Singer songwriter Nerina Pallot comes to Preston Guild Hall

Nerina Pallot is a smart artist who talk straight and writes beautifully.
Nerina Pallot is bringing her musical talents to PrestonNerina Pallot is bringing her musical talents to Preston
Nerina Pallot is bringing her musical talents to Preston

One woman who could attest to this is Kylie Minogue, for the Australian chart-topper has used some of Nerina's songs herself.

But when singer/songwriter Nerina got a taste for performing herself, there was simply no stopping her. She's recently released her sixth studio album, Stay Lucky, and now she is on the road playing music from the an album which she describes as her most personal, most warmly emotional album yet.

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Nerina found it difficult to fit herself into a musical niche when explaining her work, saying: "I guess it's pop. But, maybe not pop. You see pop means so many different things. I mean Drake is pop isn't he? And Katy Perry is pop, but I don't make pop music like that. It's quite old school I guess.

"I've definitely swapped around the genres and I think the weird thing for me is probably the song that gave me a career a few years ago as well, Pop Rock, and it's not really indicative of most of the work I make. I'm much more a singer/songwriter.

"I guess like my influences have been Carol King and Joni Mitchell. So it's weird that I've gone to this other place and made quite different work over the years. I just like songs, so I'm not really hung up on a genre."

Nerina confesses to having always been a songwriter. She said: "I always did that. I think I was a songwriter first and then musician and singer second. For a long time I thought that was all I would do. I didn't really think I would perform because I was very, very shy and I didn't really like being on the stage. And then I did it under duress and found that I actually quite enjoyed it."

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She wrote two songs, one of them the title track, for Kylie Minogue's 2010 album Aphrodite. But she was quite humble about this, dismissing it as simply being a job. She explained: "You work with a publishing company and they work in conjunction with other labels, and I think I was just known as a songwriter for my own stuff, but I had a lot of songs sitting around so some of them were used by other artists and still, every now and then, an artist somewhere else in the world will cover one of my songs just randomly. It's quite weird."

Instead she was more eager to talk about some of the highlights of her career so far, with good reason.

"I always used to say it was Top of the Pops because I always wanted to go on Top of the Pops. Being a kid growing up that's all I ever wanted to do. But the absolute truth is it was so terrifying that I don't remember it and I think it went by in the blink of an eye. I wasn't really there for it, if that makes sense?

"What's been the highlight, I don't know. I've done some really funny and interesting things. I went on tour with Barry Gibb, I opened for him. I know it is a really weird thing to say but it was incredible to do a show with a man from a band I grew up idolising since I was little. He was so lovely.

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"And then I did a show with the two guys from Abba. Radio 2 did a big show in Hyde Park a few years ago and I was asked to do a couple of Abba songs with the original Abba band. There were loads of people doing it - Kylie was doing it for example - and loads of people showed up. And it was actually so special because it was like being in Abba for a moment. And I got to do my two favourite Abba songs as well.

"The things you think are going to be highlights, like Top of the Pops, or I was nominated for a Brit, that was pretty cool, but it's often things you just don't expect, like the Abba thing being one of my favourites things ever."

Nerina anticipates she will continue to being busy with touring in the near future, saying: "I am touring mostly. And after I finish touring in the UK I am touring in Europe. And then the summer - festivals.

"I've got a small son so I try and do as much as I can workwise, but I also try and be around for my little boy, so it's juggling the two things really."

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For those in the know you will remember that Nerina has played in Preston, many moons ago. But she is returning to the city for a gig at the LIVE venue within the Guild Hall on Sunday, April 15. The doors open at 7pm and tickets are £20. To book visit https://prestonguildhall.co.uk/shows/nerina-pallot/ or call 01772 80 44 44.

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