It’s Monday! But that doesn’t mean you need to be down about things. Katy B’s certainly not. She’s got an album that’s out today and an upcoming tour to get ready for. ‘I’m very excited - I haven’t been on tour since 2011.’ She told us. ‘I love being on the bus; it’s like having a party bus. But I do make sure I choose the bunk right at the end so that when it’s time to go to sleep I can get some rest!’
Katy, who burst onto the music scene back in 2010 with her album On A Mission has been an ever-constant presence on the music scene over the past three years so we wondered – have things changed for women in pop over that time? As Rihanna and Miley shed clothes, has she felt pressured at all to join in? ‘I think that the people around me just want me to be myself and as a person I’m a bit of a tomboy. I’m actually a complete music geek so it’s not my desire to be a sex symbol, maybe one day I will but not for the moment!’
And how about looking a certain way? ‘I definitely feel like there’s pressure on women to focus on the way we look but I do see it in men too, like they feel pressured to go to the gym and to be muscly but speaking as a woman, I just hope people learn the lessons that I learned growing up which were that the way you look doesn’t matter that much. It’s about how you feed your mind and what interests you on a deeper level as well. I hope that young girls realize that the world doesn’t revolve around just on how you look.’
Sane words on a Monday morning there. In case you are down in the dumps about being back at work, here’s Katy’s 8 tracks guaranteed to you put you in a brilliant mood.
1. DJ Fresh ft. Ms Dynamite - Dibby Dibby Sound
‘I thought I’d choose something current and I love Ms Dynamite. At the beginning of my career she gave me a lot of support and she’s a big inspiration. And I think this tune’s wicked ‘cos the video makes me smile. It’s these old people having a rave and it’s sick.’
2. Pharrell - Happy
‘I think one’s a bit self explanatory…. I like to dance round my kitchen to it.’
3. India Irie – Video
‘I absolutely love this song because I think India Irie is nourishment. Listening to it’s like eating a really healthy nutritious meal. It’s really great for self esteem and loving yourself and taking care of yourself and the song just gives you a old big hug.’
4. Beyonce – Blow
‘I absolutely adore the video for this. I saw it and I was like, “I wish that I’d done this!” It’s just all the fluorescent paint and they look like they’re having so much fun on the roller rink. It’s just such a feel good tune. It’s got that beat that’s and it’s reminiscent of the 80’s so it’s kind of nostalgic.’
5. Miguel Campbell - Something Special
‘This tune reminds me of my friends ‘cos they were the ones who showed me it. You kind of feel all of those lyrics as they’re being said, so you feel “special” and you feel “sexy” and you feel “wonderful”. It’s a really fun song.
6. Route 94 - My Love
‘This song is tearing it up at the moment. I really want it to be number 1 when it comes out next month. It’s just really gospel feeling - sort of a spiritual vibe to it but then again it’s sort of like a house tune so it makes you want to dance. I went out last night in Dalston to Dance Tunnel and when it came on everyone just went absolutely crazy so it’s definitely a tune that smashes it.’
7. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse
‘This song is a big tune as well. It basically an instrumental and it’s kind of like a modern disco song and the way it changes throughout the song takes you on this amazing journey but the whole journey is such a joyous one. It gets really intense and it’s humorous at moments and then it’s intense and then it’s fun it’s just every single positive emotion in one song without any words or lyrics.’
8. Shaun Escoffery - Here comes the sun (Spinna Remix)
'This song is a classic house song and Shaun Escoffery’s got an incredible voice. It talks about the sun shining and when I’m on the beach and I’m around my friends, it’s like the best feeling ever so I had to put this song on there.
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Little Red is out today. Get tickets for Katy's tour here.
Follow Jess on Twitter @jess_commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.