Mercuy nominee Laura Mvula: I'm friends with Jill Scott, John Legend and Alicia Keys

Laura Mvula may have been on the music scene for less than a year but is already receiving calls from A List stars in the USA.

The 27-year-old singer/songwriter has been inundated by the music elite since releasing her mulit-award nominated album Sing To The Moon back in March.

‘Jill Scott is my new bezzie mate. And a couple of others – John Legend has been in touch,’ the soulful star told Guilty Pleasures at the Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize in Camden on Wednesday – where her own record was nominated as one of the Albums of the Year.

‘And Alicia Keys,’ she went on, adding: ‘She heads up a charity called Keep A Child alive and she holds a Black Ball every year in New York. Carole King, Pharrell and me and her are performing. That should be cool. It kind of feels like I’m dropping all these names. I don’t think they realise I’m not all that huge!’

With famous names adding her to their speed dial and her album already featuring in BRIT and MOBO ceremonies, life has changed dramatically for the singer since her album was released in Spring.

‘It’s a bit strange this new world, but a lot of it is interesting and weird in a new way. I’m mainly focused on trying to tour this album which, I tell you, is quite exhausting! We’re literally flying to America tomorrow.’

Although the singer lost out to James Blake on the night, Mvula stressed she would spend her night celebrating hard whether she won or lost.

‘I assure you I will be hungover tomorrow! I don’t want to think about the flight!’ she laughed.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 31 October 2013]

Mercury winner James Blake: I'm not a sad man

James Blake has revealed he is not as depressed as his music would have us believe.

The 25-year-old Londoner has won legions of fans via his sombre, minimalist electronic tunes but assured Guilty Pleasures he is not in need of an intervention against sadness.

‘I’m not a very sad man,’ the songwriter laughed at the Barclaycard Mercury Music prize event in Camden on Wednesday.

Promising to be more lively on his next record he added: ‘It will be more upbeat. I want to write a good one. Just to make it better than the last one.’

Perhaps in an effort to showcase his more humorous personality traits he joked about building a crazy golf course with the £20,000 prize fund he won after scooping the Mercury with second album, Overgrown, which was released in April.

‘I would build a crazy golf course for the front garden – even though I’m not a crazy golf fan,’ he joked.

‘The course will be of all the other artists from the [Mercury Prize nominees] in miniature, gnome style. They will be holding miniature golf clubs.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 31 October 2013]

Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner learns to chill over fan selfies

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner loves being in fan-made videos. The heartthrob doesn’t mind when they whip out their smartphones to take ‘selfies’ during his gigs – as long as he is in them too.

‘I have noticed now a new thing that is very 2013 at shows, which is people making videos of themselves on people’s shoulders, but I am quite into it,’ the 27-year-old said ahead of the Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize in Camden last night.

He said he had to be selfless when it comes to selfies because he wants to boost fans’ kudos on Facebook and the Vine mobile app.

‘I just want to be in the post. I want to get the ‘‘like’’, I want to contribute to the ‘‘likes’’ that they may, or may not, get,’ he said.

The approach marks a shift in opinion for the singer after he told an audience during a summer gig to ‘wake the f*** up’ after fans failed to show enthusiasm as they fiddled with smartphones instead of dancing.

‘A lot of things used to bother me which don’t any more,’ the Sheffield hunk said.

The band are touring Britain in support of their most recent record, AM, which topped the charts in September and secured them their third Mercury nomination.

Having recorded it in the US, Turner has noticed another change.

‘We spent a year there and I get recognised a little bit more. You have to pick the circles you move in. If I am going to walk around Glastonbury I will get recognised, but I might be able to do it in Norwich,’ he joked.

Bandmate Matt Helders says he and the other two members of Arctic Monkeys, Jamie Cook and Nick O’Malley, have no issues with Turner taking all the limelight.

‘I’m happy for him to be a sex symbol. It’s what I’ve always wanted for him,’ Helders joked.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 31 October 2013]