Interview: Alex Winston

‘Oh no!’, you may cry, ‘not another quirky female singer-songwriter!’ And you’d be forgiven for it, too – though you might change your mind if you listen to Alex Winston’s debut mini-album Sister Wife. Detroit-born Winston has a voice that manages to be whispery and haunting, but assertively powerful and memorable. And, unlike a lot of her contemporaries, there are no silly outfits or gimmicks involved; just a rather talented young lady who demanded complete involvement from start to finish, resulting in a well-crafted mini-album. We had a chat with her to find out more.

SSG: What’ve you been up to lately?

Alex Winston: It’s been a hectic few weeks. I’ve been in Paris, Frankfurt, around Europe and of course around the UK. It’s been my first time in Europe, which has been really interesting, especially in the countries where they don’t speak English. I loosened up the French audiences!

When did you know you wanted to be a musician? Did you have a musical childhood?

My dad was a musician so I’ve been exposed to that since I was little, and as I grew up I was always playing in bands. I was given my first guitar when I was seven years old but it took until I was ten to sit down for longer than five minutes! Where I lived, 90 per cent of the kids went to college, and I applied to a couple -but my heart was always in to music.

You’re from Detroit, which is famed for Motown and soul – not really for the instrumental and folk material you perform. Where did your inspiration come from?

Having Motown and pop-rock heritage in your backyard is really inspiring and everyone appreciates it, so consequently it’s a really creative community. I’ve been through lots of other people’s projects before this – like a couple of rock band things. But this is the first one that’s completely my own.

How do you go about writing songs?

I swear my manager wants to kill me! They want me to be writing songs all day, but that’s just not how I work. Sitting down and specifically trying to write material just isn’t very organic to me. I’m a big fan of writing late at night after being at a bar. Being outside the studio is definitely where I’m most creative for writing songs.

Which producers have you worked with?

This band called The Knocks, we did most of it together. We operate like a small circle, a family. Everyone knows each other. I also grew up with my backing singers. For creating new work it has to be special – I hate writing with people I don’t know. There has to be that heartfelt connection.

Which is your favourite track off the album?

‘Locomotive’, because it was the most unexpected. It was co-written: I came in to the studio and was told to come up with something. I really didn’t want to work on a concept at the time but it only took about two hours and I’m really proud of it.

There’s currently a deluge of female singer-songerwiters. Aside from your voice, what would you say makes you stand out?

I think the UK is more keen on female artists, whereas in the US there’s just the dominating mainstream of Ke$ha and Katy Perry, et cetera. On the whole, there are way too many comparisons being made between female artists who are very different. For me personally, the recording process, melodies and lyrics are all very important. I don’t want to be a solo artist, I want to sound like a band.

A lot of bands and artists are releasing EPs and mini-albums like you have, instead of 14-track albums, going back to the time of records. Why do you think that is and what was your motivation for doing so?

There’s much less rush in a mini-album. All the songs are a year or 18 months old. I prefer to release things as soon as they’re written and get them out there for people to hear. Once we have produced enough material a full length album will be out. Probably in late summer.

How many different instruments can you play?

At the moment: guitar, ukulele, piano, drums and I’m currently trying to learn the accordion. It was a birthday gift from my Dad. With a bit of luck you’ll be hearing some of that in later material!

Which is your favourite instrument?

On this album it’s definitely more piano-driven. The guitar always used to be the one I’d use.

The album’s title, Sister Wife is taken from one of the tracks. What made you choose this title?

It’s my name for the girls in my band who it’s dedicated to as we’re all very close friends. Another meaning comes from the album track, which is about polygamy: a concept I’ve always found fascinating.

How have the UK audiences been?

They’re starting to warm up. My recent visit has been mostly about cracking the industry over here. The people themselves have been awesome. At one of my first performances there wasn’t enough room in the venue and a load of people were stuck out in the rain trying to get in. My management deliberately didn’t tell me before I was performing as they knew it would make me so angry! People who support my music are so important to me.

Do you think, with Mumford and Sons and Laura Marling winning Brit Awards, that this so-called ‘folk revival’ is just a temporary or a long-haul resurgance?

I hope it’s not just temporary as it was really encouraging. To me organic music doesn’t sound budget or ‘retro’, it just sounds original. Regardless, I’ll still be doing my thing.

So what’s next? Touring? More mini-albums?

[Laughs] Who knows, maybe four more mini-albums?! No, I’ve first got to get back to the US and tour there – as I’ve been neglecting it – before coming back to the UK. Then I’m going to get back to work on the album, which will hopefully be ready for the summer.

Sister Wife is out now. For more information including upcoming tour dates visit  www.myspace.com/alexwinston