REBECCA FERGUSON | INTERVIEW
It hasn’t been an easy ride for X Factor finalist Rebecca Ferguson – management bust-ups and relentless touring have meant she’s had to adapt to survive. But with her new album attracting rave reviews, things are on the up.
Since Noel Gallagher confessed – “I watch it – I’ve got nothing against it!” It’s been almost OK to watch The X Factor”. The franchise does churn out a lot of identikit popstars who burn brightly and then die out. But just occasionally it presents us with a bit of a gem – someone who has the charisma and talent to keep shining long after the X Factor glow has worn off. Could singer-songwriter Rebecca Ferguson be one of them?
A critically acclaimed platinum-debut (titled Heaven) and two MOBO nominations suggest that the evolution from reality pop star to credible singer-songwriter is almost complete. It’s over three years since Ferguson stormed to The X Factor final with Matt Cardle and One Direction. And now the lass from Liverpool is back with a new album – Freedom. With a new management team and new label on her side, she’s ready to take control.
When I talk to her she’s just flown in from Dubai where she performed at the Dubai Film Festival in front of a crowd that included Martin Sheen and Cate Blanchett. With more gigs on the horizon she’s taking a well-earned rest before throwing herself back into the chaos of touring. There’s a few boy-bands staying at the same hotel (she won’t say who) but Rebecca isn’t fazed: “I haven’t actually managed to get out yet.” She laughs.
Maybe she enjoys her creature comforts? “I do yeah, I can’t wait to go home actually. I just wanna be in my own bed… I’ve got a very comfortable bed and as much as I like hotels – I can’t wait to be home with my family.” But before we get too relaxed – let’s get down to business: The X Factor – Did she ever get given a difficult song to sing?
“There was one” she admits. “It was Make You Feel My Love. It made me cry every time I sang it but in the end I managed to power through it.”
Hardly surprising that emotions occasionally got a little stretched. Who wouldn’t be nervous? Rebecca became an overnight success. How did she cope with all the attention?
“It was really lovely but the first year was really hard. It was making that transition from the life that I had – so that took me probably the best part of two years to actually get my head around fame. Now that I’ve got to where I am, I need to stay wise. I guess it helps that I’m a bit older so I haven’t let it affect me too much.”
“After X-Factor I seemed to attract a few of the wrong types of people”
The new album’s called Freedom. Is there a hidden meaning behind the title then? There’s been talk of management bust ups and dubious hangers-on making her life difficult in the press. “Well, at the moment I feel ‘free’. I’ve had so many people around me that haven’t been that good to me. Just after X-Factor I seemed to attract a few of the wrong types of people. I’ve grown a lot as a person since then. I’ve stopped wanting to be perfect and I’ve realised that not everyone’s going to like me but it’s ok. You’ve just got to enjoy your life and be happy with it”.
The album includes a duet with nine times Grammy winner John Legend. How did that come about? “I think he wrote the song with Steve Robson – so he got in touch with my record label and said that there’s a track that they’d really like me to vocal. That was it really. I got in the studio, recorded it and thankfully – he loved it! So yeah, it’s all good!”
So, will the Ordinary People singer be making an appearance in Cardiff when she tours this year? “Ohhhh, I wish! He’s just got married, we were supposed to be performing together last year. He’s on his own tour at the moment. Fingers crossed – there will be a performance coming up!” She has two of Legend’s friends in sights for future collaborations: “I’d love to work with Lauren Hill and Kanye West. West’s Production is very good, we sometimes get sidetracked by all the media attention that he gets, but musically, he’s brilliant.”
So that track was written for her. How much involvement does Rebecca have in the creative process?
“Normally I make the melody and write the lyrics, I normally help produce the tracks as well. It’s quite an instinctive process – so if the producer plays me a few chords I’ll come up with an idea. I’ve started ‘writing with the mike’ too, that means I’m not using a pen and paper or laptop, I’m coming up with a melody over a specific beat.”
After her performances on the X Factor you’d assume she can come up with the goods when she’s performing too. She’s playing Cardiff soon. Has she been to the Welsh capital before? “Oh yeah! I’ve got some good memories from Cardiff. I do like coming to Cardiff.” So, is she a party animal? Will she hit St Mary’s Street after she comes off stage? “It’s funny because sometimes you dont get time to do much. If I get time I like to explore the local culture… it’s just the way the schedule is. But I always take the time to see as much as I can. I really like different sceneries!”
At this point, I’m tempted to try and blag a pair of tickets for the Cardiff show but her phone rings: “Sorry – that’s my mum!” she says. Maybe this is the perfect opertunity to ask her a bit about her family and if her mum comes to her gigs. “Sometimes, not always, she’s such a homebird! ‘Oh, I’ll watch it on the telly!’ she says. I like that about her though. She hasn’t been affected by any of the fame and big lights, you come home, have your cup of tea and you keep it real. Theres no airs and graces about my mum, she’s just the most real person. I’ll buy her clothes or a nice posh bag and shes like – ‘ohh no!’ She’ll wear what she’s always worn, that’s what I like about my mum – she’s been totally unaffected by it all.”
What was it like growing up at home? Did she always want to be a singer? “Yeah. I don’t think people realise how big my ambition was, I was that kid that wouldn’t shut up. I’d be singing all around the house and everyone would be like ‘shut-up!’ I’d be making songs up. It wasn’t until I got a little bit older, that’s when my family realised I was serious. I started work when I was 14 to pay for my own singing lessons.”
A job, at 14! What? A paper-round? “No” she laughs. “I worked in a little retail shop”. So, there was clearly a healthy work ethic at that age. What about now – has she gone all high-maintenance? Does she have any extravagant needs when she’s on the road?
“Honey and lemon ginger tea! I have to have that before I go on stage. I’m a bit of a creature of habit so that’s a bit of a regular thing, I’m not obsessive about it though… you know – I know I can sing fine without it.” Well if it works, who are we to argue?
The past few years have been clearly been busy and a little crazy – a hugely successful, album, a touring schedule that nearly did for her and a fall out with her management. Apart from the honey and lemon – what else keeps her together? Is she a spiritual person?
“Yeah, I am very spiritual, without faith I wouldn’t probably be here. With all the crap I’ve been through. I’ve been blessed and I’m very lucky and I feel like everything that I’ve gone through has made me a better and stronger person. I wouldn’t have been the person I am today if I hadn’t have learnt those harsh lessons”.
These days, fans want more than just your music. Social media is an important promotional tool for artists – but it’s not without its risks. Ferguson is on twitter with over 800,000 followers. Does she get many tweets from weirdoes? “Yea, I get the odd weird one, I think that comes with it. Sometimes you wanna reply – but the best thing to do is to just ignore. There’s been times that I’ve snapped back. I think most of these people aren’t well and often if you click and scroll down you’ll see that it’s not just you that they’re attacking, they’re attacking people because they’re having a bad day. I think some people, when they’re going through pain, they offload by being nasty. I can understand that now a bit more with experience. I’m learning that some people are just hurting and reacting in a negative way. If they met you they wouldn’t say anything bad.”
There’s clearly a wise head on her relatively young shoulders and that bodes well for the future. It’s time to wrap up. “I’ll see you in Cardiff!!” is the last thing she says.
Wonder if there will be some tickets in the post after all?
words IESTYN JONES
St Davids Hall, Cardiff, Thurs 20 Mar. Tickets: £25 – £29.50. Info: 029 2087 8500 / www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk