If you are a loyal reader of Electroqueer, you will no doubt already know that we are a big fan of Samuel  โ€“ owner of fabulous blog The Hot Stuff Files.  Unlucky for us, Samuel has decided to take a break from the blog, but that surely doesnโ€™t mean that his amazing blogging is done and over with.  Samuel will be guest blogging on EQ from time to time and injecting his one-of-a-kind wit and entertaining perspective into EQ in the upcoming months โ€“ and we couldnโ€™t be any more excited.  In fact, we are pleased as punch.  So to commemorate this exciting collaboration, Samuel has agreed to let EQ host his amazing interview with the lovely Siobhan Donaghy.  This interview is still one of our favourite blog posts to date and if you havenโ€™t bought โ€˜Ghostsโ€™ yet, you really are missing out on a great piece of musical art.  Take it away Samuelโ€ฆ 

Hot Stuff Files: Hello Siobhan. How are you?

Siobhan Donaghy: Iโ€™m very well thank you.

HSF: Does it ever feel a bit annoying that โ€˜Donโ€™t Give It Upโ€™ has failed to get into the top forty โ€“ and yet Mutyaโ€™s โ€˜Real Girlโ€™ managed to go to number two?

SD:  Youโ€™ve got stuck right in there. (Laughs). Not really, I think Mutyaโ€™s song is obviously a Lenny Kravitz and sheโ€™s spent much longer in the Sugababes and had far more exposure than me. And Iโ€™ve made a challenging pop record so I kind of quite expect it to be harder.

HSF:  Is it annoying then at this stage to still be compared to Mutya and the Sugababes?

SD:  I donโ€™t think people compare me to them, especially not musically and I think people make comparisons in the sense of how Iโ€™m doing, but I donโ€™t know what that means to me or if it means anything to me. Iโ€™ll make the records that I want to make and let the hits fall where they may.

HSF:  So you wouldnโ€™t be too concerned about how the charts go, then?

SD:  Not the singles chart. I think itโ€™s really important to get my album out there and I think Iโ€™m more of an albums artist than a singles artist. I think thatโ€™s not something I dictate, I think thatโ€™s something radio dictates for all of you and I could have made this much easier for myself and I could have made a throwaway pop record โ€“ but I didnโ€™t want to.

HSF:  Does it feel a little annoying that Radio 1 refuses to play you?

SD:  Yeah they do! (Laughs) Um, what can you do? If Radio 1 refuses to play me what can you do? Thereโ€™s nothing you can do. You canโ€™t make them play you, so itโ€™s something that youโ€™re completely powerless to and I donโ€™t worry about it. I take the rather zen approach.

HSF:  Do you ever read the fan forums, on your site?

SD:  Yes! A fan runs them and every so often Iโ€™ll go on and tell them what Iโ€™m doing and what not. And they can send me messages on there.

HSF:  On the fans forums people are saying that thereโ€™s a lack of publicity for the releasesโ€ฆ

SD:  There is! (Laughs) But if radio donโ€™t want to play the single โ€“ thatโ€™s missing โ€“ then me and my record label can plug away and Parlophone have been brilliant, doing everything in their power, but you just canโ€™t make people let you come on their show. Thereโ€™s not a lot of pop TV left and thatโ€™s one thing โ€“ so youโ€™re heavily relied on by radio. But radioโ€™s not the be all and end all.

HSF:  Now on the BBC, you did a cover of Paulo Nutini: is this kind of because they donโ€™t play you that you just play covers?

SD:  No. Itโ€™s a shot on the Dermot Oโ€™Leary show and they do two. Itโ€™s pretty standard. People come and play their new song and also a cover version of something, so I did โ€˜So You Sayโ€™ โ€“ the new single โ€“ and Paulo Nutini โ€“ โ€˜Last Requestโ€™ so thatโ€™s what everyone does.

HSF:  And does it show something about you as an artist that youโ€™re on Radio 2, and not the Jo Whiley show where they do the single and the cover as well?

SD:  I donโ€™t know. I mean Dermot Oโ€™Leary really supports the project and he said heโ€™d been trying to get me on for a while, so I guess thatโ€™s why weโ€™re on Radio 2. But I donโ€™t know, you know. I guess you just make the record that you really want to make and then, I donโ€™t know. I didnโ€™t deliberately try and make a Radio 2 record, just as I didnโ€™t try and make a Radio 1 record. I think youโ€™ve just got to try and make the best record of your career and then see what happens. And at the end of the day itโ€™s a business โ€“ and not a predictable one at that. You just have to try and do your best.

HSF:  Dermot Oโ€™Leary, heโ€™s going to be presenting the next series of the X Factor. What do you think of shows like this where they judge talent as how you perform on the day, in the room?

SD:  I think that for a genuine artist they develop over a number of years and I think itโ€™s very hard to dismiss people in about thirty seconds. Obviously there are some people that are genuinely hopeless โ€“ thereโ€™s no two ways about it โ€“ but if youโ€™ve got an unforgiving show then I think the one thing thatโ€™s good is that it does show the true nature of this business. And thatโ€™s what this business is about โ€“ itโ€™s very cut-throat. Itโ€™s the reality of it. I guess itโ€™s just a shame that it takes a bit of the magic away from people not knowing how a record is created and what goes on behind the scenes. Itโ€™s taking a bit of the magic away for the public.

HSF:  So do you prefer the behind the scenes part of record making or the promotion side?

SD:  I think no one prefers the promotion. (Laughs) I love being in the studio recording and I love doing the live performances, but I donโ€™t mind the promotion at all. Itโ€™s just that I definitely prefer the writing, recording and live singing to everything else.

HSF:  And when you were in the studio, is there any song that you made that you thought was amazing that didnโ€™t make it on to the record?

SD:  Yes! There was a song called โ€˜When Silence Breaksโ€™ and that didnโ€™t make it on to the record but it didnโ€™t kind of sit with the general vibe, and at the end of the record it was the last piece of the puzzle, but for me I wanted a really cohesive piece of work that, not necessarily told a story morbidly, but I kind of had a story in my head throughout the whole thing and this particular song just didnโ€™t fit. But that doesnโ€™t mean we canโ€™t use it for something else.

HSF:  Are you already looking at the next album? Or is it right here โ€“ this album!?

SD:  I think I have to concentrate on this album for now. Iโ€™ve been in the studios for quite some time: on and off for a year and a half for the last two years and its a long time to be in the studio and I think that I just want to concentrate on this record for now and then after three or four months start doing a day a week or three days every two or three weeks but I definitely donโ€™t want to go back in to it just yet. Itโ€™s hard to concentrate on that and anything else โ€“ I like to just be focused in on making a record if thatโ€™s what Iโ€™ve got to do.

HSF:  And when youโ€™re in the studio โ€“ do you find it easier to be in complete isolation rather than having a swarm of people around you?

SD:  The best thing about this record for me is that we wrote and recorded this where he lived โ€“ heโ€™s got a five hundred year old manor in the North of France and that was just about as isolated as you can get, with no neighbours and we didnโ€™t have any TV or radio and it just seemed like a really kind of idyllic place to make a record. In London youโ€™ve got studios above and beneath and to your left and to your right, and I think thereโ€™s a lot of cross pollination and I mean, thatโ€™s fine, but for the kind of record Iโ€™m wanting to make, I think this is the way forward and it was just nice to be making it out of leisure. And I made half of this record without a record deal, so it was a really relaxing way to make a record.

HSF:  So do you see music as being really fun?

SD:  I think it brings out all kinds of emotions, really intense ones as well, so itโ€™s why I love it so much. Itโ€™s no secret that James Sanger โ€“ who I made the record with โ€“ has got a bit of a reputation and his mum died and he became a heroin addict before I came out to work with him, so that made for a really intense experience making this record โ€“ moving out and living with his family. It was very difficult, but I think it really was the making of this record. We didnโ€™t really see eye-to-eye a lot of the time and thatโ€™s why we made the record that we did.

HSF:  And so a bit of that went in to โ€˜Med-e-acโ€™โ€ฆ

SD:  Yes (laughs and explains how to pronounce it) absolutely, โ€˜Mediacโ€™ is probably the main song that came out of that subject matter.

HSF:  But what does the title actually mean? โ€˜

SD:  Mediacโ€™ is a military term for a medical evacuation usually in a helicopter airlift.

