‘Family is everything’
We’re used to seeing Pixie Lott mentoring adorable, pint-sized musicians on ITV’s The Voice Kids. But as viewers count down to the new series, they’re about to see the show’s reigning coach in a totally different light.
The 30-year-old singer is the latest famous face to trace her roots in another eye-opening episode of BBC One’s hit genealogy series, Who Do You Think You Are?. And it’s not long before she discovers she’s not the only talented artist in her family tree – on her mum’s side there were military musicians.
But her dad’s side harbours a hidden sadness, as Pixie finds out her great-grandfather became a prisoner of war in Germany during World War One.
“Finding out my own family tree was amazing, especially because it was different to what I originally thought,” Pixie says of the show.
Here, Pixie, who is engaged to model Oliver Cheshire, 33, tells us more about filming the emotional episode, what she’s learnt from the experience and why she can’t wait to storm the music charts once more…
Hi Pixie.You recently took part in Who Do You Think You Are?. What was that like?
I loved every second. I’ve been wanting to do this show ever since I knew it existed and was so happy to be a part of this series. I’ve always been so interested in my family history and the past in general, and people’s true stories. Finding out my own family tree was amazing, especially because it was different to what I originally thought.The little I did know about it was completely wrong.
Were you worried about what you might discover?
Yes, I had no idea what I would find out. I was worried it might be something
I didn’t want to know. But I think it’s great to know where you come from and your roots. Without those people we wouldn’t be here.
What did you discover?
On my mum’s paternal side, they were all military musicians. My dad’s side were Irish but moved to East London and were in and out of Victorian workhouses for years. And my great-grandad Joseph was a prisoner of war in World War One.
Oh wow! Tell us some more about Joseph’s story…
I can’t even imagine what Joseph went through and how he ever recovered after what he’d seen. He was so young to be captured and be a prisoner of war. After he joined to fight for our country, it ended up in him having to work to aid the opposing country. It must have been incredibly tough for him.
You also learn about the poor conditions your maternal greatgrandmother Mary experienced at a very young age...
I was very shocked. Her life and upbringing was extremely tough – especially as the story that trickled down to me before doing the show was that she was from glamorous Verona in Italy. The reality is very different.
During filming, you went to visit an old workhouse. What was that like? I couldn’t believe what I learnt about their living conditions and what daily life was like. Also, the workhouse we visited that they lived in for a time was down the road to where I’ve been living for the past 10 years!
Were you happy to know you descended from a long line of musicians?
Extremely happy. I always thought I was the only one to do music as an occupation. It makes more sense now as to why I went into it myself.
Singer Pixie Lott opens up about the emotional trip down memory lane that has inspired her
‘My new music
greatgrandad was a prisoner of war in World
War One’
Has the show inspired any new music?
I’ve already started writing little song ideas from my experience. It really was a oncein-a-lifetime journey to go on, especially as my mum joined us too. Now we can pass the stories on to the next generation from our family and keep them alive.
Aside from your singing talent, what do you think you have in common with your family?
I definitely think the way the families through the generations all stuck together and were resilient through tough times. Family is everything.
What else have you taken from the experience?
It made me think about how fast time flies and how quickly generations move on. After learning about all of their stories it made me think, “What do I want my story to be if the next generations learn of ours?”
Finally, what’s next for you?
I’m so excited to be releasing a new album next year after so long. I’ve grown and learnt so much since my first album came out and this music really is what I’ve always wanted to make.
Tuesday, 9pm, BBC One