Stacey Solomon Exclusive Interview

Stacey Solomon Chats In An Exclusive Interview With MarkMeets About Her Debut Album. 

As one of the nations most loved stars, Stacey shot to fame on The X Factor back in 2009, sharing the stage with the likes of Joe McElderry, Rachel Adedeji, Olly Murs and Jedward to come third.

Six years on, having starred in ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ and ‘The Jump’, the 25 year-old singer and presenter is set to release her single “Shy” April 13th followed by her debut album titled “Shy” April 20th 2015.

We caught up with Stacey to chat with her about her music, book and life in the public eye.

Hello Stacey my name is Scott, thank you for taking the time out to talk to us here at MarkMeets, how are you?
I am really good thank you and thanks for having me.

I think It would be good to start where it all began and that’s with The X Factor 6 years ago, you were on the show with other contestants such as Joe McElderry, Olly Murs and Rachel Adedeji are you still in contact with these guys?
I do actually, I saw Olly like a week ago which was really nice catching up with him, I saw Joe a couple months ago just before Christmas. I see some of them quite a lot of the time we always end up at the same events or shows together which is really nice.

It’s clear you are loved by the British public, you are seen as a very kind natured and down to earth. How do you maintain that kind of balance with everything you have going on in your life?
Umm I don’t know, I just try to be myself as much as I can and just hope that the people like what I am doing. People are always just so nice, I am really lucky people are just so nice to me and I’m not sure why but they are.

Earlier in the year you released a book ‘Walk On By’ which is a romantic novel, when you were younger did you ever imagine yourself writing a book?
I never in a million years thought I would get the chance to write a book and become like an author I guess and publish my own book, I was really proud of it and actually being able to be involved and write it, it just made me really proud of myself. It made me feel like If I just put my mind to something I can do it, I’m no George Orwell you know what I mean but yeah I actually got through a whole book and I was really proud. Grammar wasn’t all that good and there was a lot of spell checks going on but the general storyline did not change much which I was really happy with.

Is there two more books on the way, I heard it was going to be a trilogy?
Yeah it is a trilogy there are two more books to come, I am in the process of writing book two which I am nearly at the end now so that been a lot of fun. I love going through the stages, I hate to say it but the journey of the book its actually really nice to see it evolve and grow and make more of the characters and go into more detail, I have added a few little twists.

I guess people don’t think about the hard work behind the scenes, they just pick the book up and read it?
No and I love that, I love just picking up a book and reading the story and you don’t think about how much hard work as gone into it, but that’s not part of why you write a book, you write because you want to lose yourself in an imaginary world. Even though it was hard writing it I got to lose myself in an imaginary world, in a different world and go off to another place basically.

Early April you are going to be releasing your new album called ‘Shy’ I bet you are very excited?
I am really excited, I can’t believe it’s actually finally happening, we have worked so hard on it and I feel like it’s at the point where it represents me exactly how I would want it to. It’s perfect and I am at the point where no matter who or how many people buy it or whatever reaction it gets I am really proud of it.

The lead single on the album is also called ‘Shy’, what was it like working with Rita Ora?
Rita Ora actually co-wrote the song, I didn’t get the chance to actually sit down and write it with her but I am so privileged she co-wrote a song on my album it means a lot. Just knowing that she supports me enough to co-write a song and have it on my album is amazing, it’s a really nice feeling because they don’t have to, people don’t even have to say their name if they are going to co-write a song with you so it made me feel really good.

So like we said before it’s been six years since you have been on The X Factor, in that time you have been Queen of the jungle, appeared on the Iceland adverts, been Celeb mum of the year, written a book and presented various TV shows. We have always wondered here at MarkMeets why it has taken 6 years for you to bring out your first album?
For I just didn’t want to come straight of the show and release something as quickly as possible, or release something that wasn’t true to myself or something I didn’t get to take part in. So I wanted to wait until I was with a label that let me have a say and let me get creative, I waited for that opportunity to come up and then when I signed for Conehead they said they would be happy for me to be involved as much as I wanted to be, which means more to me than just putting anything out there. So I got to write and because I put so much pressure on myself to wait until I could get a record label where I could put everything into it and be creative I didn’t want to just rush it, so I took my time and things came up in between which made it not right to release a record and now we are finally at a point where everyone is really happy with it I am really proud of it and we are ready to go. I feel like whether I released it 10 minutes or 10 years after The X Factor I will still be as nervous as I am now because it’s something that means so much I will always worry what people might think.

Creating an album and writing the songs that you want to feature must be a gruelling process, but how many songs do you write that you think you want to include on the album but then ultimately leave off?
Oh my god so like over the last few years we must have a collection of like 40 or 50 songs, and then you have to narrow it down which is usually about 15 of your favourites which is hard enough that took me like a month, but then you say to yourself what are the best 10 of these 15, what ones really deserve to be on there. Sometimes it’s hard for me to make that decision because personally there might be ones that I like better but might not necessarily work with the story of the album or the way the label wants the album to be portrayed, so you have to work with a lot of people and everyone has to agree which takes like forever. Ultimately everything on there I am so proud of and just excited for people to hear it.

So there is 11 tracks on the album, I always have a thing with odd numbers for example if I am turning the TV up I can’t leave the volume on an odd number, is there anything you are obsessive about?
Oh my god! I’m weird like that as well but only in my car if the volume is on an even number I feel better for some reason and I don’t know why. It’s a weird feeling and I don’t know why, someone must have just said it to me and it just stuck.

In the past you have won Celeb mum of the year, with how busy your schedule is as well as being a fantastic mum to your children, how do you find the time to do everything you do?
I guess I feel like any single working mum has the same issues, you know even if you are working 9 till 5 how do you fit it all in, and then come home and have the energy to be a mum and everything else that comes with it. I just feel so lucky that I am in a job I have always dreamed of being in and doing things I would have never imagined doing, I just make it happen otherwise I would be so ungrateful. I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world because I am doing things I though could only ever dream of doing, you know kids no kids no matter what’s going on in life at that present moment we make it work because I don’t want to ever pass the amazing opportunities I am so lucky to have.

There are so many people out there in jobs they don’t even like and that must be so hard, you have to work so hard and not everyone gets their dream job that’s why I am so lucky, I would do anything to squeeze it all in and I am always happy with it.

So you have two boys Zachary and Leighton, with Mothers day just gone by did you do anything special? What did the boys get you?
I got some really lovely handmade cards from the boys, they both did them at school which was lovely and I took them to the Sponge Bob premiere which was a lovely family day out it was just so nice.

So many kids out there get their mothers a fragrance of their favourite Celeb, but you have your own fragrance, what’s it like having your own perfume out there?
It’s amazing actually because I got to go to the perfumery and make my own smell, and I got to be really involved in it, I love it and it’s something that I actually wear, because I made it! It’s a smell I really like, I am so happy with it. My first one sold out so we have just made a new one which has now gone into stores it’s all really exciting.

Thanks for talking to us here at MarkMeets Entertainment and the best of luck with your album.

Single ‘Shy’ co-written by Rita Ora is out April 13th 2015. Debut album ‘Shy’ out April 20th 2015.

www.staceyxsolomon.com

Questions by media publicist Mark Boardman, Interview carried out by Showbiz reporter Scotty P.

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