Eliza Doolittle - Interview

With her second album due to be released in a matter of weeks, Eliza Doolittle seemed surprisingly calm and relaxed as we chatted backstage at the Oxjam Music Festival in Shoreditch, London. The follow up to her platinum selling debut album will be out on 14th October and is titled 'In Your hands'. It sees the 25-year-old singer taking on matters such as heart break and overcoming challenges.

Having come from a musical background; her mother is a Tony award winning theatre actress, her father a stage director and her grandmother is none other than Sylvia Young, famous for her self-named theatre school; it's no wonder she's calm and relaxed. She has the ancestry, the talent and is prepared to put the hard work in, and so far it seems to have worked. Doolittle has gained an avid fanbase, achieved plenty of chart success, sold out various venues around the world and was given the chance to be a torch bearer for 2012's London Olympic Games which she described as an 'amazing, crazy, cool honour'. This album looks set to emulate that success.

Releasing this album certainly didn't come easy for Doolittle. After her record label got sold, she was told they wouldn't release it, a period in time she recalls as 'scary'. However, during this time she was able to use it wisely and managed write what have turned out to be her favourite songs on the album and this delay also contributed to a change of sound for the record, a more ballad driven album was produced compared to the pop music style of its predecessor. 

Now, three years older, Doolittle felt that she was able to write more meaningful and honest lyrics.  "I've grown up, been through a lot, had my heart hurt so I just spilt it all out without any blocking".  These feelings also resulted in titling the album. "In Your Hands is the title of the album and that song is a poignant one and is about me being in a vulnerable state, when my heart was killing me and nothing was in my hands and I have to remember that. By making it the title of my album, hopefully I won't forget."  

There are many tracks on the record she describes as poignant such as single 'Let It Rain'. "This, for me, is the best second album song.  It's saying come on, hit me with anything and I'll take it on.  I'll do my best and just be me.  These are the lessons I've learnt over the last three years". 

Initially worried about the three year gap between albums, the Londoner has decided to take a different approach to future albums by writing more often. She will now be writing on the road - something she didn't previously do when touring for her first album 'Eliza Doolittle'. "It took me a few months to get into the swing of things writing wise and I regret that now so this time I'll keep writing."

You'll be sure to see a lot of this ambitious singer over the next few months. Doolittle herself is no stranger to treading the boards of the West End, however her heart truly lies in music as a recording artist. On the other hand, she didn't completely rule out a return to the stage; 'never say never' she told me; but it's clear that Eliza Doolittle, the singer/songwriter, will be around for many more years to come.

Alice Barker