Sharleen embarks on a tour early next year so Playlist's JAMES CABOOTER caught up with the feisty Glaswegian to talk music, love and going it alone... JC: How is life as a solo artist?
SS: "It's been great, the album went to No 3so everybody's happy. "I'd been asked many times by record companies to go solo but it didn't feel natural until now. When you're in a band you're never fully in control, your musical vision is a collective one, so it was nice to see what I could do alone."
JC: What inspired your new single Stop I Don't Love You Anymore?
SS: "I wanted to be on my own. I'd just split up from a long time partner so it seemed like the right time to try something new. "I don't piss about when I decide to change something in my life. The song is just a reflection of that time." JC: The whole album has a very old skool soulful sound, what were you listeneing to ahead of making the record? SS: "I've always been a big fan of soul. Northern soul and Motown. I'd always been into everything that had an ounce of soul as a kid whether it was Dexy's Midnight Runners or The Jam or Blondie doing their Shangri Las thing." The songs I'd written weren't really guitar moments so I knew they probably weren't right for Texas. They just seemed to lend themselves to that sound but it all happened very gradually because I was recording most of the album at home."JC: Some people have accused you of jumpig on the Amy Winehouse and Duffy band wagon, what do you say to them?
SS: "It's a nostalgic sound for sure but I was doing this sort of stuff long before those girls started - and they're great singers. "But my Texas songs like Black eyed Boy or Say What You Want have that Motown feel, that's my proof right there. So I just think those people haven't done their research."
JC: There's a lot of great female voices out there at the moment, do you feel like you opened the door? SS: "Not really, there's always been great women in music. Every generation has had great female talent it's nothing new. I feel we're still in the dark ages a bit when it comes to women in music. "People still lump us all together and say things like 'girls are taking over'. But girls have been making their mark on the charts for decades whether it's Madonna or Dusty Springfield or Amy Winehouse."
JC: You recently collaborated with German industrial rockers Rammstein, how was that experience? SS: "I didn't really know much about the band but I knew they were extreme. I like to test the boundaries of music so it was fun, but it's always about melody for me and they make beautiful music." JC: But Texas isn't over for you?
SS: "No we're just taking a break. We've been doing it for 22 years so everybody's just trying out a few different projects for while."
* Sharleen's new single Stop I Don't Love You Anymore is out now.
