“There’s a lot more sitting around than people think there is.”
So says up and comer Chloe Howl in the canteen of The O2 on the downsides of being a fledgling popstar. The 19 year old has been enjoying insurmountable success, what with being nominated for BBC’s Sound Of 2014, the Critics’ Choice Award at the BRITs, as well as supporting Ellie Goulding on her recent European tour.
Her self-titled album is due for release this summer, after a string of hits including Rumour and Paper Heart. Despite all this, she told The Guardian last year that she writes songs because she’s simply a “bored teenager”.
“I’m not that bored anymore,” she tells Goldenplec. “I’m just sleepy now. I’m coming out of that ‘teenage hood’ phase. The next set of songs will be about what I do now, and more grown up.”
Having been signed at just 16, Howl felt no pressure when it came to the surrounding hype. “When I got put up for all these things, I had already finished my album. There was no pressure there. I was just ready for people to hear it – it just meant I knew there was a lot of people looking forward to hearing it.”
Growing up, her parents were a big influence on her musical tastes. “My dad liked a lot of guitar music, like New Order, The Smiths and The Cure. My mum liked TLC and Blondie.” On the latter, she gushes about their performance at the NME Awards. “Debbie Harry was great.”
Nowadays, she cites the late Amy Winehouse as a big influence, as well as fellow Sound Of 2014 nominees Ella Eyre and Banks. Staying down to earth and maintaining a ‘normal’ life hasn’t been too challenging for her. “It’s ok with my friends: they’re all at university anyway, so it’s just like we’re all at university,” she says, laughing. “Sometimes, I can get homesick.”
Determined to forge her own path when it came to the industry, she refused to go down the talent show route, despite her youth. “I like the grind,” she says. “I think there’s a difference between wanting to be a popstar and wanting to be an artist.”
Comparisons to Lily Allen have come in thick and fast, what with Chloe’s Brit lilt and mouthy lyrics. It’s a comparison which she doesn’t really appreciate. “People can be so lazy. They hear female singer, British accent and it’s Lily Allen, which is fine. It seems to be the only comparison they can make.”
Unlike Lily, however, she is indifferent to talk about over-sexualisation among female singers.
“I really don’t care,” she says, bluntly. “If I want to have my boobs out, then I probably will. If I don’t feel comfortable doing that, then I definitely won’t. I think some people do because they feel they have to because it’s getting them attention, like Miley Cyrus. Then there’s people who do it because they think they look fucking hot. I don’t think you should feel guilty for wanting to look really good.”
In the studio, she says she learned to be more assertive and vocal when it came to her album. “At 16, you think everyone knows better, but at the end of the day, it’s my project. Nobody knows who you like and who you want to be more than you do.”
She worked with EG White on the LP, having previously worked with the likes of Florence + The Machine. “He’s just an amazing song-writer, and he’s worked with so many amazing people. I learned a lot from him.”
Touring has also been a learning curve for the singer. “I’ve been on tour with her [Ellie Goulding] since January. I’ve gotten the swing of things now… It’s just a matter of winning people over,” she says.
A recent tour highlight of hers came in Poland. “I played a show and hundreds of them had made paper hearts and brought them in. I was like, ‘how do you know who I am?’”
Another highlight last year came in the form of her appearence on the soundtrack of ‘Kick Ass 2’ with No Strings. “That was kind of out of the blue,” she says. “I was just told, ‘Oh by the way, we’ll be putting your song on the soundtrack’. I was like, ‘Oh cool, that’s nice!’” she laughs.
On future projects, she admits she would love to join the long list of artists who have collaborated with Disclosure.
Set to play SXSW in the coming weeks with the likes of London Grammar and Kelis, Howl wants to establish herself as an artist here, before she eyes up the US market. “I haven’t really thought about it yet. I have to crack here first!”
Her birthday is coming up in the next few days. Will she be slaving away tirelessly on stage or does she have other plans? “I’m going to see Beyoncé at the O2 in London,” she grins. “I’m so excited!”
Chloe Howl – still a teenager, just less bored.
Her single Rumour is released March 4th.