Emeli Sandé eyes Bond score, Olympic gold and fears X-rated Jaguar collaboration

Emeli Sandé says she doesn’t understand why people compare her to Adele and says she would rather score and entire Bond film than just sing its theme song.

The 27-year-old Scottish songstress may have emulated the Someone Like You singer in penning the biggest selling record of the year, but Sandé thinks their material is worlds apart.

‘I guess it’s because we are both quite soulful, we’re both British, we’re both girls… It’s lovely and I am a fan of hers, but I think there are other people that both of us can be compared to,’ she said.

Admitting she would love to win Grammy awards like her chart rival, the Clown singer says also fancies getting her teeth into a 007 soundtrack.

‘I’d love to do film scores. Bond would be cool, but I love classical music, so composing would be a big dream,’ she said.

‘I think visuals and music go together beautifully. I’d love to write a musical as well. I have ideas every day about musicals,’ she teased.

Despite being one of the biggest recording artists in the UK, Sandé says the industry she works in is too male dominated.

‘The music world is 100% male dominated,’ she warns.

‘I think when women start writing that’s where the real control is as you are giving a message out to people. But it’s a business and a lot of women just want to stay creative – which I respect. But I think it’s harder to get control if you are a woman.’

Meanwhile Sandé fears her next music offering could turn X-rated as she has been asked to write an exclusive track to promote the launch of the new Jaguar XE Sports Saloon.

The Next To Me hitmaker is asking fans to send inspiration for lyrics via social media using a unique hashtag to influence her FEEL XE Exhilaration track.

‘I’m asking fans for things that sound exhilarating and things that get their hearts going. I am going to sit and watch them all and see what song comes out,’ she explained.

But on realising her description could inspire some saucy suggestions, she laughed: ‘Maybe I will get more X-rated tweets and it could get really RnB.’

Away from her own music, the singer revealed she has also been working with Rihanna and Mary J Blige to help them create their own new records.

‘Mary has been with me this past week. Sitting next to a legend and listening to her sing your words is a real buzz,’ she gushed.

The petite star also revealed she has developed an ambition to compete in the next Olympic Games having performed at the 2012 London closing ceremony.

‘I just got a trampoline. I’m trying to learn some tricks although I’m a bit scared. Next Olympics I could be a trampoline gold medallist,’ she laughed.

And while it seems to have been all work, work, work (and trampolining) for the chart topper, Sandé says she knows how to party.

Spotted at Tinie Tempah’s 25th birthday party in London last November, the Scot was appeared to enjoy herself as bottle after bottle of sparkler adorned champagne arrived at her roped off table.

‘I guess because I spend so much time in the studio that when I go out I like to go for it. I have a wild side. I do,’ she giggled.

[Elements of this article appeared in Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 29 July 2014]

Tinie Tempah: I want to get married

The queue of willing women stretches right around his block but Tinie Tempah has confessed he’s scared of being left on the shelf now his good pal Professor Green has popped the question to Millie Mackintosh.

‘A lot of people around me have women in their lives – example, Pro [Green], Swedish House Mafia – they’re married or in long-term relationships. I don’t want to be that guy who is floating around in limbo,’ the rapper confessed to Guilty Pleasures whilst partying at the Esquire Big Black Book launch on Tuesday night.

The Written In The Stars singer fears getting inspired in between the bed sheets may cause his creativity in the studio to go limp. ‘You feel like it might prohibit you from doing certain things,’ he added, weighing up the pros and cons of relationships, ‘but what you don’t realise is that it settles you so much.’

‘Once you find the right person, your mind can think about so many other things. I need to find someone.’

For now, the sharpest dressed man in the music business said at the fashion bash staged at London’s SushiSamba that his new clothing range is the focus of his creative juices.

The 24 year-old said: ‘I’m getting the new Disturbing London line ready for its second collection.’

And music fans can brace themselves for some ‘amazing-ness’ too, says Tinie.

