
Finally my saviour
Colourless Artibella
