IN THE LIANNE OF FIRE

Have you smelled Prince’s living-room? Partied with Bon Iver? Shared a bottle of wine with Stevie Wonder, without having to plug him in first? If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, I wouldn’t invite 23-year-old soul strummer Lianne La Havas around to Christmas lunch.

Of course, we haven’t bestowed the captivating Ms. La Havas with the title of Hot Press ‘Woman of the Year’ just because we wanted to mooch off her impressive celebrity connections (although fear not, Prince fans, we will be doing precisely that further down the page.)
Team HP has been captivated by the buttery-voiced Londoner since we first laid ears on that timeless, swoonworthy sound of hers back in February, as debuted on her first
EP, Forget.
Since then, she’s been around the world with folk superstar Bon Iver, landed herself a Mercury nomination for her album Is Your Love Big Enough? and had her songs played in the pub in EastEnders (possibly the most important success barometer of all).
Needless to say, La Havas is feeling pretty chuffed with herself.
“Everything is still very exciting,” she tells me. “A year ago I’d just done a small tour, I had no idea what the finished album was going to be like and it’s really exciting because it still feels fresh. I’ve only been on tour for a few months so yeah, I took it as it came and that’s what I’m still doing.”
Singing since the age of seven, Lianne played piano before having a Eureka! moment with the guitar at age 18.
“Piano was cool, but I just felt more connected with the guitar for some reason,” she says. “It made my songwriting change and I felt more serious about it.”
A choir buddy invited her to join her band, and from there, she scored a gig singing back-up for flamboyant crooner Paloma Faith.
“That was the best time of my life,” she remembers. “It was a great job to have. I’m really inspired by her determination and her strength in being a woman in this musical climate, it can sometimes be difficult.”
In Paloma’s case, the media seem to pay far more attention to what she’s wearing than what’s going on in any of her songs; was Lianne worried about veering into the oft-doomed style-icon bracket?
“I think fashion is fun,” she responds with a shrug, “I think it’s like an extension of your personality so I love the way she uses that as part of the whole visual thing. The music will always be the most important thing but I do want my music to reach as many people as possible. I see the necessity of promotion, which I happen to find a lot of fun, so it’s cool. And I love dressing up! I love clothes. I love the visuals of videos and cinema and things, I’m really into that anyway so I think it’s all related.”
Anyone who’s seen Lianne’s live show will know that it’s a terribly hushed and intimate affair. Presumably Paloma’s penchant for mechanised props and glittered head dresses didn’t rub off on her.
“I like to think that I’m putting on some sort of spectacle,” she smirks, “but I don’t have outfit changes just yet. I don’t even have guitar changes!”
Naturally, when it comes to naming her highlight of 2012, La Havas doesn’t hesitate.
“When Stevie Wonder came to my show!” she beams, “and said he liked it! That’s the moment of my life! It’s a whole other thing with him, he’s like nothing else. There were lots of lovely experiences this year but I always think of that as my favourite one.
“After the show, we met and he was happy to meet my band and my friends and stuff. He was so easygoing. We shared a glass of red wine together and he was talking in an English accent, taking the mickey a little bit, it was really cute and sweet.
“And then he called me! I gave him my number and he phoned me and left a voicemail and he sang one of my songs, ‘Is Your Love Big Enough?’ down the phone on the voicemail… so I’ve not deleted that! I’m thinking of ways to get it out of the phone, I wanted to put it on my next album but I couldn’t, I was too late! But that all happened and he was such an amazing soul. I actually cried sitting next to him. I just couldn’t believe what was happening.”
It just about trumps the time Prince, another fan of Lianne’s, invited her around to his house for a jam.
“It’s how you would imagine Prince’s house to look,” she remembers. “There’s a lot of purple, there’s a wall and it’s got a painting of his eyes and the symbol’s everywhere… it’s really surreal and it smells all like scented candles and essential oils!
“I was with my label representative called Thomas, it was just us two and neither of us knew what to expect. I saw him coming down the stairs through these glass doors and I was thinking, ‘That is Prince!’ and then I went in and he gave me a big hug… well, a little hug, I’m taller than him when I’m wearing flat shoes! But he turned out to be the loveliest guy. He’s really funny, he’s really charismatic, really cool. We jammed! We played guitar together.”
Instead of pinching herself, she says it again, throwing her head back in disbelief. “I played guitar with Prince!”
A few months later, La Havas reached another milestone, this time in the form of a Mercury Award nomination.
“I’m very proud,” she says of the nod. “It’s the kind of award you don’t need to win to feel happy about it. I was truly glad to be amongst artists that I really respect, that was really cool.”
Surely it’s not the first time
she’s been recognised for her
wmusical prowess?
“Erm… I won the ‘Achievement in Music’ award when I was in year 10,” she recalls. “I had a little trophy and a certificate and a very good relationship with everyone in the music department. That was the most valuable thing for me!”
Meaning that she got instant access to all the instruments in the department?
“Exactly!” she cackles.

Is Your Love Big Enough? is out now on Warner Bros records. Lianne plays the Olympia Theatre, Dublin on March 5.