‘My second album, Demonstration, is finished so I’ll be releasing that in September with the first single in May. It’s three years since the last album, but it’s going to be worth the wait.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 28 March 2013]

TINIE TEMPAH

The concept is simple. After searching around the Rollacoaster office, we found a generously sized biscuit tin and filled it with an array of thought-provoking questions. Each issue, we will find a different personality and ask them to pick out 10 of the questions, to which they must provide accurate and honest answers Who will rise to this monstrous challenge? First up it’s Tinie Tempah.
    The London rapper exploded onto the UK music scene earlier this year scoring a number one with Passout, and narrowly missed the top spot again with his follow-up track, Frisky. (Combined, the singles have sold in excess of 750,000 copies so far.) He has grabbed the attention of world-renowned artists (Kelly Rowland and Swedish House Mafia feature on the album), supported Jay-Z on tour and shared a stage with Snoop Dogg at Glastonbury.
    Tinie Tempah may have the confidence to set the music world ablaze, but does he have what it takes to answer our cleverly drafted and potentially insightful questions?  Without hesitation, he delves his hand into the pot and pulls out a folded piece of paper and unrolls it to reveal the first of our biscuit-tin questions:

What is your favourite smell?
When a lady walks past that’s the best smell. That was one of my lyrics on Freestyle, “Nothing smells better than a lady’s scent”. A clean hygienic lady with some perfume on and hair spray and good moisturising cream – there’s no better smell.  I love the smell of petrol as well, but that’s quite dangerous.  Don’t sniff petrol!

What is your weakness?
A pretty face, I’m not going to lie. I’m quite big on features – nice prominent features. And if I meet a girl who is gorgeous I’m a sucker. I’m very confident with women, but sometimes when I meet a girl with a nice face… it doesn’t all go out the window, but she can probably tell that I’m getting a little bit weak at the knees.

What is your workout routine?
Performing! I don’t really have time, of recent, for the gym. So my workout routine is a good half an hour on stage, fully energetic – it’s a very good workout!

Savoury or sweet snacks?
Sweet – all the way.

When did you last cry?
I’ll be honest – I went home to my Mum’s house about a month and a half ago. She was acting kind of weird so I was like, ‘What’s wrong?’ And she started crying; and she said her mum was really ill and, because she was uncontrollably crying, I started crying. I am a bit of a Mummy’s boy. But she is all right - and my Nan is all right.

Have you ever been star-struck?
Well, I was pretty star-struck by Snoop Dogg.  He’s a legend.  He’s a fucking legend, if you don’t mind me saying. And with Jay-Z I was pretty star-struck too. I supported him on tour with Mr Hudson, and he was just backstage chilling and walked past me, so I introduced myself to him. He looked at my eyes and said ‘My man!’ and I was like: ‘That’s Jay-Z!’  But probably the person I’ve been most star-struck by was Prince William.  When I performed at Radio One’s Big Weekend he came to watch my set. When I was walking off-stage, just before the encore, my manager goes ‘Prince William is here!’ I was like, ‘No Way!’  And I look round and there is a tall, kingly guy, with a hat.  So I finished the set and I came off stage and we were just chatting for about 10 minutes. I didn’t know what to say. I’m not going to be like: ‘What are you doing this summer –  are you going to Ibiza?’ So I was like ‘How’s your dad?’ But he was understanding and basically said that he really liked the music and he knew the words – that was a pretty big deal for me.

What do you look for in the opposite sex?
A pretty face, of course, but also confidence.  I also like somebody who is in tune with who they are as a person. If I meet a girl, it’s good if she knows her values, what she’s about, what she wants to do, and where she is going in life. Some women are just there for the moment. I also look for somebody who is quite tolerant; as you can imagine, I am a little bit everywhere at the minute so I need somebody who has a bit of patience. And somebody who will take care of their appearance, and knows how to put an outfit together.

What is your favourite biscuit?
Probably a chocolate HobNob. Good with tea. You can never go wrong with a HobNob.

What is your favourite holiday destination?
Recently I’ve been to a load of places but it’s all been work-related so that sort of cancels them out. I was talking to a girl – who I am sort of seeing – and I was like, we should randomly just go to the airport one day and get on a plane.  We can go wherever.  She said Italy – it’s maybe not my favourite destination but it could be where I am going.

What is your earliest memory?
Having pictures taken with my sisters, you know, professional portraits and my parents dressed us really nicely.  I must have been about three and one sister was two, and the other sister was just born and I was holding her. I’ve got a song called Snap, which is about taking pictures
and preserving memories. Pictures can tell you a thousand things – it can trigger how you were feeling, whom you liked, and what you were into. It’s good to look back on.  So when I do my live show, you might see it on a screen behind the live band.

As a final question, we ask Tinie to come up with his own question that we will put into the mix for the next personality to potentially pick out. His suggestion? “Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever had sex?” However he refuses to reveal his own answer.

[Originally published in Rollcoaster Magazine Issue 1. Photography Roger Rich.]