La Roux's Elly Jackson

We all know and love Elly Jackson for her incredible style, statements and of course the amazing contribution to the music industry this year via La Roux‘s solid self-titled debut album. La Roux has successfully created one of the year’s best pop albums in my opinion, so the opportunity to share a few words with Elly was exciting! In approaching this interview I wasn’t quite sure what was off limits with Elly who some have aptly nicknamed La Rude, so I just went for it with no filter. Check me and La Roux candidly going head to head, I’m pretty sure she won this battle of the wits.

Make sure you catch Elly onstage next month at Highline Ballroom with La Roux, one of my most anticipated shows of the fall! Check out my review of La Roux at All Points West last month HERE.

MP3: La Roux – I’m Not Your Toy (DatA Remix) or zShare

MP3: La Roux – Farewell to the Fairground (White Lies Cover) or zShare

> I recently read that you were excited to be see Kraftwerk live at Bestival. Having been on the other end playing gig after gig, is catching a gig a rare occurrence or do you still make time to see your favorite bands on tour?
EJ: It’s a very rare thing. We got amazing front row seats to see Depeche Mode in NYC recently which was wonderful. I’d never seen them before but that’s such a rarity. I don’t even get time to see anyone play at festivals let alone go to gigs.

“If my music helps people in any way then that makes all the other bullshit worthwhile.”

> You’ve been very open about growing up feeling a bit of an outcast and in a sense have become a role model. Is that something you’re comfortable with?
EJ: If my music helps people in any way then that makes all the other bullshit worthwhile.

La Roux at All Points West, 8.2.09

> Style-wise, is the Elly seen onstage with La Roux the same Elly we would see grocery shopping?
EJ: I never go grocery shopping.

> I read that you and Ben started off making acoustic music under the name Automan. The pairing has since evolved into La Roux. How do those two projects compare and why did you decide to make the switch?
EJ: Automan was Ben’s original producer name, its taken from an 80s US TV show…it’s only ever been one “project” (I hate that word!)

>As a fairly new artist, what is your perspective on the state of music – the industry, the hype factor and what it has produced?
EJ: We’re all doomed.

> I saw La Roux last month at All Points West and was really pleased by the crowd reception. I was in the center of a huge dance party, mud and all! How did you hold up through the weather, what was your experience at the festival like?
EJ: SO MUCH RAIN!! The gig was great, the rest of the day was fucking horrible!

> La Roux was also scheduled to play the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago but mysteriously disappeared from the bill. What was the reason behind the schedule change?
EJ: It’s a mystery.

“I stand behind everything I ever say. Honest.”

> We’re excited to have you back in New York next month! As a successful artist from the UK how important is it to you to arrive in America?
EJ: Well we have to arrive in America if we’re going to play New York otherwise the stage will be a bit empty.

> Colourless Colour is one of my absolute favorite songs from the record (hoping it becomes a single!) I’m curious to hear where you were coming from in that song.
EJ: I wrote the lyrics in a dreary flat in South London. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned for years hence the line “early nineties decor.” I wanted the music to have a 90′s vibe as well so you could say I was coming from the nineties. The decade that time forgot.

> One of my favorite parts of your personality is your honesty, which has often been misconstrued as being rude or bitchy. One of the most fascinating interviews I’ve seen was one where you openly discussed the trouble of working with remixers (Video.) Do you still stand behind that statement?
EJ: I stand behind everything I ever say. Honest.

> Have A-Trak or SebastiAn come around since?
EJ: They popped round for a cuppa only yesterday actually.

> Can you give our American readers a formal introduction and preview of what to expect from the US tour in 140 characters or less? (This will be Tweeted.)
EJ: I hate Twitter.