Interview Pixey chats latest single ‘Daisy Chain’ and partnering with Focusrite to launch Scarlett 4th Gen

Hey Pixey! How are you? How have you been enjoying the sunshine?

It's been really good actually! I’ve just been finishing my next project, which has kind of dominated this summer. I’m stuck inside at the moment though - I just know that the second I finish it, the weather’s going to go to shit.

And as an artist, your sound is so summery - it’s the perfect soundtrack to this weather!

Do you know what's mad? Whenever it’s a sunny day or a heat wave, ‘Sunshine State’ and ‘Daisy Chain’ get crazy amounts of plays, it’s so funny. I’m going to be screwed in the winter - maybe I need to do a Christmas song!

‘Just Move’ was recently used in the campaign for Liverpool FC’s latest kit launch - being a Scouser and fan of the club, how did that feel?

It actually felt so surreal. That song has honestly done me so much good - it was the tune for the Women’s World Cup on the BBC, and then was used for the Liverpool kit launch too. They invited me along to meet all the players and gave me tickets to the games - they were just fantastic. It was definitely a huge highlight of my career.

Have you got anything else on your career bucket list?

I have this thing where I want certain songs for certain things, so I really wanted a tune that would be used for something sports-related - I’ve actually managed to tick that off twice now, which is amazing. Then the other one is that I really want a fireworks song, I don’t know why. You know how Ellie Goulding’s ‘Burn’ plays every year on fireworks night? That!

So this new project you’re working on - was ‘Daisy Chain’ its first teaser?

That song was actually supposed to just be a standalone single, it wasn’t really supposed to be attached to anything. And as soon as I have the mindset of ‘oh, that’s just a single on its own, I can do whatever I want’, of course that’s going to be one that does well! So now we’re discussing putting it on the next project, and it fits well to be fair - but if you’d had asked me six months ago, it would’ve been a different answer.

This year has seen you release ‘Daisy Chain (feat. Tayo Sound)' and more recently, ‘Daisy Chain (Lullaby Version)’ - did you always have two different arrangements in mind for this track?

Everyone just seemed to enjoy the tune so much; I was chatting to the label and they asked if I fancied doing a stripped back version, and because I’m a producer I can just sit down and do that - I don’t have to go into a studio. That came out nicely, so we just thought ‘let’s release it and see if anyone listens to it’. And people have been, which is so nice!

Working with Tayo on ‘Daisy Chain’ was the first time you’ve had another artist feature on one of your tracks - what was that like?

I knew I wanted a feature on that song for a while, because there was a bit of a break in the middle eight. And I wasn’t sure who would want to collab, because my music is very nineties and is quite kitsch, especially the stuff I’ve been releasing over the past three years. A lot of people are really pop, or completely psychedelic, and there aren’t that many who sit nicely in between. So I think mine and Tayo’s music are quite similar; I sent the track to him and he asked me to guide him on what to say, then he sent back some vocals that I really liked. In the end we got it in about two takes I think, which was really quick and easy - it sounded boss, he was just the perfect fit.

And ‘Daisy Chain’ was also your first new music since releasing your mini-album ‘Dreams, Pains and Paper Planes’ last year. Have you got the bug for longer-form projects now?

When I did the mini-LP I was in a really interesting place: I felt like I was outgrowing EPs, but I also felt like my production skills at the time were quite limiting. So I’m proud of the mini-LP, but it’s so funny - now, even just a year’s worth of skills later, I’m miles ahead production-wise. I loved the songs on ‘Dreams, Pains and Paper Planes’ when I wrote them, but I guess every artist is always about six months ahead of what they’re releasing. With the stuff I’m working on now, I just feel I’ve evolved so much as a producer, as a songwriter, and as an artist. So I think I’m ready for a big project at this point - I’ve come to know myself and where I want to go, and I’ve also developed my skills.

Production is a big part of the signature Pixey sound - you self-produce and loop beats on your laptop, as well as writing your lyrics and guitar parts. In what ways have you developed as a producer?

Going into this next era, I wanted to do it all in a studio, and then the reality hit that I might not have the budget or the time with the person I want to work with to do that. So then I sat back and thought ‘You know what? Actually, I can do this, I’ve just got to put my mind to it’. I’ve spent the last few months with Richard Turvey, who’s sort of become my mentor in production - he assured me that I had the skills, I just needed to apply them a bit better. So I’ve really worked hard on this next one - the sound is going to evolve slightly, and I’m really excited.

You’re involved in the new Focusrite campaign for the launch of their Scarlett 4th Generation. How does this equipment figure in your writing process?

I remember the first thing I was given when I was starting to learn how to produce was this Scarlett 2i2 that my dad got me - it was after I got out of hospital when I was really sick, and I had nothing to do because I was bed-bound. So I just used the Scarlett to loop my stuff, and because there are only two inputs as well, it made me more creative with the way that I wrote my music. It was integral, really, and affordable as well - it was a really good little gateway into producing. They’re good for artists who are starting out who don’t have loads of money; it made [making music] more accessible, and you can still release record-ready tracks on it - some of my most played tracks were recorded on a Scarlett or a Focusrite Clarett. Being in a studio is great, but you actually don’t need it as much as you think you do!

This feature is brought to you as part of our paid media partnership with Focusrite.

For more information on the Scarlett 4th Gen, head to the Focusrite website now.

Tags: Pixey, Advertorial feature, Features, Interviews