Interview with Louisa Rose Allen aka Foxes

Louisa Rose Allen might have a pop star name, but she’s better known by her stage alias of Foxes.

On the eve of her first Irish show in the Academy 2, Allen and her band hung out in the lovely Joycean pub Fitzgerald’s in Glasthule, Dublin. Publican John Fitzgerald recognised the singer and treated her and her entourage to a tray of Limoncellos on the house.

“It was really weird. I walked in and everyone turned around,” Allen says. “The guy who owns the place told me he’d been listening to my music on his way to work that day. And now I’d just walked into his pub! It freaked him out. Next thing you know, he sends over loads of free shots.”

While Louisa and Foxes aren’t yet a household name on this side of the Atlantic, she’s huge in the US thanks to winning a Grammy for Best Dance Music Recording with producer Zedd for their hit ‘Clarity’.

“I get recognised a lot in America,” she says. "'Clarity' seems to be played loads in bars. People shout, ‘Clarity girl!’ if I walk in. I don’t get it as much in the UK. Well, it’s starting there too. In Sainsbury’s the other day someone started screaming at me. That’s a bit weird, when you’re in the vegetable aisle.

“You can’t take it too seriously. I really think that's the key. For whatever reason people don’t think anyone in the limelight is actually real. It comes with the job. You get used to it.”

The first Foxes album doesn’t come out until May. Still, Louisa is well on the way to becoming a star.

“It's been a really random and weird sequence of events,’ she reflects. “It makes sense and yet doesn’t make sense. There’s no way on earth I’m going to sit here and go, ‘Wow, I have a Grammy.’ I have a lot to do. I’ve a lot to prove, to myself even. I would love to win a Grammy for my own stuff.”

What is like to hold one of those iconic gongs?

“It’s absolutely lovely, even though it hasn’t arrived yet,” she laughs. “We were actually across the road drinking beer, because the ceremony is so long. There are over 80 categories and it’s a dry event. My manager told me to get back over because my category was about to be called. I didn’t think there was the slightest chance on earth that we’d get it. I felt Calvin Harris had it in the bag. Then, out of nowhere, they announced ‘Clarity.’ I got up there and held it. I couldn’t take it in. I still can’t take it in. Backstage, someone told me I’d remember this forever because it's musical history. Then I started crying.”

“It’s mad. It’s like being a musical Disneyland. That’s the only way I can describe it. You look around and see Paul McCartney and Beyoncé.”

Of all the rock and pop royalty Louisa has encountered, one superstar, in particular, left a strong impression.

“Katy Perry is someone who I think is incredible,” Allen smiles. “She's very professional, humble and wise. She didn’t have to be so lovely and kind. But she took a lot of time out to talk to me. She’s very much in control. She’s extremely smart.”

Louisa has some wise words for anyone who wants to get into music.

“Honesty is important. Life is always a work in progress. Don’t be afraid of failure.”

Glorious is out on May 9.