HSF:  If you hadnโ€™t gone down the pop route, what career do you think you would have followed?

SD:  Well Iโ€™ve always seen myself as a landscape photographer, but I donโ€™t know. Iโ€™ve always been fascinated with David Attenborough and his work โ€“ and thatโ€™s sort of everyoneโ€™s ideal job, isnโ€™t it. Iโ€™ve also had a subscription to New Scientist magazine for about six years โ€“ so maybe I would have looked to having a job with them.

HSF:  Is it every hard for you to look at people like JoJo โ€“ coming from the Sugababes at such a young age โ€“ and then do you wonder why are they doing it?

SD:  I donโ€™t know, when I was in the Sugababes I wasnโ€™t particularly driven. It just happened that my best friendโ€™s brother-in-law founded the All Saints, and she told him I could sing. And I was like twelve years old at the time. I was just like how most kids were, and I didnโ€™t really know what I wanted to do with my life, so I just went along with it. Itโ€™s kind of what Iโ€™ve always done until I really got the music bug when I was sixteen and thatโ€™s when I knew it WAS what I wanted to do with my life and as I left school at fourteen and was home tutored โ€“ itโ€™s not until much later on that you realise exactly how ridiculous it was. Itโ€™s not the average upbringing but even at that young an age you do realise what youโ€™re doing and my parents were completely against it โ€“ but I was having none of it. At the end of the day they didnโ€™t want to completely hold me back if thatโ€™s what I wanted to do and as it was what I was planning to do, they just had to let me do it and I most certainly donโ€™t regret it.

HSF:  So whatโ€™s the best thing thatโ€™s come about through the career then?

SD:  I think just the interesting people that I work with and the fact that essentially I am self employed and have been able to travel the world with all my friends. And I feel that Iโ€™ve been able to have so many opportunities at a young age. Itโ€™s brilliant!

HSF:  Whatโ€™s your favourite place that youโ€™ve been to?

SD:  Probably Thailand. Itโ€™s getting quite well travelled now and I probably wonโ€™t go back but Iโ€™ve been there a few times โ€“ and for three months Iโ€™ve been there โ€“ and I stayed in a bamboo hut on a lake and trekked up mountains and through underwater caves. Plus we partied a lot, did stuff that young people doโ€ฆ

HSF:  But staying in places like Thailand, do you think that youโ€™re an ordinary English person โ€“ not going to Spain and sunning on the beaches as is the โ€˜normโ€™โ€ฆ

SD:  No! (Laughs) My friends are all ordinary people; I had a normal upbringing, went to a state school on the edge of London and I think itโ€™s a sign of the times that we can afford to go further afield, and of course, we stayed in £1.50 a night beach huts which made it more accessible.

HSF:  Are you worried about global warming?

SD:  I think everyoneโ€™s worried about global warming and the number one thing is aviation fuel and obviously they write about it a lot in the New Scientist. A lot has to be done and no one wants to be the government that starts taxing everyone to compensate for the way weโ€™ve been living for the past hundred years, but at sometime, someone has to do it.

HSF:  Going back to the album: does it feel a bit annoying that the album was leaked on to the Internet so early before the release?

SD:  I think again thatโ€™s a sign of the times that you can put as many restrictions as you want on the record, but itโ€™s going to leak and sometimes it can be to your benefit because weโ€™re really proud of this record and I think that the main thing โ€“ when radio can be so difficult these days โ€“ is just getting the exposure and sometimes that means leaking your album and the hardcore people that love your record will still go and buy it.

HSF:  So you donโ€™t physically have any problems with the people that are leaking it on to the Internet?

SD:  Itโ€™s such a massive problem, with something like 12 billion pounds worth of music downloaded last year, it certainly wasnโ€™t JUST my record. Youโ€™re talking about a hell of a lot of artists that are losing out financially because of this and the record companies in particular are really suffering. And who knows what will happen? Itโ€™s a transitional period for the record companies โ€“ and things will change โ€“ I just donโ€™t know how yet.

HSF:  What would you say to the people who are leaking YOUR records on to the Internet?

