Interview: Indiana

“I wasn’t expecting it”, she says. “I was hoping that something would break through, because everything [to date] has been OK with radio and stuff, but nothing has started off as well as this one. So I am quite excited about it.”

 

In a marked departure from Indiana’s previous videos, the Solo Dancing video is intentionally funny, and stuffed full with visual puns for an altogether more intimate type of solo activity: beans are flicked, chains are yanked, cats are stroked, you get the picture. It’s not what you might call a typical Indiana vibe, to say the least.

 

“This is actually the first video that I haven’t had anything do with, [in terms of] the writing or directing”, she admits. Did she maybe worry that the video was cheapening the art? “Um, yeah, kind of. I was a little apprehensive. But I said I’m never gonna put out there what it’s about. Some people don’t get it, some people think it’s just weird, and I’m happy with that. The weirder the better - I’d rather be referred to as odd than normal. It’s good to get people talking, in any sense.”

 

Despite her fondness for lyrical darkness, which tends to explore the more dysfunctional aspects of relationships – betrayal and vengeance, addiction and co-dependence – Indiana is actually a happily settled mother of two, whose personal circumstances appear to contradict her subject matter. So where does this darkness come from?

 

“I like to tell stories, and most of them are not true to facts, but I do draw on some experiences and refer to them in songs. I like to put on my storytelling hat; it’s more entertaining than ‘girl loves boy’ or ‘boy doesn’t love girl’. And I probably don’t seem it, but I am quite a dark person, and the darker things interest me – so that comes across in my music.”

 

In terms of the songwriting process, Indiana favours an evolutionary approach. “It takes a lot for me to say, okay, that’s finished, because I keep going back, taking things out and putting things in. Lyrically, I take more time than some songwriters that I know, because I like to research and think of other words. I liketo use a thesaurus, to use words that people wouldn’t often hearin songs.”

 

Once the songs have been completed in the studio, they are introduced to the band. For Indiana’s headline show at the Bodega in February, we were introduced to a brand new line-up - all of whom hail from Nottingham. The geographic closeness works in everybody’s favour, as the previous band “were based in London, and with acoustic nights and live lounges that I have coming up, I want people to be able to hop in the car, come round to my house and have a jam.” At the show, you could already sense a greater degree of engagement between the singer and her musicians. They felt less like hired hands, and more like an integrated unit, in tune with Indiana’s vision.

 

Inevitably, given the age-old conflict between art and commerce, certain battles have had to be fought with the record company. As an artist who likes to be “quite hands-on with everything” in terms of songwriting, production, video direction and personal styling, Indiana places a high value on retaining overall control, and keeping her operations in-house wherever possible.

 

“I might have developed a little bit of a name for myself, with throwing my toys out of the pram too many times”, she giggles, when questioned about possible diva moments, “but I’ve got really strong opinions on how I want to be portrayed. I might have been a diva a couple of times - not because I didn’t have all-blue M&Ms, but because I like to have creative control.”

 

“I think I’m a lot more knowledgeable now”, she continues. “I know a lot more about the music industry, and it’s not all good. I’ve come a long way. My first gig was only two years ago, and I had no idea.” The past two years have been peppered with highlights: a show at Glastonbury, the main stage at Splendour, and most recently a début London gig which “blew me away. I was so scared, because it wasn’t a crowd of fans, like in Nottingham. It was industry people; they’re there to socialise, not just to watch me.”

 

“So I’ve got that hanging over me, but there was complete silence for Blind As I Am. When I did the big ‘I’m rubbing gold’ bit, they all cheered, and then were silent again – and when I did it again, they cheered and were silent again. I came off, and my whole body was shaking. I felt like someone had spiked my drink. I was like, what’s going on, I can’t believe that, this feels amazing, because I’d won them over. I was so scared just before I walked on - I felt really faint, because I’d been away from the gigging game for a little while, having a baby. It was a big moment.”

 

In June 2013, Indiana was selected to perform live in front of the Queen, backed by The Script, for a rendition of David Bowie’s Heroes: a song which contains the potentially treasonous line “I will be Queen.” They had to kind of Queen-proof it. First of all, her people said: “we’re going to have to make her change the words, and she’ll sing something else.” Then they spoke to the Queen, and she said: “no, it’s fine, just don’t look at me.” So, then it got back to me: “don’t look at her when you sing “I will be Queen”. The thing is, when it was coming up to singing that line, I was so conscious not to look at her, that my eyes were darting round the room, and they hit her a couple of times.”

Robbie Williams: Freedom. I was a big Take That fan when I was little.

Your first gig?
Oasis at Wembley.

Favourite recent single and album?
MS MR – Secondhand Rapture / Lorde – Royals.

Your house is on fire, you can only save one thing...
My MacBook – it’s got all my songs and stuff.

It’s my round - what are you drinking?
A bottle of beer.

Best holiday destination ever?
I had a really good time in Ibiza when I was twenty (giggles).

You’re about to get on a plane. Which magazine do you buy from Smiths?
Heat, for my sins – I’m a bit of a gossip mag reader.

Dog, cat or neither?
Both – I couldn’t decide. I have four cats, and the only reason I don’t have a dog is because my lifestyle won’t let me.

Worst fashion mistake ever?
Bleaching the two bits at the front of my hair with toilet bleach.

Best decade musically?
The eighties.

Describe yourself in three words...
Creative, odd, dorky.

Send a message back to the Indiana of two years ago...
You’ll never guess what; you’re going to sing for the Queen.

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