Wonderland magazine: PIXIE LOTT The pop powerhouse returns.

PIXIE LOTT

The pop powerhouse returns.

Coat PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO, jumper PHILIPP PLEIN, briefs CHRISTIAN DIOR, shoes SOPHIA WEBSTER, necklace ADLER, hair PIXIE LOTT HAIR CHALK PEN COLLECTION IN VIBRANT COLOURS

Today, undisputed princess of pop, Pixie Lott is hosting a live-streamed Q&A while I traipse after her, trying to squeeze in my questions before her fans can hound her. No such luck. She stops to greet everyone. Every. Single. Fan. Some she has met so many times that she knows them by name. Others are new. You get the feeling they’ll all be back next time. It’s clear that despite a few years away from music, her followers are still besotted and her fan base is still expanding.

Last week, the candy floss-haired chanteuse was perched atop a stepladder in lingerie for her Wonderland shoot, coyly pouring a stream of milk from a pint bottle onto the floor one minute, lying amongst a mound of baguettes the next. The first thing Lott explains when I eventually sideline her away from her devotees, is that she’s “a pretty go with the flow kind of girl.” I’ll say.

Since the release of her eponymous third album in 2014, Lott’s been focusing on building herself as a “well-rounded” performer. Last summer saw her give a critically acclaimed theatre performance as original manic pixie dream girl, Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. During Milan’s AW17 Fashion Week, she dominated the runway for Dolce & Gabbana. Now, she’s launched her own range of vibrant, techni-colour hair dyes, much to the delight of angst-filled Tumblr teens across the UK.

(LEFT) Jacket, shorts and boots MARC JACOBS, body AGENT PROVOCATEUR, bags (in bike) NATASHA ZINKO and CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA, hair PIXIE LOTT HAIR CHALK PEN COLLECTION IN VIBRANT COLOURS
(RIGHT) Dress GUCCI, hair PIXIE LOTT HAIR CHALK PEN COLLECTION IN VIBRANT COLOURS

Following her foray into acting, which “got a bit too intense at the end”, Lott’s back behind the mic. Her April released single “Baby”, a collaboration with DJ Anton Powers, is a departure from what we’re used to, infusing Lott’s brand of pop into an unabashed party anthem. A crowd-pleaser at festivals littered with shutter shades and sticky-floored nightclubs (the best kind), “Baby” bubbles with house undertones and marks a new musical chapter for Lott. “I haven’t done a club track like this and it feels exciting,” she grins. “I’ve been in the business for a long, long time. I’ve had so much experience, so I’ve grown a lot and I just feel really sure and happy [that this is the right direction].”

Working with Powers on “Baby” has made her hungry for more pairings, “I think the great thing is when you have two different things that come together,” she enthuses. Her dream collaborator? “Eminem,” she says without flinching. “That would be amazing!”

Noughties rap consorts aside, “Baby” hints at what we can expect from her fourth studio album, set to be released next year. Promising the impending record will see her break away from the classic pop that fuelled her chart ascent, Lott tells me, “I want it to be sounding really fresh and very of the time because my last album was super retro. [Although] I love singing in a soulful style, which I will always do, I still want to have my stamp on it.”

Her album release won’t be the only thing she’s busy with next year, as she’s also planning to wed her long-term beau, Oliver Cheshire following his proposal last November. Planning to squeeze in two weddings, “A really big one in England for all my family and friends and then a really small one somewhere hot,” Lott’s going to be back in the spotlight for 2018.

(LEFT) Body AGENT PROVOCATEUR, trousers VETEMENTS x JUICY COUTURE at NET-A-PORTER, hair PIXIE LOTT PAINT NEON PINK FLUORO “GLOW IN THE DARK” WASH OUT HAIR COLOUR
(RIGHT) Bra and briefs ROSA MOSARIO, dress ZIMMERMAN, earrings ADLER, hair PIXIE LOTT PAINT NEON PINK FLUORO “GLOW IN THE DARK” WASH OUT HAIR COLOUR

Until then, 2017 will be all about “music, music, music”. This summer already Lott appeared on our screens as (the winning) mentor on The Voice Kids alongside series regular, Black Eyed Peas experimentalist, Will.I.Am and tween-popper all grown up, McFly’s Danny Jones. Having sparked her own music career at the age of 15, Lott was undeniably the perfect mentor for mini musical stars hoping to make the big time. “Seeing them walking into the studio reminds me of myself when I was that age, I was so happy to be there,” she sing-songs, adding, “I’ve had a lot of years of experience and also the experience of just doing it at their age. I know exactly which routes I took.”

Between her search to support the next big thing and planning two weddings, Lott has another single pencilled for release at the end of the summer and an album to finish. Reminiscing as we say our goodbyes, she makes it clear she’s back doing what she does best. “[When] I was three years old, my mum and dad had this party and they were all singing, ‘Don’t Be A Stranger’ by Dina Carroll,” she smiles in hindsight. “I come in with a dummy and I tell everyone to be quiet then I sing it for everyone. I obviously always loved performing.”

Taken from the Summer 17 Issue of Wonderland; out now and available to buy here.

(LEFT) Bra and briefs ROSA MOSARIO, dress ZIMMERMAN, shoes earrings ADLER, hair PIXIE LOTT PAINT NEON PINK FLUORO “GLOW IN THE DARK” WASH OUT HAIR COLOUR
(RIGHT) Shirt PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO, body BEDTIME FLIRT, shorts ROSA MOSARIO, boots VETEMENTS x MANOLO BLAHNIK, hair PIXIE LOTT PAINT BLACK SHIMMER METALLIC WASH OUT HAIR COLOUR

Photography

 

Charlotte Rutherford

Fashion

 

Toni-Blaze Ibekwe

Words

 

Ryan Cahill

Hair

 

Larry King at Streeters using Pixie Lott Paints

Makeup

 

Bea Sweet at LMC Worldwide using MAC Cosmetics

Nails

 

Michelel Humphrey at LMC Worldwide using Elegant Touch

Set Design

 

Alun Davies

Fashion Assistants

 

Olivia Jones and Billy Tempest-Radford

Thanks to

 

The Lemonade Factory Ltd