SD:  I donโ€™t think itโ€™s a personal vendetta against me, so I wouldnโ€™t say anything. I know itโ€™s not a personal thing. Theyโ€™re not saying โ€˜we hate Siobhan so weโ€™re going to leak her recordโ€™, theyโ€™re saying โ€˜they own it, they love it and they want other people to listen to itโ€™ so really there are pros and cons to this but then, itโ€™s not an ideal world in general, is it (laughs).

HSF:  Last week Big Brother started โ€“ would you ever think of going on Celebrity Big Brother?

SD:  No! (Laughs) Iโ€™ve already said no. I got asked to go on The Games as well and itโ€™s not me. At all. Most artists are quite insecure and Iโ€™d be the first to put my hand up and say Iโ€™m not perfect; quite funnily I donโ€™t want that televised.

HSF:  What about Celebrity Masterchef?

SD:  Iโ€™m quite interested in cooking. Iโ€™d probably go on Gordan Ramseyโ€™s The F Word, but Iโ€™d be literally going on there to cook and study under someone who I think is brilliant, but other than that Iโ€™m not interested in shoving myself off on to a reality TV showโ€ฆ โ€ฆthough maybe I should, it would make it easier for us (laughs)!

HSF:  Mika seems to think that big girls are beautiful with his latest singleโ€ฆ

SD:  Is THAT the title of his latest singleโ€ฆ

HSF:  Yes, โ€˜Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)โ€™โ€ฆ

SD:  (Laughs)!

HSF:  Is everyone beautiful?

SD:  Well not everyone. But I look at it in a different way, is everyone beautiful on the inside, and, no. But aesthetically, of course, itโ€™s the imperfections that the most interesting about people.

HSF:  Do you think thereโ€™s an element of patronisation with the title of his song?

SD:  I have to say, I havenโ€™t heard the song โ€“ and I donโ€™t know anything about it but there is a general thing where people jump on the bandwagon and go โ€˜power to big peopleโ€™ and of course that shouldnโ€™t be the point. The whole point is power to everybody. Everyone to their own. We should be embracing everyone of all shapes and sizes and not just one thing, where before when people sang about skinny people we shouldnโ€™t now be singling out skinny people. The whole thing is we should be promoting a healthy lifestyle.

HSF:  Thatโ€™s a great view of societyโ€ฆ (Laughs)โ€ฆ And back to music and whatโ€™s your favourite song on your album?

SD:  I think itโ€™s a song called โ€˜Goldfishโ€™. It kind of seems to be kind of like a grower that when people get it โ€“ they REALLY get it. And for me it is a good representation of the whole album. Itโ€™s also my favourite vocal take that Iโ€™ve ever done, so I like it for that reason as well.

HSF:  Would this be your third single, then?

SD:  No. (Laughs) The favourite single is never one of the singlesโ€ฆ I donโ€™t know what the next single is going to be. It will either be something like โ€˜Sometimesโ€™, โ€˜Coming Up For Airโ€™ or โ€˜Medevacโ€™.

HSF:  Will there be a tour on the back of the album?

SD:  Yeah. Weโ€™re looking at a couple of supports at the moment that are happening in the autumn and also a tour of my own in the autumn. We might also be playing G.A.Y. Kelis is playing and weโ€™re looking at supporting her.

HSF:  Is there anyone in the world of pop that youโ€™ve met and quite dislike?

SD:  To be honest, not really. Iโ€™ve always been surprised because everyone Iโ€™ve met has been very friendly. And I remember the first TV I did with the Sugababes, and that was CD:UK and Victoria Beckham came up and said hi to us and she was so funny, down to earth, and lovely. And ever since then Iโ€™ve never understood why people dislike her. Iโ€™ve never got it. Sheโ€™s just so easy to like when you meet her.

HSF:  You mentioned CD:UK. Is it a bit sad how weโ€™ve got Popworld leaving us and how everything pop โ€“ seems to be evaporating?

SD:  There will always be pop music but it is a shame. Those shows were great and people loved them but they are finishing and thatโ€™s that. There will be a new wave of shows that pop up, I guess in their place.

HSF:  So everything isnโ€™t bleak then?

SD:  Of course not!

HSF:  Thank you Siobhan Donaghy!

Originally posted at The Hotstuff Files – a now defunct pop music website (but still muched loved and missed by EQ and readers alike).