CelebMix spent 4 days camping at Y Not Festival; a three-day festival filled with tons of music – artists well known and upcoming – lots of food and friendly faces. While at Y Not Festival we were lucky enough to sit down and chat with Lucy Spraggan. Unfortunately, Tea and Toast was not available at this interview because Lucy had to rush off and play her set.
Hi, Lucy! How are you feeling about today’s Y Not Festival performance?
Lucy: I’m very excited actually, I played here 5 years ago on the same stage. So, it was round then…it’s really cool… Actually, on the way here I Tweeted saying “Can’t wait to be at Y Not” and someone Tweeted saying “Thank fuck I’m not at Y Not this year, bubblegum talent show shit. You’re such a sellout.” So I Tweeted back saying “FYI, I played here 5 years ago before the bubblegum talent show shit” [Everybody in the room laughs, including Lucy] Up your ass [Lucy laughs again]
You have to put people in their place sometimes, don’t you?
Lucy: Exactly! And it’s like, it’s one of those things where people think like oh what are you doing here they’re not cool, they were on X Factor. It’s like, actually I’ve been playing shows around here for like 10 years, so…
It could be easier for people to come see you play a festival…
Lucy: I just… People like that, regardless of who or what talent or sustainability that people that go on these shows have, people that don’t like those shows… it’s like so driven into them they’ll be negative about anything like that.
Do you find that there are too many people like that?
Lucy: Well, I see it because there’s too many crap things that come from there and like, gimmicks but… Some people are just like, “Yeah, a record label told me to change my name to Lucy Diamond so I’m going to go on The X Factor instead”
How do you feel about playing gigs close to home, in Derbyshire?
Lucy: Yeah, I like it. Really good because… Actually, a get a bit more nervous because I look out and I can see my friends. There’s a lot of my friends that are here. So, playing in front of my friends is a lot more difficult than playing in front of people I don’t know.
Aw, that’s nice! It must be like homely and stuff…
Lucy: Yeah! It’s good… It’s good. But, like, I don’t know I think you assume a bit of a character sometimes when you’re on stage so when your friends are there… [Lucy laughs]
It becomes your stage persona? Doesn’t it?
Lucy: Well, that’s pretty much me but a bit more confident. So, when I’m on stage and my friends are like… Dunno, they’d be like “you’re a dick”…
How long have you been writing your own songs and music?
Lucy: I wrote my first song when I was like 10 or 12. I think and it wasn’t very good. Um, then I wrote a few more and they were still a bit shit so I’m trying to write a few good ones now.
We like the fact that you’re honest and the songs are about you. You’re not the kind of person where you say you’ll just sing this because you know it pleases people…
Lucy: That’s why this album is taking so long because I like, before that I was writing songs quite specifically for radio and things like that and this album is not like that at all. It’s taking ages because I’m like “No, I don’t like that” and everyone’s like “why?” and I’m like “It’s going in the bin”
So this music is you?
Lucy: Yeah, yeah.
If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Lucy: Kirsty MacColl, probably. She’s just amazing. She’s like the only – apart from like Elvis – she’s the only singer that I’m like NO! Why did you die?! [Lucy laughs]
Have you had any awkward festival moments or something you wish hadn’t happened during a performance?
Lucy: Um, I don’t know… Awkward festival moment: I went to Glastonbury and I was watching Adele and I really needed a wee and everyone round me was like “yeah, me too, shall we form a halo?” and I’m just in the circle – there was lots of Snapchat’s coming over my friends, like batting phones away I was like, shit. So, that was quite embarrassing.
Where would you play, if you could play a festival or venue, anywhere in the world?
Lucy: I don’t know. I really, really, really, really love The Ritz in Manchester and I might be secretly playing there in March on a massive tour but… don’t tell anyone! Joke, you can tell anyone. [Lucy looks to her management team and chuckles] oops…
Favourite food?
Lucy: Pizza, probably or Sushi. If I’m feeling healthy, though, it’ll be Sushi. Pizza’s like in general…
Favourite animal?
Lucy: Dog. Always!
Favourite song of your own?
Lucy: I dunno, you know. It changes daily sometimes I’ll like… oh, I can’t listen to them. Maybe, Mountains or my new one Dear You.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?
Lucy: Um. Oh god… So deep! I think, I dunno… [Lucy pauses to think hard about this] Just make sure that everyone had some money or probably make everybody on a really level playing field.
What is your biggest challenge as an artist?
Lucy: It’s probably the constant you don’t have like a projection of your life. So, life is always only like 4 months ahead of you. You know, career wise you can only ever at here [Lucy gestures to the place she is in] and in a lot of different careers you can see like for the next 10 years. That’s probably the challenge that’s hardest, living without any structure.
The last question we have is: Do you prefer festivals or your own gigs?
Lucy: Well, I’m at a festival so… [Lucy laughs] it’s difficult but they’re a very different mix. Sometimes you can have a show, an intimate show, with about 50 people there and it’s incredible and you can play to 15,000 people in a venue and it’s like, oh. Then you play a festival and you think… Like, I played Silverstone the other day which is Formula 1 and I was so nervous, I was like “Why did they want me to play here, it’s so not my vibe” and then it was a really great show. So, you never know. It’s both, it’s dependent on an audience.
If you want to hear the full interview audio, you can listen right here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVFcnQACtKQ&feature=youtu.be
To stay up to date with news about Lucy’s new album you can follow us on Twitter @CelebMix or find us on Facebook – that you you won’t miss a thing!