People think I’m anorexic but docs told me I have the metabolismof a 12-year-old
SINGER ON HER SURPRISE BREAK IN THE STATES
also planning to release an album, in May, two years after she quit the Universal Island label, claiming the firm forgot she was a human being.
She had reached No11 with her 2014 album Peroxide and No21 the previous year with the single Stay Out as well as recording a version of Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop, for a John Lewis campaign.
After that, she concentrated on writing songs for other artists, including The Shires and Jesse Ware.
Her single Somebody Special enjoyed more than 12million streaming views. She is returning to the UK for dates at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree on May 20 and Edinburgh Liquid Rooms on May 22.
The shows will coincide with the album through Cooking Vinyl records and ahead of her appearance on the TRNSMT festival’s King Tut’s stage, in Glasgow, on July 8.
For her comeback, she ditched her platinum locks and returned to being a natural brunette. She said: “This is my natural hair colour. I dyed my hair blonde when I was 13 because I wanted to be like my mum and my gran, who both have blonde hair. I wanted a change for this next album just because it was really different to the first one.
“It has been a while since the first album came out and I don’t want people to remember what I looked like when I was 17 for the rest of my music career.
“I’ve grown up and I personally would have done it regardless of a new album. It takes five hours to get the roots done.”
She added: “I already feel old. In the music industry, once you are past 21 you are classed as old to be doing pop.
“Some of the people I’m working with in development are just 15. It’s crazy but it’s fine. I’m quite comfortable with my age because I feel like I’ve had enough experience at a young age but there is a lot of pressure on pop artists to be young.
“I say, if you are 40 you should still be able go for it if it’s good music.”